Farewell 2008

Less than 45 minutes left in 2008. For me it is time to reflect on 2008 both the good times and the bad times. I look forward to 2009 and the challenges it will bring. I am sure that 2009 will be a better year than 2008 was in many ways. In many ways 2008 was a good year and in many ways it was a year that I am glad to say farewell too.

Tonight my husband and I are spending News Years Eve with our daughter Brittany. At the moment they are having a father daughter moment which they need more of, especially with Al working on the road these times for them is fewer than for me and the girls. Meagan is off with her boyfriend Jonny, enjoying the night with their friends and ringing in the new year.

I made a batch of frozen Pina Colada's with strawberry puree for my drink of the evening. Al and Brittany are having Ceasers.

Well I am being summoned to the living room, wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. All the best in 2009.

Cleaning..........

Before I get too lost in the cleaning of my computer room I thought I would take a moment to blog.

It is amazing the thing you find that you tend to forget about. Like the saying says out of site out of mind. Found some magazines I forgot I even owned, found some blank CD-R's which I thought I was out of.

It is a good thing that I picked up a box of garbage bags yesterday when I was in town as yes there is lots that is going to the dump. We have used the computer room as a place to throw things that don't have a place but not sure if we wanted to keep them or not an in the end it all ends up in the garbage.

OMG do I ever have a lot of cook books. Some that I haven't opened in nearly 20 years....these are going into the garage sale pile. If you ever watched the show Clean Sweep on TLC they would be shaking their heads at me....I have a hard time throwing things away sometimes. I still have my first printer that doesn't work very well, its not even worth giving away....instead of getting rid of it, I just shuffled it off to the corner of the room just in case.....in case of what I wonder as I stand there shaking my head asking myself what were you thinking!

When I started in this room all there was was the path to the computer with stuff piled 3 or 4 feet deep....yes we have neglected this room long enough. This is going to be my own version of Clean Sweep and lots has to go. I can see this taking a day or so to complete.

Golden Caramel Cheesecake Bars

I quickly wanted to share with everyone a new recipe that I found on line just in time to make for my Christmas desert. These are so Yummy! They very quickly became a family favorite.

Golden Carmel Cheesecake Bars

24 Christie Golden Oreo Cookies
2 tbsp butter melted
25 Kraft Caramels
1 tbsp water
2 pkgs - 250 g ea Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 jar - 198 g Jeff Marshmallow Cream
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 F. Put 14 Golden Oreo cookies in a food processer, process until finely crushed. Mix with melted butter and press into a 9 inch square cake pan. Bake 5 minutes.

Place caramels and water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside. Coarsely chop remaining Golden Oreo Cookies. Beat cream cheese and marshmallow cream together in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg, mix well. Stir in chopped cookies; pour over crust. Drop spoonfuls of caramel over batter; swirl gently with knife to create marble effect.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until centre is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Cut into bars. Store in tightly covered container in fridge.

Enjoy.....I am off to have a piece before calling it a night!

New Years Resolutions

With only 2 days left in 2008 I have been thinking more about my New Years Resolution. I could make so many of them but in the end would only end up keeping a couple of them. The biggest resolution I am making this year is to live a healthier lifestyle. Instead of saying I am going to loose weight, try this diet or that diet and end up not following through. I realized a while ago its not about the diet but about the lifestyle. I was doing good when I started in April up until June when my dad passed away and then my life spiraled downhill for a while and I crawled into my little shell like a turtle only poking my head out on occasion. One of the first steps I took towards my lifestyle change was seeing my doctor in early December and I have an appointment in January to go through my health issues. I am asking him to check out my heart thoroughly as I have abused my body long enough that I want to know where my cardio health is at when I start my lifestyle change. The nice thing is I won't be alone on this lifestyle change, my husband and my eldest daughter also want to join me in the quest to live a healthier life, of couse my youngest daughter will have no choice but to join us.

Some of my other New Years Resolutions is to get my computer room sorted out so that I can move some of the stuff down stairs and get the room ready for renovations in the spring. We are turning the computer room in a dinning room. As I move stuff downstairs I want to set up an area where I can do my scrapbooking/stamping and quilting. These both get so neglected as I when I pull it out it all has to be packed back up again and put up on the shelf. It will be nice to have an area where I can leave out my work in progress so that I can sit down and work on these projects a bit at a time. I was hoping to send out some hand made Christmas Cards this year but unfortunatley I never got past getting a few cards started and that is where it ended. One of my resolutions for 2009 is to finish those cards I started and make a few more to send out at Christmas. I also hope to be able to make a few birthday cards for friends and family.

The way I look at it, if I don't make any resolutions that I know are out of reach I will succeed.

Where did 2008 go to.....it feels like it was only yesterday that we were ringing in 2008 and saying farewell to 2007. Good luck with your resolutions!

On The Road

Today our family is on the road for a visit to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law's place and their family. Jen and Kurtis will be home, Jeff & Tammy and the girls will be over. Al and I with out 3 kids and our nephew Kevin and his wife Holly. We haven't seen Kevin since either 2000 or 2001, I am really looking forward to meeting his lovely wife Holly and getting to know her and to catch up with Kevin. It will be nice that we can all get together at the same to time to visit and share in the joy and love of the season.

