Things I am doing to save money..........

I want to clarify first that we are fine financially, however what worries me is that we don't know what is going to happen after this pandemic ends; or even when this pandemic will end.  So I feel for the moment it makes sense to tighten our belts on our outgoings and try and save where ever possible until we see how things pan out.

(image credit)

The first thing we did was do up an excel spreadsheet of all our monthly outgoings.  When I did that I realized I could save some money if I did a couple of things.

1. Cancel our weekend newspaper.  It's a want not a need at the moment, and with watching so much news online and on the tv, we have no need for the newspaper as well.  Saving $20

2. Try to lower our internet/cable/telephone bill.  Did that and will end up saving $35+ a month.

Doing both of those things, which took me half an hour means a savings of $55 a month.

In Ontario we now have off peak hydro/electricity rates all day, seven days a week for the next 45 days.  I am hoping that will be extended, but meanwhile I will take what is offered.

The weather is starting to get better, so I am hanging out my laundry.  Some people can't/or are not allowed, but if you can, hang out your laundry and that will save you even more money.

Cooking from scratch. With all the restaurant closures due to the pandemic, other than ordering in, cooking from scratch is the way to go.  I am hoping to give you some easy ideas on homemade cheap meals as the weeks progress.

I cut/shaved my hubby's hair on Friday.  I do this regularly anyway.  With the hairdressers being closed now would be as good a time as any to try your hand at that.  We bought a one similar to this one and it works great. At $20 a haircut, we were saving money by the time I had cut/shaved his head twice.

What are you doing to save money during this trying time?  Looking forward to hearing about your great tips.

Oh Molly - Part II

Molly normally sleeps in our bedroom on a large comforter/duvet I have on the floor for her.  However these past two weeks or so, she has stayed downstairs all night and slept on the sofa, which is obviously more comfortable for her!!


Personally I have no problem with this, as it's one less person in our bedroom that snores!!  On Sunday night/Monday morning, at 1:30am we were awoken from our sleep by Molly barking like a crazy dog.  So I trot downstairs and what ever had wandered through the property had obviously gone, as I couldn't see it, but Molly was bouncing around the family room, like a dog on drugs!!


So I yelled at her, and "ushered" upstairs into our bedroom for the rest of the night.  There just isn't words to describe being woken up from a deep sleep by a barking dog, well no words that I can write here anyway!


So what is interesting Molly do you think?

Yep, it's a squirrel sunning itself on the log pile.  They have got a nest in there somewhere, and I am sure they take great delight in tormenting Molly by just sitting there, knowing full well she can't get off the deck!

Then to confuse the situation, another squirrel appeared in the tree.

Both squirrels were chatting back and forward, probably making fun of Molly!!

Ended up with a blister on Monday!! We have a huge willow tree at the edge of the driveway that "sheds" twigs all through the winter.  So I spent an hour raking them up and carting them to the firepit and that's how I ended up with a blister on my hands!!  I got around 3/4 done, so I'll finish it off today.

Dh made a start on another project on Monday.  Where the old stairs were in the attic, we are going to make a linen closet, and we are also going to re-do the closet in the spare bedroom.  So this means removing plaster and lathe in the linen closet and pulling down drywall in the spare bedroom closet.  So another messy job, but it will be well worth it when we get it done.

The attic is on hold until the guys come back to finish off the corners in May.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot?

Today's money saving tip:

If you do need to purchase some plants, be sure to buy the kinds that will pay dividends. Buy perennial plants which need dividing every 3 - 5 years.

You can also start your own cuttings from woody stemmed type shrubs. Flowers like dahlias & calla lilies come from tubers that need to be divided regularly, too. Over just a few years, an initial investment in these types of plants will yield a very full garden.

A chuckle for a Saturday............

Love those Church Ladies.. They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:



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The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.


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The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'


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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.


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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.


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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.


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Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.


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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.


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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.


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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.


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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.


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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice


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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.


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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.


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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.


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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.


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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.


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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.


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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.


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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.


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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.


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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.


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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM.. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.


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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.


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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday:


"I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours".

Want to thank my step-mum for emailing me those, thought they were funny.

Did you remember to put money into your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Use an old sheet or spend $1.00 for one at a thrift store to use as a drop cloth. Sheets are heavier than the plastic drop cloths at the store and will last for many rooms of painting. Hang over a clothesline or fence to dry before folding and storing.

Should I feel guilty?

