Eaton Centre

 When we went to the show last week, we took the Subway downtown, and got off at Dundas Street/Eaton Centre.  The one thing the Eaton Centre does is have this huge lit Christmas Tree.  My photo's suck of the tree, I just couldn't get a decent photo of it.  It was lovely in person though.

There were also these huge reindeer dotted around the mall, they must have been 10 to 12 feet high.

To my mind this tree was nicer.  It was outside of the Vaughan Subway station.

When you go to a mall you see all sorts of people from all walks of life.  We were looking at a car parked inside of the mall that the company was promoting, when a woman/man came up to us and started talking to us about the car.  Now they were very nice and we talked to them for quite a while, but when he/she walked away both hubby and I looked at each other and said, "I'm confused, was that a man or woman."  

Then we passed a woman who was in her late 60's/early 70's I would guess.  She was wearing a pair of floral painted Doc. Marten boots, with a gold foil pleated skirt, with a long sweater on top.  I turned and said to hubby, "Who decides to get up in the morning and pick out a very uncoordinated outfit like that and go shopping?"  Floral doc marten boots say daytime to me, whereas gold foil pleated skirt says night time/party time to me?

Now I am guessing it was the height of fashion and a very expensive outfit, but "mutton dressed as lamb," came to mind.............it take all sorts.........people watching is so much fun.  It also gave us plenty to talk about!!

The Toronto Library's Top Ten Most Borrowed Books for 2025

 You can read more here.

If you click on the header title it will take you to Goodreads where you can read more about each book.

# 1 Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Onyx Storm, not my type of book.

#2 The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins 

The Let Then Theory, not for me........

#3 The Women by Kristin Hannah 

The Women, does sound interesting, may borrow this book.

#4 The Wedding People by Alison Espach

The Wedding People, would be on my list to read also.

#5 The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

On the fence with The God of the Woods, not sure about it.

#6 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Great Big Beautiful Life, would be my type of book to read.

#7 Funny Story by Emily Henry

Again Funny Story, my type of book.

#8 Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits.........I'll pass........

#9 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Intermezzo, not sure about, so I'll pass.

#10 The Anxious Generation by Johnathan Haidt

I should buy a copy of this books for our kids.  As it's a whole different world out there raising kids nowadays!

I don't recall reading any of these books.  Have you read any? 

Sew Along.....

I managed to get a bit done this week.  Loved sewing the robins, but the red squares were fiddly, but look great.

I hope to get the rest of the border done this week along with the last square.

This is the design for the last section, a Christmas stocking, pretty simple and straight forward.

I hope to have it all completed by a week today.

Durene has some patterns featured in the The World of Cross Stitching magazine  January 2026 edition.  Its the three Home Sweet Home banners on the front cover.

Secret Santa..........

 

We Will Rock You............

On Wednesday we went downtown Toronto to see the musical We Will Rock You at the Ed Mirvish theatre.  We were given some money for Christmas from my mother, and decided to use some of it for tickets to see this.

I have seen a few things at this theatre and they always put on great productions.  That being said, would I go and see this again, no.  The only things it had in common with Queen were the songs the actors sung.  It was a weird storyline, the second half was better than the first.  There were a lot of high school students there watching it and they seemed to love it.

For us, I am glad I bought cheaper seats.  We saw the musical Just For One Day and that was a 100 times better.

Food for thought..........

Saw this on Facebook and thought it was worth sharing:

When I turned 65 , I sat in my favorite chair, looked back at my life, and whispered to myself,

“So… this is the beginning of the final stretch.”

And slowly, the truths I had avoided all my life began to surface.

Kids? They’re busy writing their own story.

Health? Slips away faster than sand through open fingers.

The government? Just headlines, promises, and numbers that never change your daily reality.

Aging doesn’t hurt your body first — it hurts your illusions.

So I sat down with myself and carved out a handful of bitter but necessary truths.

⸻

Kids don’t save you from loneliness

Children grow, life pulls them in every direction, and you become a memory they visit when time allows.

You smile… and yet something inside you remains strangely hollow.

Kids bring joy — but they are not a shield against loneliness.