This will be a day trip as Brittany has to be back for work on Sunday AM and Michael has to head back to Saskatoon for work on Monday morning. Al and I are thinking of heading up to Flin Flon to visit with friends that are like family for New Years. Hopefully Kim is feeling better as she has been under the weather, will depend if she is up for company for a couple of days or not. My fingers are crossed as I am so looking forward to visit home (as I say when we go to Flin Flon, it is like going home for a visit and Kim says the same about coming to PA).

The holidays a time to travel and meet up with family and friends.

Its All Over For Another Year

365 Days in a year, where do they go and why do they seem to fly by us at the speed of light most days. Hoping everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones. Christmas Eve sticking to tradition we joined the Kolendreski Family for supper. Perogies, Cabbage Rolls, Ham and all the fixings. A good time was had by all. Danny, Sandra and Scott joined us for Christmas Day Supper.

Following tradition the kids get to open a gift like they have done for so many years. There isn't much guessing that happens as it is tradition that on Christmas Eve they get a pair of new PJ's. The surprise is what color and what print the pj's are. I asked the kids if they would like me to change it from PJ's to something else and they all agreed NO....we like getting PJ's on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Morning arrived a little later than usual for our house. By 10am we were starting to unwrap presents. It is fun to watch the look on each others face as they find that they got something they really wanted. My husband likes to hid gifts as well. This year our daughters both wanted new clothes for Christmas, we decided instead of trying to buy them something that they would probably end up returning we gave them money instead. We just don't put the money in a card and give it to them...they each got a book and buried throughout the book amongst the pages is $20 here and $20 there. It took them a while to find the money but once one of them found the $20 the other knew what we did this year. Last year their money was wrapped in a huge chocolate bar. It was the year for games in our house, especially for my husband who got two new games Seinfeld Scene It and Catch Phrase 2, both fun games. The family got Friends Scene It and Scrabble.

Once the turkey was in the oven we started to play games. We ended our day the same way we started it, playing games. We had a couple of rounds of Pass The Pigs - very much like Yahtzee but with Pigs instead of dice. You score points based on how the pigs land......Seinfeld Scene It and Things Humor In A Box.

So for the next few days it is left overs and more left overs. 18lb Turkey sure leaves you with lots of turkey for the next few days..... Farm raised turkey is SOOOOOOO much tastier than the ones you buy in the grocery stores.

364 Days until Chrismtas 2009. It will be here before we know it.

Last Minute Christmas Items

There are only 5 days left till Christmas and 4 shopping days left. I wrapped all the gifts we bought for the kids and those for my hubby today......only have two gifts that I wasn't able to wrap. I need to get a bigger gift bag for my hubbies gift and pick up a nice card for him too. Trying to figure out how to wrap our son's gift...this one is going to be a challenge and I know I can't find a bag big enough for it either.

Al and I sat down and went through our menu for Christmas Day and made a list.....we're thinking we might be one of those people that everyone thinks is crazy for going shopping in the middle of the night...with WalMart and Super Store both open 24 hrs we will be able to pick up pretty much everything we need before the stores get really busy either that or go in for about 8am. Now that I think about it going in for 8am is a better idea, this way we will be able to hit both the liquor store and the Co-op before they get busy........ then we will done and if we forget anything - then we don't really need it.

Monday afternoon and Tuesday are the days I am going to finish off the bit of baking I have left to do.

Next week this time it is all over and done with. Also once week from today Christmas 2009 will be 363 days away, that makes it 370 days away from today.

Count Down

We all count down the days to special events in our lives, like Christmas, Birthday's and so on...usually this is done in months, days, weeks.... I am counting down the minutes until I start my holidays for the Christmas Season. Come 5:00 pm I am out of here for 2 weeks....have 80 minutes until my holidays start. I am so looking forward to the time off with my husband and children. Well the kids will be working for the most part.

Our shopping is nearly wrapped up...just a few little things here and there left to get. Now for the wrapping of the presents. That will be this weekend's project.

Next week the plan is to finish my baking up on Monday and Tuesday. Christmas Eve we are off for supper at a dear family friends. Mary is very much like family to us, for Al and I she fits the role of a mom and for our kids she is Grandma Mary. We look forward every year spending Christmas Eve with Mary and her family. Mary's son and daughter-in-law Danny & Sandra are very good friends of ours, very much like family. This family is friend but they are friends that are like family.

Christmas Day I will be cooking up dinner as usual. I am hoping that a co-worker who may be alone for the holidays will be able to join our family in Celebrating Christmas Day. Though her extended family my convince her to spend the day with them.

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Sketch and Stash Blog Candy

Head over to the Sketch and Stash Challenge Blog for a chance win some awesome Blog Candy - Whiff of Joy Willow with Umbrella Stamp. The blog candy closes on Jan 3, 2009 at midnight and the Challenge will launch on January 5, 2009.

Click HERE to go to the Sketch and Stash Challenge Blog.

This will be my first challenge card that I will try. I will post a picture of my finished product here in January.