As you know we got the attic drywalled, taped and sanded; plus we got our bedroom ceiling repaired.  Anyhow they worked 9am until 4pm, Tuesday through Thursday, three guys.  On the Friday it was 9am until 2pm, 2 guys and then on the following Tuesday it was 9am until 11:30am, two guys.

One of the jobs was to drywall the corner of the hip walls, which they haven't done yet.  After chasing them about this, I finally got an answer from them saying they will do that job when they come to do the basement.  Then when we had a look at the attic, they have missed sanding some of it, and there is a ridge, which is noticeable even in the daylight.  So no doubt when I paint it, it will stand out like a sore thumb.

So I called the boss and he finally came around on Monday and had a look at the attic.  As he was looking at it, he said words to the effect that he hasn't made a cent on this job, infact he's lost money.  Again he will get them to fix the problem when they come back for the basement.

I haven't paid for this job yet, and don't think I should until it's completed..........although I did suggest to dh that maybe I should pay 75% and keep the 25% back until the job is completed.  Also it's not my fault they took as long as they did to complete it; thank goodness they quoted us on this job and the basement.

Should I be feeling guilty about them not making any money, and should I pay for the drywalling?  I haven't received a bill yet.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

It’s only a drip, right? Wrong. One drip per second can add up to 200 gallons per month. So fixing that leaky faucet is definitely worth it, especially if it’s hot water.

Odds and ends for Friday........

This month's quilt block is called Road to Tennessee  I managed to get the brown, cream and pink block completed on Thursday.  I hope to get the black, white and red one done before the weekend's out.

Another first this week, had a coyote wander through the property just before 8am on Wednesday morning, just as well I had Molly inside.........

My sister-in-law in Britain is doing a 5 km run for cancer.  If you would like to sponser her, here is the link to her page.

Something for the 40+ age group crowd:

SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT BE EXPERIENCING MENOPAUSE


* You sell your home heating system at a yard sale. (Hot flashes)


* The person you sleep with complains about snow piling up on the bed. (Nightsweats)


* Your husband jokes that instead of buying a wood stove, he is using you to heat the family room this winter. Rather than just saying you are not amused, you shoot him. (Mood swings)


* You write post-it notes with your kid's names on them. (Memory loss)


* Your husband chirps, "Hi honey, I'm home." and you reply, "Well, if it isn't Ozzie f*cking Nelson". (Irritability)


* The phenobarbital dose that wiped out the Heaven's Gate Cult gives you four hours of decent rest. (Sleeplessness)

* You find Guacamole in your hair after a Mexican dinner. (Fatigue)


* You change your underwear after every sneeze. (Mild incontinence)


* You need Jaws Of Life to help you out of your car after returning home from an Italian restaurant. (Sudden weight gain)

* You take a sudden interest in "Wrestlemania". (Female hormone deficiency)

* You're on so much estrogen that you take your Brownie troop on a field trip to Chippendales. (Hormone therapy)

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Money Saving Tip:
If you have a paid subscription to a newspaper, give them a call to see if you're getting the best rate.  I did that with our newspaper and got a reduction on our rate.....

A few firsts this week..

Monday night was the first night since last Fall that we didn't have the fire on; and as I write this on Tuesday night, I haven't lit the fire.  Its been lovely through the day, though below freezing overnight, so of course the heating is still turned on, though not on as much.

Tuesday I got the laundry hung out on the line for the first time in 2010.  Granted it was only Molly's bedding but its a start.

For those of you who live in Canada, that smoke you saw in the sky on Tuesday night.............it was me barbquing......or in my case cremating the burgers for the first time in 2010.  So be prepared for smoke on a regular basis now!!!

Monday I started taking Molly out for a walk after supper.  Remember I am one of those fair weather dog walkers.  I only walk Molly when it's not too cold, not too hot, not wet, not humid, and on and on I go with excuses.  Luckily Molly has clicked this is not the most energetic of households when it comes to exercise!!

By the way I said a quick hello to the tread mill as I passed it the other day, poor thing is still hibernating, so I had best not disturb it for a few more months!

On Tuesday morning I saw a raccoon on the back deck, for the first time since we have moved here.  I knew there were raccoons about, I just haven't seen any up close and personal.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs and replace your most commonly used incandescent bulbs with these more energy efficient bulbs. Each bulb can save about $30 over the life of the bulb.

I may be another year older, but am I wiser?

Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself. ~Tom Wilson

So here I am, another year older.  I remember last year asking if I was half way through my life, as I turned 45 years of age.  I am guessing I am wanting to live until I am 90 years of age from that thought, but honestly I would be happy to reach 80 years of age.