⸻

Health is not forever

One day, the outings you once jumped into with enthusiasm feel like a marathon.

You realize health was never a background character —

it was the main pillar holding your life steady.

⸻

Retirement and money

Retirement is not a reward — it’s a reality check.

Depending on the system is like standing on thin ice.

Bills grow, needs grow, prices grow… but support doesn't.

⸻

So I rebuilt my life on new rules — honest, sharp, practical rules for living with dignity.

⸻

Rule 1: Money is more reliable than anything else.

Love your kids, cherish them —

but don’t make them your retirement plan.

Save for yourself.

Even small savings create big freedom.

Financial independence is dignity.

⸻

Rule 2: Your health is your real job

Nothing else matters if your body refuses to cooperate.

Move. Walk. Stretch.

Guard your sleep like treasure.

Eat cleaner. Reduce the poison disguised as sugar and salt.

Illness doesn’t discriminate,

but it respects those who take responsibility for themselves.

⸻

Rule 3: Create your own joy

Waiting for others to make you happy is the fastest way to heartbreak.

So you learn to enjoy the small things —

a peaceful breakfast, a good book, music that warms the soul.

When you know how to make yourself happy, loneliness loses its power.

⸻

Rule 4: Aging is not an excuse to become helpless

Some people turn aging into a performance of complaints.

And slowly, even those who love them start stepping away.

Strength is attractive.

Resilience is magnetic.

People respect the ones who stay capable, not the ones who surrender.

⸻

Rule 5: Let go of the past

The good old days were beautiful — yes.

But they’re gone, and there is no return ticket.

Clinging to the past steals the present.

Life today may look different, but it still holds moments worth living.

⸻

Rule 6: Protect your peace like it’s your property

Not every argument needs your voice.

Not every insult needs your response.

Not every relative deserves access to your emotions.

Peace is expensive.

Protect it from drama, negativity, and draining people —

even if they're your close ones.

⸻

Rule 7: Keep learning something — anything

The day you stop learning is the day you start aging.

A new recipe, a new word, a new app, a new hobby —

your brain needs movement just like your body does.

Learning keeps you young.

Stagnation makes you old.

⸻

Strength and freedom still belong to you

Aging is an exam no one can take for you.

You can adapt, rebuild, and rise stronger…

or sit back, complain, and wait for someone to rescue you.

And if ....

No one comes to rescue you ....

Stand up for yourself ...

Because you still can..

And that single truth is enough to transform the rest of your life.

Unknown author

Fresh-ie

That is the name of the paint colour I chose for our laundry room.  

I bought the BeautiTone Paint from Home Hardware.  2 gallons to paint a 12' x 16' room and it took around 1 1/2 gallons to do two coats.

I have used BeautiTone before and have always been very pleased with how it goes on and the feel of the walls afterwards.  It is also a Canadian brand.  I paid just under $85 CDN for the 2 gallons.  So the same price as buying from Home Depot and cheaper than buying the Benjamin Moore brand paint.

This is the colour chip.  You can see it here also on their website.

I wonder who comes up with the names?  I do agree it is a fresh looking colour.  Sort of an aqua/pale green/pale blue mix, my typical colours I always choose!

Hubby has been on with this laundry room reno for a few months now, and we still have a ways to go.  He was at a point though, that he had finished the drywalling and sanding of the drywall, and I was fed up of the dust 🙄  So I wanted the walls primed to stop the dust and decided while I was in the mood, I would paint the walls at the same time.

The next job is to put the flooring down, then the drop ceiling, electrical/lights, baseboards, door and window trim, new sink and cabinet to install and new cupboards to install.

So I will update you with photos when that's done.  I want it done by the beginning of June 2026.  It's keeping him out of mischief, so I am happy with that!

Marks and Spencer

 When you think of stores in the UK, Marks and Spencer's is one of the top stores, that is classical British.  When we first came to Canada in 1989, there were actual Marks and Spencer's stores in our malls.  We continued to buy from them, just like we had done when we lived in the UK.  There was nothing better than Marks and Spencer's underwear in my opinion.  As with a lot of stores, they closed down and we had to wait until someone came over (usually my mother) to bring things from the UK.