Christmas Countdown

9 Days left until Christmas Day. Hard to believe that it is that close. We have a few more gifts left to pick up, mostly stocking stuffers for the kids.

Tonight is the night that we will decorate our tree, our second tree that is. The first tree that we bought dried up within a week, strange with it not running out of water. So Al went back to Sobey's, they told him to pick out another tree and they would do an exchange. Turned out the remaining trees didn't look very good either so they gave him his money back and we picked up a tree from a local grower. The house is really starting to smell like Christmas now....next week I am on holidays, my plan is to finish up my Christmas baking then.

So with 8 shopping days left we need to get the last minute items on our list, wrap them and get them under the tree.

Papermonkey - Big Blog Candy Give Away

Click HERE to head over to Paper Monkey to check out Suzy's Happy Haul-a-Days Giveaway closing on Dec 15th. She is giving away about $200 in blog candy to one lucky winner. She is offering items from Whiff of Joy, Magnolia-licious and Sweet and Sassy just to name a few.

Here is the link again for you http://blog.papermonkey.org/index/2008/12/happy-hauladays-my-biggest-giveaway-ever-.html

Answer To A Prayer

The last month I have been thinking about my dad a lot.....you see it has been just over 6 months since he passed and the 1 year anniversary of the day he came home from the hospital after he suffered a TIA (mini stroke). We felt so blessed that he recovered from the TIA without any damage and thanked God every day for that. With Christmas getting close and this will be the first Christmas with out my dad there have been some very difficult days. I have a loving husband who understands what I am going through and is there for me.

After my dad passed I asked God to let me know somehow that my dad was happy and with my mom in the home of our Lord Jesus Christ & God. God answered my prayer through my best friend who dreamed of my dad and mom together walking hand in hand through a beautiful meadow of wild flowers. My dad loved picking wild flowers. She had this dream before I was able to tell her of my dad's passing. She knew by the end of the dream that he had passed away. She wasn't sure of who the lady was with my dad....as she had never met my mom. At the end of the dream as my dad and mom were walking back to where they came from the stopped and my dad turned to Kim, winked at her and told her tell her I Love Her. This was the answer to my prayer that I had asked God the night before.

Again I asked God to let me know once more that my dad was happy and watching over me and my family. In fact I asked this on Thursday night. Well yesterday when my husband came home with the mail, a couple of Christmas Cards arrived. As I read the one from Debbie, my husband's cousin my prayer was again answered. She wrote a beautiful letter/poem for me called My First Christmas With Jesus. The background of the paper was a watermark photo of my dad. I am sure that God used Debbie to allow my dad to once again let me know he is happy and looking forward to spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year. As I read this I could hear my dad reading this to me.

You see God does answer our prayers, I know this as he has answered many of mine over the years. You just have to listen and watch for them. I feel so blessed that both times I asked God about my dad, he answered my prayers the very next day, with God's love I will get through this time and be a stronger person because of it. Both times he used someone very special to me as a messenger so that I would know his love is unending. I believe that God uses the people we hold near and dear to us as messengers to show us not only his love but the love our loved ones have for us too.

This year for Christmas my dad won't be with us in body but I do know that he will be us in Spirit. Christmas for my dad this year will be a very special one, he will be with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Grad Dress Shopping

Yesterday my daughter and some of her friends all made their way to Unique Weddings by Craft Haven to check out the selection of Graduation Dresses. Hard to believe that baby will be graduating in June 2009. Where has the time gone.....it feels like only yesterday that Meagan started Kindergarten and now soon she will be finished High School.

Meagan called me after they all had tried dresses on and most of them picked out their dresses to let me know she found the dress of her dreams....it was a chocolate brown - which she wanted and only $300. I asked her if she was sure this was the dress she wanted, she told me it fits me beautifully and I really really like it and if it sells I will be really disappointed.

Last night the Annual Grad Fashion show was held at Carlton. Her and her friends attended, she told me there was some beautiful gowns there and she is really scared that the dress she picked out will be gone within a week if not sooner. She picked out the perfect pair of shoes, necklace & earring set and hair pins all to match the dress. She called her dad and told him about the dress as well. We were both surprised that the dress was only $300. With her dad not being back until tomorrow afternoon and they won't hold the dress for her until then she needed to put a deposit down on it or she could loose it, which I know can happen...they have had it happen to 2 girls this year already. As they were coming in with their parents their dress they picked and fell in love with was leaving....they actually passed each other in the doorway. So Meagan asked if she could bring in a cheque this afternoon. Meagan is going to have the dress of her dreams...she is go thrilled that she doesn't have to worry about anyone else picking her dress

With the dress out of the way a lot of the pressure is off...now she has her hair and nails to worry about. We just have to book pictures and decide where to go for supper.

Snow........

Well I think my hubby will be thrilled when he gets home on Friday, no let me re-phrase that...I know my hubby will be thrilled. He will finally be able to use his snow blower. I think after last nights snow there is enough snow on the ground to warrant him starting up the snow blower. I can just picture him now out there in all his glory. Boys and their toys.....He has been waiting since August to use the snow blower. He bought a small yard/garden tractor with a rotter tiller, lawn mower & snow blower attachments. He wants to get a small blade made for the front end so he can also plow the snow around the yard...mind you the blade can also be used to level out the driveway in the spring, summer and fall after it has been rutted up after a lot of rain.