One of my mother's neighbours is in her early 90's and has had to go into a home as she can't cope anymore.  I don't want to get like that, I like my independance, and I don't want to be a burden on anyone.  Since moving up here, I seem to be mixing with a lot more older people and are seeing their struggles "health wise" first hand, and I don't want to go through those.

My pop (grandfather) died to my mind the best way.  He got up one morning, went downstairs, my nana made him a cup of tea, he sat in his chair, not sure if he drank it or not, but he had a heart attack and died there and then in his chair.  A heck of a shock for my nana and the rest of the family, but at least he didn't suffer.  That's how I want to go, and as heart/blood pressure problems are common on both sides of my family,  there is a good chance that I will go the same way.

Gosh that was a doom and gloom way to start a post.  So lets move onto something a bit brighter!!

As we started celebrating my birthday on Saturday, I started getting presents on Saturday night.  The kids bought me a 2 year subscription to the Sew News magazine, which is such a perfect gift for me, as I am a magazine junkie, and I love to sew!!  That night I also got the orchid from R & M that I featured in yesterday's Today's Flower post.

On Sunday my dad and step-mum came up for lunch, homemade quiche, baked potatoes, potato salad, and garden salad.  Homemade apple pie or peach tarts for dessert.  I made a pound and a half of pastry and got a lot of things out of it.

Anyhow they bought me The Chocolate Bible...........do they know I love chocolate, of course they do!!!

I will post on Tuesday what else I get.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

In a restaurant before ordering ask about "specials" not on the menu. These are often very fresh and good bargains. Many restaurants have regular specials each day of the week. Generally Monday through Thursday are the best deals.

When your eyes are greedier than your stomach.............

that's how I feel everytime I go out for a meal at a place where there is a buffet.  We were out with the kids on Saturday night to celebrate my birthday........it's not until Monday, but this was the best time for us all to get together.  So dd booked us a table at the Mandarin Restaurant, for those of you who live in the GTA (Toronto area) we went to the one on Weston Road, south of Rutherford.  We normally go to the Brampton location, but this one on Weston Road was sort of central for everyone.....well except us!!

It's a Chinese restaurant, but it has a full range of Canadian food, which is great for dh, as he is not fond of Chinese food.  Of course when you are paying $23.99, or it could have been more, I'm not sure.  You of course want to get your money's worth, so of course back and forward we all go.  I must say I go prepared, wearing a pair of elasticated pants, a baggy shirt and comfy shoes!!!

I have a sweet tooth, and am a sucker for creme caramel however they also had creme brulee, so of course I had to sample both to make sure they were okay for everyone else to eat.  They have some sort of mango pudding/jelly thingy which is to die for.

Now all the staff were of oriental descent, which makes sense right?  What didn't make sense was they all had "western" names and all spoke with a "thick" oriental accent?  Just an observation, that's all.

It poured down for most of Saturday, good weather for ducks, bad weather for doggies who don't like going out in the rain.......no need to say any more.........

On the way home from the restaurant the snow plow was spreading salt on the road near our home, which confused us, as the temperature was supposed to be above freezing all weekend.  As long as it doesn't snow, I don't really care.  I keep checking my flower gardens daily to see any sign of spring bulbs but nothing yet......

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's money saving tip:

Don’t buy drinks in restaurants and bars – water with lemon is free

Sewing, Molly and recipes....

As I said at the beginning of the week I am having a sewing week this week.  Got the two quilt blocks done that I had to do.  Got my apron made.  I used Simplicity Pattern #2691 It's fully reversible and wraps around your body.

I made this for a fundraiser/competition.  For every apron that is entered $5 is donated to a mission in Tanzania  You can win a $100 gift card for Cobwebs and Caviar, the quilting store where I am part of the block of the month club, or a free class.  I don't anticipating winning either but thought it was all in a good cause.

This is the front or the back of the apron:

This also could be the front or the back of the apron, depending on your mood?

This is a close up of the fabric, it is black and beige, sorry about the quality of the photo.

I thought I'd show you what I did with the blue English Paper Piecing, I am liking the border I put on it.  There is a lot more to be done on it.

I didn't do any sewing on Thursday, as I was busy with other things.

Now Molly had a super busy day on Thursday guarding the property from "marauding" squirrels, all from the back deck.  It kept her busy all day.  Mind you all that guarding had her worn out.  So much so she collapsed on the sofa for a well deserved rest........