Now Marks and Spencer are shipping all over the world and they had a black Friday sale with 20% off (I think) everything on the Canadian site plus free shipping.  So I bit the bullet and picked up a couple of things I had, had my eye on.

For some reason I thought they had a warehouse over here in Canada, so was surprised to see the box had been shipped over from the UK.

The distinctive green colour of Marks and Spencer.

Mine were pretty boring buys though.  I got a couple of bath sheets.  They are so fluffy and big; a great buy.  They feel so luxurious.

I love a good tea towel.  I do prefer an Irish Linen tea towel, but have had them from Marks before, so knew the quality and these are as good as always.

As always, super pleased with the quality and the speed.  It was probably no more than 10 days from when I ordered to when they arrived.  

Are you a fan of Marks and Spencer?

Dueling Jingle Bells

This is fun and very different.  

What do you think?

Sew Along and problem solved.....

 I completed last week's section and it looks lovely.

Now as you can see I have completed a lot of the right hand side border.  I had struggled with the left hand side to the point where I didn't want to do it.  I have been doing cross stitch for over 40 years, but could not wrap my head around that border pattern on the left hand side.  I finally figured out what the problem was.  My brain reads from left to right, so I turned my work around so the present box and the decoration box were at the bottom.  I then sewed up the border from left to right in no time flat.  There is still some parts to do on that border.  For the top border, I will turn my work upside down so the Santa is upside down and on the left hand side and work the border left to right again.

Very happy with this weeks section, which is the bottom middle section and includes British Robins.

Very, very pleased with how it's all looking.

Update:

I worked away on it on Friday afternoon, loving the Robin. 💖

Goodreads Reader's Favourite Books 2025

I can actually say I haven't read any of them. (I have put links to the books, if you click on the titles)

Fiction: My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Historical Fiction: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Mystery & Thriller: Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

Romance: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Now there are more categories which you can read about here.  The one I would be most interested in reading is the Mystery & Thriller one, "Not Quite Dead Yet."

Have you read any of them?  Have you decided to put one of the winners on your list to read?

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..........

It started snowing on Tuesday lunchtime, and as I am writing this on Wednesday night, it's still snowing.  Suffice to say we have a little bit of snow 🙄 We had over a foot on the ground first thing Wednesday morning and hubby blew out the driveway twice on Wednesday.

So in case you want to see a little snow, here you go!  The one good thing about the snow, was that it was reasonably light, not the wet heavy stuff.

The funny thing though, is the weather forecasters are saying that it's not 100% certain we'll get a white Christmas 😕  Personally I would say we are 100% guaranteed to have a white Christmas but what do I know 🤷

Recently in my feed I have had video's popping up from Spud Brothers.  They sell baked potatoes with different toppings in the UK.  You can see them on Facebook here.  I love baked potatoes, and have been craving them since seeing these video's. 

Wednesday night seemed like a baked potato type of night, so here is my version.  Now I only had small potatoes, so baked a few smaller ones in the air fryer for 40 minutes.

Sliced them in half, added a little butter and baked beans on the top, just regular Heinz Beans in Tomato sauce.

Then grated cheese on top of them.  They were so good and tasty, and totally not healthy...other than a lot of fibre!!

On Tuesday we had some errands to run and ended up in the north end of the city.  We had a gift card to a restaurant in the north end, so had our lunch there.

Hubby got a chicken sandwich and fries.

I had fish tacos with fries.  No spice at all and even the fries were good.

Both our meals were tasty.  We had a $50 gift card and I had a $10 off card as well.  I had water to drink, hubby had a diet Pepsi or Coke.  The bill came to the high $40's before she took the $10 off.  I told the server to keep what was left over from the gift card as her tip.

BUT......if I had, had to pay for this meal in cash, she would have got no tip.  She had a bad attitude, and I don't normally reward people for bad behaviour......just saying!!

So there you go weather and a couple of meals......my rip roaring exciting life 😂

We are busy with some other things, which I'll tell you about in a couple of days.