Today's Ponderings

Well today being my day off for the part of the morning anyways. Myself and a co-worker traveled to Regina today as we have a meeting tomorrow morning. The trip was good for the most part...a bit of snow and reduced visibility a ways out of Saskatoon.

After getting checked into the hotel we made our way to the Cornwall Shopping Centre. Picked up a present for my husband and found one of the presents my daughter was asking for. Just in case either of them read my blog can't mention anything more than that they will like the gifts.

This is the first time I went on line with my new lap top. I like that now when I travel for work I can take my lap top with me and keep on things. Nice thing too when traveling any distance, we can take the lap top and watch movies. Speaking of which I am listening to my new Christmas CD Mariah Carey.

Spread a Little Love

Katarina's 10th Anniversary with her fiancee - and she is spreading a little love to all in celebration with Blog Candy.

Click HERE to visit Kamadesign - Confessions of a Crafter for all the details on how you can have a chance to win this blog candy. The more people that join in the fun the bigger the candy will be. If you don't have a blog you can still join in on the fun. Details on Katarina's blog.

Here is the link again.
http://kamadesign.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-first-blogcandy.html

TGIF

Thank God it is Friday...... The snow is lightly falling this morning, my husband hopes it snows at least 6 inches...just so he can use his new snow blower. He has been inching since our first skiff of snow for a good snowfall so he could use his snow blower. Maybe this weekend he will get his wish.

Today is date night for my husband and I. We are going to do some Christmas shopping, go for supper and a drink then finish with some more Christmas shopping. I am looking forward to a night out alone with Allan, we haven't gone out just the two of us in a while now. Well since mid November in Regina.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

The Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us and getting into full swing. So many more things to do and so little time to do it in. 22 days until Christmas, time goes by so fast. I still have a few gifts to buy and stocking stuffer's to get for the kids, baking to do, menu to plan and party's to attend.

We are attending our first Christmas Party of the season on Saturday. We get together with 3 of my girlfriends from High School and their families each year at Christmas. This year we are going to go bowling first and then head up to Brenda's house for finger food, games, giggly gift exchange and fellowship. This year we are also exchanging recipes for the appetizers that we bring. Next weekend (Dec 13) we have the Bridge Crew Christmas Party with a Potluck Supper. There is always lots of food and a good variety as well, after that we should be done with parties but you never know what lurks around the corner.

My husband has turned out to be a hard to person to shop for this year. Usually by Nov 1 I have a pretty good idea of what to get him but not this year.....not a hint or a clue of what he would like. So I had to grill him the other night for ideas of what he needs at least this was a start. Gave the girls some ideas as well for gifts for their dad and I have figured out what to get him....won't mention it here or even give a clue as I don't want him to find out anything about his present(s). I am sure he will be happy with what I get him.

Dr's Appointment

This afternoon I have a much needed appointment to see the doctor. I am so tired these days....even after 8 hours of sleep I feel like I may have only had a few hours. I am sure if I closed my eyes for any amount of time I will fall straight to sleep.

I have a case of the dropsy's as my dear grandmother would say it. I drop things for no reason...it is like my fingers forget they are holding onto something. Many times I can catch whatever I have dropped before it hits the floor. Good news my reflexes still work pretty good.

Will be glad to find out what is going on with me...what I am lacking as this having no energy has gone on long enough.

Well I should run...have to eat lunch yet.

Whiff of Joy Advent Calender

Visit Katharina over at Stamping with A Whiff of Joy who is hosting a very generous fun event on her blog. She is giving away Fabulous Whiff of Joy prizes each day. Every day from 00:01 GMT December 1st until December 24th a new window will be opened on the Whiff of Joy Advent Calender, showing a fabulous gift that can be won that day and the winner of the previous days gift will be posted at the same time. To check out Katharina's blog click HERE

Cleaning Cupboards

Yesterday morning when my husband opened the cupboard to get the sugar out for his coffee as usually something fell out. This cupboard has been in need of a cleaning for close to a year now, maybe even over the year. So I figured with this the season to be baking more than usual this was as good a time as any to clean the cupboard. Being in the cleaning mode decided the oven needed cleaning so set it to clean and walked away. As I started to clean out the cupboard I found things that needed to be thrown away years ago...found an empty box and set to cleaning and throwing.

You see back in June after my dad passed away and we cleaned out his cupboards I gave my son many things but there was still stuff that he didn't have a need for at this time so I added it to my cupboards. I found I had 2 bottles of Cayenne Pepper and an unopened bag of the stuff. That seems like a lot of Cayenne pepper...so seeing that one of the bottles must have been 10 years old that hit the garbage box first then the second bottle followed right behind as it must have been close to the same age.

As I preceded to clean out the cupboard I found things that I bought I don't know how many years ago. I found more tea than what I know what to do with.... I should not be allowed to buy any more tea until at least half of what I have is gone. I have Candy Cane Lane, Gingerbread Spice, Earl Grey, Chi Tea, Lemon Zinger and the list goes on and on.