That's her new thing by the way to hide her face under the pillow when she is sleeping!  Still have her on 1/2 pill per day for her allergies (the steroid one).  I have tried cutting her back to every other day, but she scratches like crazy.  I'll try cutting her back again by the end of the month, as by then she'll have been on her new food for six weeks, and the bee pollen a month.  Otherwise she is well.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Use your microwave oven to cook meals.  It doesn't heat up the house, it cooks the food faster and there are hundreds of recipes out there for microwave cooking, including my recipe for carrot soup.

Here are a couple of links for recipes that are made in the microwave:

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/109/

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/microwave

Closet photos.....finally and the nerve of some people...

Back in January I suggested to dh why not build a closet in our bedroom.  That shouldn't take him that long to do.  Two months later we are finally getting close to finishing it.  So I thought I would show you some photos.

A good friend of mine lent us three of these temporary closets to use until we got some closets built.  Thank you Paula.

We built the closet at one end of our bedroom, so it is around 10 feet wide and about 2 feet deep.

This is what the closet organizer looks like. It was bought from Solutions and is custom made for our closet. It took dh and I about an hour to install it. We have used this type of system before and it's really good quality and well worth every penny. We also paid a little more to have a bronze finish rather than a white finish.  They generally have closet sale in January/February.  Dh has still to change the sockets in the closet.

It didn't take me long to fill it!!

These are the doors; the one on the right is what they looked like before I started to stain them.

This is what the doors look like hung on the closet. They had one coat of stain on them, Minwax English Chestnut, and then three coats of Minwax clear varnish semi gloss and then one cost of Minwax clear varnish gloss finish. The two at either end slide behind the two in the middle.

We still have the handles to put on the doors.  The ones that came with the roller/hanging kit, are a bright brass colour and look cheap and tacky, so I need to find some, just haven't got around to it.  We still have to get the ceiling fixed in the room, still waiting on a quote for that.  I have the cornice molding to sort out, wood filler and stain on that.  Also there is some shelves to put in a small "closet" that we moved from one end of the room to the other.  I'll take a photo of that when it's done.  I also have to make a lace curtain for that as well; it will all make sense when I have taken the photos.

Now for the nerve of some people story.  So I was talking to "R" who is our next door neighbour from our old house, and it turns out the people who bought our house last year have put it up for sale.  Now being the nosy person that I am, I wanted to know how much it was up for and see if there were any photos of it, to see what they had done with it.

I email Sue our real estate agent to get me the info, and she emails me the info back.  I look at the main photo and think something is odd, so I then look at the next photo and think, that hall table just looks like ours.  I then look at the next photo which was the dining room, and yep that is our furniture.  They were using our photos????

So I email Sue and tell her what's what.  She emails me back to say she has put in a formal complaint to the Toronto Real Estate Board and they have 24 hours to remove all those photos, or else be disciplined by the board.  Can you believe that?

I have got more sewing done, but will post photos of it all on Friday, as I have rambled on enough for one day!!

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

It cost us $525 for the closet organizer and an hour of our time to hang it up.  For a closet company to come in and do the same we would be paying at least $1,000 to $2,000.  We still got the custom closet feel for half the price and it is a super simple thing to do that will add value to the house.

Total cost for our closet, probably around the $1,200 mark, as we had to buy more expensive trim to match the rest of the trim.  We bought solid pine doors, at a cost of around $325, then the organizer was $525.  However it has added value to our house and looks as though it has been there since the house was built.

A bit of this a bit of that........

When I looked out through the family room windows today, our neighbour was busy with a back hoe digging out the stream on his property. He worked on it all day. If there hadn't been as much snow as there was and a nasty wind, I would have wandered down the field to see what was going on!!

(click on the photo's for more detail)

Sunday afternoon I spent most of it sewing, and finally got one of the block of the month blocks done.  It's called Balkan Puzzle  I got all the pieces cut out for the black, white and red block, so want to get that done this week.

I bought material to back my latest english paper piecing project, but am not 100% happy with my material choice.  What do you think, and what colour do you think would go well with the paper piecing?

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

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Check the insulation in your home. Extra insulation can easily pay for itself in one or two years, and it helps save the environment, too.

Ever wished you had stayed in bed for the day?

Friday was one of those days.  Woke up with a headache, always a bad sign.  It had snowed over night and was still snowing.  We probably only got around 6 inches, but in places on our driveway it had blown and settled so it was well over knee high.  It was a miracle that dh got his pickup out of the driveway.  When I went outside I couldn't even see his tire marks on the driveway as more snow had laid.

Lets just say my poor old snow blower struggled and I had to have it as high as possible.  It was the worst I had seen it this winter.  So by the time I had cleared out the driveway and brought all the logs in and cleaned off the decks I was just plain pooped. 