Back in the spring when I started my Life Style Change I picked up some tea from the health food store called Body Sense. Well I remember opening the tea and I was sure I had put it in the cupboard but couldn't find it anywhere. Then I figured that my dog Rocco had made off with the box and stashed it under my bed like he did with so many things. Lifted the mattress and box spring of the bed frame no tea there either, I had pretty much given up on ever finding this tea. It was like it had disappeared into thing air. Well it was more like slipping into the dark corners of the cupboard...there is sat waiting to be found and that I did when I cleaned out the cupboard. So 2 hours later my cupboards were done, the stove had cleaned itself all that was left was to wipe it out - which my hubby did as he was cooking supper and a box of garbage went out to the burning barrel.

Now I have a more accurate list of supplies needed for my Christmas baking.

It's Begining......

........To Look A Lot Like Christmas. Well around the office it is. Today a co-worker and I decided it was time to decorate the office for the holiday season. We dug out the boxes of decorations, the packing tape, scissors and tacks. We started buy hanging a some beaded garland around our workstation dividers then put window clings on the glass, set up the little Christmas tree. We hung snowflakes from the ceiling. We didn't have a chimney to hang out stockings by so we picked over the photocopier instead, it can get a little heated at times. A couple of hours later our office space looks so very festive.

After we done decorating we sat back and like how it all looked and started to talk about our office Christmas Lunch and gift exchange.

My girl friend gives me a call today, telling me that her husband built me the Cadillac of tree strands. I am so thrilled as now I can up a real tree and never worry about it going dry on me. Today turned out to be a Christmas type day today.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

If you have ever tried the Lofthouse Sugar Cookies available in most Grocery Store Bakery depts you will like this recipe. I found myself becoming addicted to the Lofthouse Sugar Cookies and thought there must be a recipe out there somewhere that is close to these cookies, well I think I found the next best thing. This recipe quickly become a family favorite in my house.

I thought I would share my sugar cookie recipe just in case your wanting to try something new.
Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

1 Cup Butter
2 Cups Granulated sugar
3 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 1/3 Cups Sour Cream
5 - 6 Cups of flour (until consistency for rolling) I used 6 cups

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and sour cream.
Mix in dry ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Roll out dough to 1/4 - 3/8 inch thickness using a generous amount of flour. Cut out into shapes and bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Frost and decorate as desired

Sugar Cookie Frosting (just like Wilton's Decorator Icing)

4 Cups Confectioners Sugar
1/2 Cup Crisco Shortening
5 Tbsp Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla
food coloring optional

In large bowl, cream together the confectioners sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring as desired.

hit: to make black icing that doesn't have the awefull taste to it, mix in some coco...you get black icing that tastes like chocolate.

Darkness!

This morning as I was leaving for work at 6:55am I realized that is was extremely dark outside....almost an eerie type of darkness. Usually when I walk out the door in the morning I can see my way to the garage but not so this morning. So I looked up expecting to see it was overcast but no there were stars all over the sky but no moon. Absolutely no sign of the moon what so ever...I don't recall a morning like this in a long time where there were stars but no sign of the moon...it was like it has almost fallen from the sky.

I don't know how the people in the Arctic can live with out daylight during the winter months when they have to live in nearly complete darkness 24 hrs a day. I would go crazy if we didn't have the precious amount of day light we get in the winter.

Even on my 20 minute drive with my headlights on low beam it seamed darker than usual...that might have to do with there was little traffic this morning compared to other mornings. It was such an eerie feeling that I thought maybe I had left home earlier than usual. Looked over at my clock expecting to see a much earlier time than it the 7:07 am it was at the time.

Now I wait!

Yesterday I had a job interview with the Ministry of Highways & Transportation for the position as Area Office Coordinator. My interview was scheduled for 3pm, I was asked to arrive 15 minutes early which I did...was given some questions to review and provide answers for my own reference during the interview. So I answered the questions and waited and waited until 4:20pm for my interview to start.

I actually think I did okay in the interview...my nerves calmed right down long before I was called into the boardroom. I am glad as I hate being nervous when I have to answer questions. I don't think I answered anything wrong....I hope I told them what they wanted to hear. Today is their last day of interviews and I will know within 2 - 4 weeks either way if I have the job or not.

My hours of work would 7am - 4pm which is fine with me.....like that I would be home an hour earlier than I am now and starting work at 7am is not a problem for me.

When I know if I got the job or not I will let you know.

Blog Candy - Nov 26

Head on over to Kristine's site for a chance to win some awesome blog candy. Kristine is celebrating her 1 year blogaversary and to celebrate she is giving away 2 pieces of blog candy. http://kristineskort.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-blogoversary-blog-candy.html This offer is over on Nov 26, 6PM(CET+1) so you only have 2 days left to leave a comment on her blog and post about it on your blog for a chance to win.

Kristine is a very talented and has some inspiring ideas on her blog.

Tid Bits

On Friday my husband took my car in to get the tire fixed. As it turns out the tire that was on there was shot....unfixable as was the spare tire. So a few hours later and a new tire I am good to go again.