I had to hoover up in our bedroom and hoover up the flies and lady bugs {{SIGH}}  Where they come from I do not know.

Dh came home a little earlier than normal, as the roads were bad.  He went into the bedroom to do some more work in there and has ran into another problem, the ceiling is sloping and the closet we have moved will not fit properly now, so there is going to be more work to be done there, now.

I swear this was supposed to be an easy project, but its proving to be one issue after another, again a big {{{SIGH}}}

I am on varnishing the closet doors and have them in the attic, so hopefully they won't stink up the whole house, no such luck!!!

On a more positive note, we got mail on Friday and she took my other mail!!

Supper was good and easy, as I put a big pot of stew on in the crockpot.  Made enough to feed an army so I guess I know what we will be having for supper for a couple of days.

We got the oil tank filled for the heating and we had only used half a tank this month and it wasn't as expensive as prior months, at around $370.  The forecast is looking as though its only going to get warmer, so that's also good. 

So I guess in the scheme of things, things could be worse........

We are nearly at the end of our second month in the Daily Savings Club, did you remember to put your money in your pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

How many no spend days do you have each week?  Try and add another no spend day per week, and gradually add more and more days until you are only having one or two no spend days per week......

Our day out........

We went to the National Home Show in Toronto on Saturday.  We had VIP tickets so for once we went through the "Dream Home"  It was very, very modern, and not my cup of tea at all.  However there were a few things that we liked.

The garage was really neat and I said to dh he should get the tire rack made up to store my winter tires on there. Yes that was some sort of fancy dancy tv in the garage!

(as always click on the photo's for more detail)

This is a doggy shower in the mud room,  It took me a couple of seconds to click what it was.  I suppose it's a handy thing if you have a dog, or even kids with muddy boots.

I love this sink, it was one of a pair in the master bedroom, and I could see those fitting in our house.  Wasn't sure what exactly you would clean them with, I suppose something that is non abrasive?

I have to say we were disappointed this year with what was exactly on show.  We have also clicked that before we make enquiries about anything we have to make sure they are willing to service our area where we live.  It takes us a good hour outside of rush hour to get to downtown Toronto, probably an hour and a half in rush hour.  So a lot of people won't even consider coming out to our area.

We want to try and get the basement windows replaced, but I had wanted to get a couple of quotes this time.  So I think we'll use the local guys again.

This is a photo of the Direct Energy Centre where the show was held.  That is the CN Tower in the back ground.

Next door to the Direct Engery Centre, is BMO Field where Toronto FC (Football/Soccer) play.  Notice the big wind tower in the background.

Food is so expensive at these shows that we decided to have a late lunch and we had left the show by 1:30pm.  So we headed into Brampton, and had fish and chips at the Heritage Restaurant.  They have the best fish and chips around our area.  They even had knitted tea cosies for their tea pots ever so cute, the same as this one.  They have a lunch time special of haddock and chips for $5.95 and you get a plate full.  We shared a dish of mushy peas, so guess we'll be "gassy" tonight...LOL

We also lucked out today, as Home Depot were having a 20% sale on all their interior doors, so we picked up the four closet doors.  They should have been $89 each, we paid $71.20 each, so the savings nearly paid for one door.  We could have done without getting these at this moment, but couldn't turn down that savings.

So tonight I am going to go through my bag of goodies I got from the Home Show, and read up on all the things we looked at.  Oh and dream about what we could do if we had the money!!!

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

If you're going to eat out at restaurants, eat out on a lunch time, as more often than not it's cheaper and if you eat a large meal at lunch time, you probably won't want much to eat later on in the day.

Sorry I didn't get around to visiting your blog today (I am writing this Saturday night)........

Gassy or Fart? Bathroom or Toilet?

When I open my mouth to speak, it's obvious I wasn't born in Canada; same with my dh and my dad.  When the kids start talking they are Canadian through and through.  The only way you would know they were British is by some of the words they use.  However there are certain Canadian expressions I prefer to use though rather than the British versions; and one of them is "gas or gassy."  I personally find the word "FART" not a pleasant word.  No idea why, just don't like using that word

Being gassy sounds more ladylike than saying farting in my books.  Breaking wind isn't an expression used over here, pumping is I think more of a British word, I will say trumpeting now and then, but "gassy" is my all time favourite word.

However for me being gassy can also mean I will burp as well.  I am especially gassy after I have had a carbonated drink like Cola.  Carbonated drinks make me burp something rotten, so I rarely drink them.  Again it's not ladylike to be able to burp the full alphabet after drinking a can of pop, now is it!!