Saturday was a day of baking. If you have ever tried the Lofthouse Sugar Cookies found in the bakery of your local grocery store you will know these are not like most sugar cookies out there. They are soft and it is the icing that makes them sweet. I myself really like them...border line addicted to them. So I searched on Google to see if I could find a copy cat recipe for them....jackpot I did find not only one recipe but several. For the most part they are all the same except for one recipe that uses Pilsbury Vanilla Cake Mix. All the recipes call for leaving the cookie dough overnight, so this morning will determine if these recipes are close to the cookies you buy in the store or not. Tasting the unbaked cookie dough I do think they are going to be very close to the store boughten ones.

With Christmas just over the month away it is time for making cabbage rolls and perogies in my house...not this is the only time of the year I make them...but I HAVE to have them for Christmas or I might as well leave the house. A couple of weeks back I made a big batch of cabbage rolls enough for Christmas and then some. A week ago I made a batch of perogie dough stuck in the fridge (the dough rolls better in my past roller when cool). Well as it turned out I was so tired this past week that I was in bed earlier than usual and the perogie dough sat. So yesterday after making up my potato, cheese & onion filling I made up 6 of them for my daughter and I to try before making up the entire batch of dough. We were the guinee pigs to determine if the dough was still good or not. Verdict came back that the dough was fine and they tasted very yummy! So finished up making that batch of perogies. Still have to make some saurkraut ones for my hubby, a batch of potato cheddar & onion ones for my son and some more for us.

Christmas card making is coming along very slowly, I have made 3 or 4 cards so far. I have a few more supplies to make some cards so will be making a few more cards. I hope to be able to post a couple of pictures of the cards I create but not until I am ready to show the entire world. I have found some really good inpsiring ideas on th different crafting blogs that I visit. Next year I will be ready with everything I need to make most of my cards. I picked up another new craft punch last night - Martha Stewart's Christmas Tree. Nice thing is that it doesn't only have to be used at Christmas as it is just your everyday Spruce Tree. Yes I am very glad I picked up this punch, I nearly put it back....so many ideas of for using it now that I have it. I am very disappointed in the selection of scrapbooking/stamping supplies here in Prince Albert. I have found some really good suppliers on line that I think I will be shopping with as well as whenever I go to Saskatoon or Regina I will have to hit Michael's and some of the other scrapbooking/stamping stores.

Saved By a Flat Tire

Last night I left work to pick up my daughter then head to the grad meeting. Well I didn't make it to pick up my daughter or to the grad meeting. I had a flat tire on the way to get my daughter...limped into the closest gas station so I would have lots of light to change the tire, well so my son could change the tire. Called Michael and he came to his mother's rescue. When we pulled the spare out of the trunk found it was also flat but would hold air at least to get me home. So plans to attend the meeting changed.....I guess this flat tire was a way of preventing me to volunteer to head-up one the committees at least that is how I am looking at it. So in a way that flat tire was my saviour. I know there will be many more grad meetings and I do plan to attend....

So this morning I go out to the car and there it is flat....my spare has a slow leak. Even pumping it up this morning it would have been flat by the time I was done work. So I took the hubby's truck to work and he will take my car in to get the tire fixed. The men in my life are such wonderful guys.

New SpringWidget

Graduation is Coming!

Here it is November 20, 2008 and before I know it will be June 19, 2009 - Meagan's Graduation. Tonight is the first of probably many grad meetings. Tonight we sign up for the committees and if we are brave or in some cases stupid enough to volunteer to head up the committee tonight is the night. I am going there with the determination to not sign up to head anything but volunteer my time and that is all. Don't need the head ache of being the chair of some committee and dealing with the drama of this parent doesn't like this or that and so on....

Saturday Meagan and I are going to go looking at Graduation Dresses. I am going with camera in hand to take some photos of her dress choices so that her dad can see them as well as so she can do some process of elimination as well and hopefully come to a decision. I am sure this trip will be one of a few before she makes a final decision on a dress.

Not only is there the dress, the shoes and accessories to think about..there is the hair, the make-up, the nails...there is photos and supper to decide on. I want to get the photos booked as soon as possible so then it is done with...but which photographer to choose. Will do a bit of shopping around for this one...then there is the grad parties to think about and plan.

We'll have a grad party for Meagan at our house for the family & close friends most likely the week before grad. Meagan isn't sure if she is going to have a party with her friends at our place or not on the grad weekend...that we have lots of time to worry about...the lowest things on the pole right now.

Not only is there graduation to think about and plan there is the decisions of what she wants to do after she completes high school. Will she work for a year before deciding to extend her education or will she go on to extend her education in the fall and if so what will she apply for. Decisions, decisions....glad I don't have to make them all....but will advise her best I can.

My little girl is growing up, faster than I would like sometimes......

Snowflakes & Winter

This morning I awoke to a light snow fall that started sometime last night. Ever so lightly the snow flakes dance their way to the ground. The dusting of snow on the trees looks so pretty. I love the colors of Autumn but feel so abandoned by Mother Nature when the trees are bare of all their leaves...only a skeleton remaining to face the elements. Once winter arrives so many of the snowflakes find a new home on these bare branches covering them in a white velvety blanket to give them some shelter from the elements of winter.