I also like to say I am going to the bathroom rather than going to the toilet.  I think if you say bathroom, it sorts of give's the whole situation an air of mystery as to what you are exactly going to do.  Whereas if you're going to the toilet, well you're using the toilet...

Finally one other Canadian custom we have embraced is taking your shoes off when you go into a house.  It always horrifies me now when people walk into a house with their dirty great shoes on and walk all over your clean carpet?  Now in our case it doesn't matter as we have wood floors which are generally freezing cold.  However any house we visit that has a carpet on the floor, we immediately take off our shoes, unless the place looks dirty..........

(Mental note to oneself, if I visit a house of someone who reads this blog and don't take my shoes off, they will think I think their house is dirty now, so must remember to take off my shoes!!)

Finally, something I find funny.  Dd works for an international company and often they have conference calls with people around the world.  For some reason whomever they deal with in Britain must have a stronger accent that all dd co-workers have trouble understanding.  Meanwhile dd is chit chatting away to him no problem, while the other's sit there with a puzzled expression!!  She translates as the meeting progresses!!

A man was driving along the highway, and saw a rabbit hoping across the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid hitting the rabbit, but unfortunately the rabbit jumped in front of the car and was hit. The driver, being a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulled over to the side of the road and got out to see what had become of the rabbit.



Much to his dismay, the rabbit was dead. The driver felt so awful be began to cry.


A woman driving down the highway saw the man crying on the side of the road and pulled over. She stepped out of her car and asked the man what was wrong.


"I feel terrible," he explained. "I accidentally hit this rabbit and killed it."


The woman told the man not to worry. She knew what to do. She went to her car trunk and pulled out a spray can. She walked over to the limp, dead rabbit, and sprayed the contents of the can onto the rabbit.


Miraculously, the rabbit came to life, jumped up, waved its paw at the two humans and hopped down the road. Fifty feet away the rabbit stopped, turned around, waved at the two again, hopped down the road another 50 feet, turned, waved, and hoped another 50 feet.


The man was astonished. He couldn't figure out what substance could be in the woman's spray can! He ran over to the woman and demanded, "What was your spray can? What did you spray onto that rabbit?"


The woman turned the can around so that the man could read the label. It said: "Hare Spray Restores Life to Dead Hare. Adds Permanent Wave."

I groaned at that last line!!

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Give up expensive habits, like cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. Those habits cause money to flow away from you with nothing in return. Call up your fortitude and work hard to kick the habits and you’ll find that money staying in your pocket instead of burning up and floating away.

I don't do any of those things, she says as she shines her halo!!

Just call me the "Staining Queen," and a funny..

Truth be told I would prefer the title "The Dancing Queen," but not going to get that title anytime soon.  So I guess Staining Queen will have to do for now!!


I went to the trim store on Wednesday and picked up the door trim along with the corner blocks and the plinth's.  As they were all unstained I set too staining them all.  There are three more door trim pieces out of the photo.  I have to stain them all again on Thursday, so that dh can put them up on the weekend.


The down side of this staining though is the house stinks of stain, so I can see a migraine in the near future!!


Oh and on the right hand of the photo is our treadmill all folded up, so I am proud to say that I DO NOT hang laundry on my treadmill like some people do........ I just don't use my treadmill at all :0)

Here's a photo of Molly down the basement investigating my staining skills!!  Her foot is a lot better I am pleased to say.

Things Housepet Beagles (and most other doggies) Must Try To Remember....

 I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.


The garbage collector is NOT stealing our stuff.


I do not need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm lying under the coffee table.


I will not roll my toys behind the fridge.


I must shake the rainwater out of my fur BEFORE entering the house. (MOLLY!)


I will not eat the cats' food, before or after they eat it.


I will stop trying to find the few remaining pieces of clean carpet in the house when I am about to throw up.


I will not throw up in the car.


I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc.


I will not lick my human's face after eating animal poop.


"Kitty box crunchies" are not food.


I will not eat any more socks and then redeposit them in the backyard after processing.


The diaper pail is not a cookie jar.


I will not wake Mommy up by sticking my cold, wet nose up her bottom end.


I will not chew my human's toothbrush and not tell them.


I will not chew crayons or pens, especially not the red ones, or my people will think I am hemorrhaging.


When in the car, I will not insist on having the window rolled down when it's raining outside. (MOLLY!)


We do not have a doorbell. I will not bark each time I hear one on TV. (MOLLY!!!)


I will not steal my Mom's underwear and dance all over the back yard with it.


The sofa is not a face towel. Neither are Mom & Dad's laps. (MOLLY!!!)


My head does not belong in the refrigerator.


I will not bite the officer's hand when he reaches in for Mom's driver's license and car registration.


Thanks to this site for those tips!!


Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Wrap your water heater and pipes with insulation to avoid wasting energy.

Just thought I'd mention I cashed in my Swagbucks again last night for another $5 Amazon e-card, so that makes $30 worth for doing very little!!

(oh and I felt the urge for a larger font today??)

It's been a stressful week for me this week......

ever since I picked up Molly's allergy report.  We have been overwhelmed with what we should do.

The vet called back on Wednesday night and is still telling us to go with the ATOPICA, which we cannot afford.  She suggested I try some of the vet's special food; so I called around at the vet's office on Friday to discover that a small bag of the food, which would last Molly a week was over $50 :0O  So I refused to buy it!!

I spoke with Karine's mother on Friday, as she also has a dog with allergies, and I have to say what she had to say made sense and left me feeling a bit better.  I also called the pet store and found another food for Molly that doesn't have any ingredients in it that she is allergic too, it's Dick Van Patten's Venison and Sweet Potato.   This also has no fish oil in it, which a lot of foods do have.  Even the Omega 3 oil supplement we have been giving her has fish oil in it, so we have had to stop that.  The new food has flaxseed in it which is a good alternative to the Omega 3 oil.

So I feel a little better knowing I will probably have her food allergies under control in time.  The food allergies are the easier of the two things to take control of.  The environmental allergies are another kettle of fish though, and with Molly's being so severe I am not sure what is going to happen there.  As I have said before she is on Vanectyl-P which is a steroid/antihistamine.  As with any steroid it is not good for humans or animals, so the aim is to get her off those as soon as possible.

So we may try a holistic/natural alternative for the environmental allergies.  Any suggestions would be appreciated here.  If none of these work, we are considering putting her up for adoption.  That is a last resort, and one we don't want to do, but at the end of the day if ATOPICA is the only thing that will give her a pain free life, then it's something we will have to do.

I want to make it clear we love Molly to death and she is a great dog, but we honestly cannot afford the $100 + a month it is going to cost us keeping her on the medication.  Also having to get up before 6am each and every single day as she needs to go out for a pee, no matter how late we keep her up is getting tiring for me.  That is a side effect of the steroids, she has to pee a lot.

I will keep you informed on how things go with Molly.  Our hope is to find something that will work against all her environmental allergies before the end of March, when the snow will start to melt, as we will be heading towards her worst period of time for her allergies.

Sorry for such a doom and gloom post.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip's:

• Help your pet practice good hygiene. Grooming and trimming nails regularly helps prevent many types of infection. Brush your pet’s teeth at least three times a week to avoid tooth decay and gum disease, which can spread to other parts of the body.


• Keep pets at an ideal weight and make sure they get plenty of exercise. Obesity leads to a host of orthopedic problems as well as diabetes, heart disease and other medical disorders. Find a high-quality diet that your pet likes and stick with it. If you must switch, do so gradually to avoid stomach upset.

• Keep your pet current on vaccines and parasite preventives. Don’t wait until your pet is infested or ill. Contact your local animal-control organization to see if it offers low-cost vaccines, including shots for rabies.

• Spay or neuter your pet early. You’ll save on vet bills for serious medical conditions such as breast, uterine and testicular cancer. You’ll also greatly reduce the risk that your pet will be hit by a car or injured in a fight, since animals “on the prowl” are prone to wandering and aggression.

• Keep cats indoors. The average life expectancy of a cat that goes outside is only three to five years, compared to more than 12 years for indoor cats.

• Pet-proof your home and yard. Store medications and chemicals safely, make sure that fences and gates are secure, and keep poisonous plants out of reach.

All tips are from this site

I would also like to apologise for not visiting your blogs, but with the Molly thing and everything else I have had going on this week, I am just pooped...

Belated Happy Birthday, a recipe and other stuff....

It's come to my attention, namely through my other brother Nick, that I didn't wish him a happy birthday on his birthday.  So to stop him accusing me of favouritism, could you all pop over to his blog and wish him a belated Happy Birthday, it was on January 4th and he was 42.......oops wasn't sure if I was supposed to mention his age ;0)

I had planned on doing aanother post today but have other things to talk about.  It's also come to my attention that my laptop battery is not lasting any length of time any more.  When I am using my webcam I only get about an hours usage on it.  Not sure if that's a normal thing or not?