If do like winter, just hate the really cold temperatures that we get with those fluffy little flakes we call snow. I look forward to days of making snowmen (they are one of my favorite things about winter), taking walks on a moon light night on the crisp snow (when its not too cold outside) or going snowmobiling over fresh fallen powder. I would like to try my hand at cross country skiing this winter.

I do believe that winter has arrived for the long stay now....prior to this we had snow but not a whole lot a bit more than a skiff but not a true ground covering.

Surprises

My daughter Brittany surprised me this afternoon when she called me. Asked if I would pick up the fixings for Taco's and Meagan would bring it home after school and they will make supper so it is ready for when I get home after work. What a nice surprise.

So on the menu is Soft & Hard shell Tacos, our home version of Taco Time's Mexi Fries Deluxe and tostito chips. I am hungry just typing my blog.....can't wait for 5pm to arrive now. 1 hr and 15 minutes to go....well I should get back to work, my coffee break is over now.

HiHo HiHo it's back to work I go, HiHo HiHo HiHo

Oh! I can't forget to mention it is Mickey Mouse's 80th Birthday today. 80 years ago today Mickey Mouse made his debut on the big screen in Steam Boat Willie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICKEY MOUSE!

Laughter The Best Medicine

Last night my husband and along with 4 of our friends took in the Ron James - Mental As Anything Show. If you don't know who Ron James is, he is a stand up comedian from the Maritimes. We laughed for 1.5 hrs straight....I laughed so hard that I was light headed. We had awesome seats second row from the front right in the middle. The last time we seen him we up in the balcony. I highly recommend his show to anyone that hasn't seen it. Having seen Ron perform 2 years ago he is still just as funny with very little repeats. We have watched him many times on the Comedy network and Comedy Now on TV but in person is soooooo much better.

Sometimes a good bought of laughter is all someone needs to light their mood/spirits. Laughter has an amazing effect on a person. For being tired for 3 days in a row this was what I needed.

Laughter is sometimes the best medicine around!

Rotary Craft Show

Saturday my friend and I took in the Rotary Craft Show at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre. There many different exhibits with crafts, candles, knitting to quilting and painting. There were people with their home business products such as Discover Toys, Watkins & Princess House Canada.

We spent the better part of 2 - 2 1/2 hours at the show. So many things to see and taste too. Even the SPCA had a display with a couple of their kittens waiting to be adopted to loving homes.

If only I had an unlimited budget where I could have spent what I really would have liked the things I could have purchased. I did pick up some face templates for my paper doll templates for scrapbooking...what a deal on those $1.00/sheet regular $9.99/sheet. There was one display of applique quilted wall hangings. Oh these were beautiful and the prices were really good. I got some really nice ideas for appliqueing if I ever find the time to try it out. So many nice pieces at this booth that it would be very hard to decide which to buy.

I did go with a budget in mind and I did stick to it even though I was tempted to purchase this purse from one booth. This lady does the home purse parties. I had heard of these but didn't know who in town did them....now I know. I have her card and will look at booking a party after Christmas sometime in the new year.

I picked up a couple of beautiful hand painted ornaments for the Christmas Tree.

My whole reasoning to attend the Rotary Craft Show was to pick up stamping supplies from a friend of mine who was there trying to liquidate her stock as she has closed her stamping business down to pursue other dreams. She was selling everything off at 50% off. Picked up a few more Christmas stamps, inks and embossing powders. I picked up a really good idea as well when it comes to remember which stamps, ink colors and embossing powders that I have. Stamp each stamp onto a sheet and put into a duo-tang that I can take with me when going looking for stamps. Also stamp the image and emboss it with the different colors making a note of which color is which and add this to the duo-tang as well. I also picked up some chalk coloring pencils to color in my stamped images. Now I have a few more options for my handmade Christmas Cards. This year I will try a few of them and hopefully next year I will be able to make enough for everyone on my card list.

So Tired

I am not sure why but the last two days I could fall asleep in a moment. I am sure if I closed my eyes I would be sound a sleep. I have been going to bed early each night and seemed to have slept the entire night. I am guess that I haven't slept very soundly.

It is 10:17 am and I feel like I could go back to sleep for at least another 8 hrs.

I just hope this isn't a sign that I am coming down with something. I get my flue shot on Tuesday and I can't afford to come down with anything before then.

Maybe it is my inner devil trying to get me to eat a bunch of junk food for those short term pick me ups!

Either way I am glad that tomorrow is Saturday and I can sleep in. Maybe that is all I need is a day to sleep in.

Winter Has Arrived

Old Man Winter has arrived here in Prince Albert yesterday. Yesterday morning it started to snow and didn't stop until it left about 1 inch of the fluffy white stuff. Prior to yesterday we only had a skiff of the stuff.

Time to dig out the toques, mittens, scarves, boots and snow suits. Soon there will be families of snowmen taking residence up in our yards. The kids will be digging out their tobogganing and waiting for enough snow to head out to the hill for a fun day of sliding.