I made a couple of Sour Cream Lemon Cakes on Tuesday, below is a photo of them.

The recipe is from here

Ingredients:


2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

grated zest of 1 large lemon

1 cup sour cream

.

Lemon Glaze:

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°. Generously butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.

Into a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.



In a mixing bowl with hand-held electric mixer, cream 1 cup butter and granulated sugar; beat at high speed until mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl frequently. Blend in lemon zest. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, adding each in 3 additions. Scrape sides of bowl frequently. Pour batter into prepared cake pan; bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine lemon glaze ingredients in a bowl, blending until smooth. Carefully turn cake out onto a platter; drizzle evenly with glaze.

Serves 12 or more, depending on size of servings.

****Now this makes a heavy cake, almost like a pound cake.  Personally I would only make a half quantity of the icing, using all the lemon juice though.  It makes an awful lot of icing if you use the suggested recipe.  It also took the full 65 minutes to cook, and you need a large bundt pan****

This recipe though is a keeper!!

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

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Keep your hands clean. This one’s simple – just wash your hands thoroughly each time you use the bathroom or handle raw foods. You’ll keep yourself from acquiring all kinds of viruses and bacteria, saving you on medical bills and medicine costs and lost productivity. That’s not to say you shouldn’t explore the world and get your hands dirty sometimes – that’s good for you, too – but basic sanitation does help keep the medical bills away.

Don't you think that's a good tip, makes sense when you think about it.....

Bits and bobs.....

I made fabric softener today using the last recipe from this post  However it looked a bit "thick" to me, so I used 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup baking soda, and 4 cups of water, plus a few drops of essential lemon oil.  I have made this without the oil and you do NOT have vinegar smelling clothes.  I just happen to love the smell of lemon.  Just a word of warning, make sure you shake the fabric softener bottle up before you use it each time.  I used it last night and it worked really well and everything smelled wonderful.

Molly decided that the newly upholstered ottoman wasn't good enough to sleep on, so she would sleep on the chair.  I didn't have the heart to yell at her to get off it!

Look at her paw behind her ear.....

This weeks column is up on the Eden Valley Messenger.  As always I'd love it if you could pop by for a quick read and forward the link onto anyone who may be interested.  If you twitter I would love you to "tweet" about it,  or have facebook pop the link in your page.........please and thank you!

I rang a couple of local newspapers to follow up with email's I had sent them regarding me writing for them, but no luck.  One guy did say he would keep me in mind if one of his regular columnists decided to quit or take a break???  I thought it was nice of them to accept my call, and as I said to them, if you don't ask you don't get.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Cleaning your natural wood floors. Since no two surfaces are alike, no two surfaces should be cleaned alike. Contrary to popular belief, wood floors hate water, wet mopping or any kind of excessive cleaning. My suggestion is to clean your wood floors with a solution of one-quarter cup of white vinegar (about 2 liquid ounces) mixed in a recycled spray bottle with about 30 ounces of warm water (most commercial spray bottles hold about 32 ounces). Spray a cotton rag or towel with the vinegar and water solution and use it to lightly damp mop your floors. Once soiled, replace each rag with a fresh one. This gentle method will clean your wood floors without destroying them, and ensure years of pleasure from them.


This tip came from this site

Lots of photos for a Monday.........

Sunday was a busy day for me. It was lovely and sunny and I am sure we were hovering around the freezing mark, Spring like weather!!

Took advantage of the good day to fill all the bird feeders, pick up the poop(!!) empty the ash bin and even clean the outside of the family room windows!!!

I got some sewing done, you'll see what I am working on, on Wednesday.

I cleaned up in the attic for dh as he had to work all day on Sunday.  He was surprised to see how tidy it was up there when he got in from work.

Have you seen my nursery below. My babies.....I took cuttings of an Apple Geranium. I hope to sell them in the summer for a couple dollars each. Its the leaves that smell of apples.  I used yogurt, sour cream and cool whip containers, along with a coffee container.

Here is the photo of our ottoman.

A close up of the fabric.  I am so pleased with how it looks.  I also cleaned out the storage space in the ottoman.  Which was also a bonus.

This is a photo of a needle book I got off my nana many years ago.  Not sure what the age of it is, but to me the front looks as though its from the 50's, what do you think?

This is the inside of it.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Saving's Club pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

When you're out of money. Plants can be expensive, so when your running low on money using cuttings to grow new plants would be a good idea. Buying extra soil and rummaging around your house for an extra container to put it in is definitely cheaper than buying a whole new plant.