Time to set up my back yard bird feeder. This will be the first year that I have one set up. I read an article in a magazine about attracting birds to your back yard, types of food that is best for them, types of feeders etc. I am hoping to be able to get some awesome photographs this winter of birds feeding at the feeders.

My son is thrilled that it snowed as now it will be much easier to track the deer this hunting season. He and a couple of his friends are heading out this weekend for in search of a trophy buck. Michael will be home for a week in which he hopes to fulfill his dream of getting a nice size deer.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae
(1872 - 1918)

"In May, 1915, on the day following the death of fellow soldier Lt Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, John McCrae wrote his now famous work, an expression of his anguish over the loss of his friend and a reflection of his surroundings – wild Poppies growing amid simple wooden crosses marking makeshift graves. These 15 lines, written in 20 minutes, captured an exact description of the sights and sounds of the area around him.

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae left Ypres with these memorable few lines scrawled on a scrap of paper. His words were a poem which started, “In Flanders fields the poppies blow…” Little did he know then that these 15 lines would become enshrined in the innermost thoughts and hearts of all soldiers who hear them. Through his words, the scarlet Poppy quickly became the symbol for soldiers who died in battle.

The poem was first published on 8 December 1915 in England, appearing in “Punch” magazine."- Quoted from http://www.legion.ca/Poppy/campaign_e.cfm

A poem that so many of grew up knowing....not necessarily understanding the true meaning of it until we grew up.

The armistice to end the First World War takes effect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. This year marks the 90th Anniversary to the end of WW I. Like so many others I too had family that fought in WW I. Our family was one of the lucky ones whose loved ones returned home. My Great Uncle Clarence fought in both WW I and WW II, he returned home both times.

The Canada Remembers Program endeavours to keep alive the achievements and sacrifices made by those who served Canada in times of war and peace; to engage communities in remembrance of these achievements and sacrifices; and, to promote an understanding of their significance in Canadian life as we know it today.

Each year in November, Poppies blossom on the lapels and collars of over half of the entire Canadian population. Since 1921, the Poppy has stood as a symbol of Remembrance, our visual pledge to never forget all those Canadians who have fallen in war and military operations. The Poppy also stands internationally as a “symbol of collective reminiscence”, as other countries have also adopted its image to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

This significance of the Poppy can be traced to international origins.

The association of the Poppy to those who had been killed in war has existed since the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century, over 110 years before being adopted in Canada. There exists a record from that time of how thickly Poppies grew over the graves of soldiers in the area of Flanders, France. This early connection between the Poppy and battlefield deaths described how fields that were barren before the battles exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.

Just prior to the First World War, few Poppies grew in Flanders. During the tremendous bombardments of that war, the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing “popaver rhoes” to thrive. When the war ended, the lime was quickly absorbed and the Poppy began to disappear again.

The person who was responsible more than any other for the adoption of the Poppy as a symbol of Remembrance in Canada and the Commonwealth was Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian Medical Officer during the First World War.

So to all the men and women both past and present who have given so much so that we as Canadians can enjoy freedom and democracy - Thank You!

God Bless you all!

Credits:
Thank you to Leanne a friend of mine from Fabulous Canadian Freebies for the use of Lest We Forget graphic used here. You have an amazing talent with graphics, thank you for allowing me to use this one of yours.

General Remembrance Resources - an awesome resource to learn more about Remembrance Day.

Canada Remembers - Veterans Affairs Canada

Royal Canadian Legion - The Poppy Campaign

Quick Update

This morning I decided to make some changes to my blog's appearance. So please be patient with me in my efforts...you may see some funky colors as I go along. With being on dial-up it will take me a bit longer than if I had high speed.....there are time when the pages just won't load until after many many tries.

I will try my best to keep up blogging as well.

So watch for developments of the upcoming changes to Corinne's Place!

Have a wonderful day! Off to town to pick out paint for the girls bedrooms and start the move from our room upstairs to downstairs.

Blog Candy

For those that don't know what Blog Candy is...it is something new for me as well. I actually learned about it today as I was reading a crafting blog. Blog Candy is a contest that you can enter by leaving a comment and answering a random question as well as providing a link on your blog to their Blog Candy. They usually offer these Blog Candy contests once they receive so many hits to their website.

Here is what Suzanne is offering for her Blog Candy.

Suzanne over at Scrap Bitz has some blog candy being offered for reaching over 50,000 hits to her site. So follow the link below over to Scrap Bitz for your chance to win the awesome Blog Candy.

http://scrapbitz.blogspot.com/2008/11/biggest-blog-candy-evah.html

While your there don't forget to take a look around her site, some awesome ideas.

Good Luck to everyone that enters!

Crafting and Blogs

Last night I tried my hand an making handmade Christmas Cards. Using the bit of supplies that I had the 3 that I made turned out pretty good. I have started making a list of things that I need for making my Christmas Cards. I think I am going to be come totally addicted to card making as I am to everything else I try for the most part.

So in my quest to create handmade cards for Christmas this year I started googling Christmas Cards, Verses, etc. I found lots of Blogs that have to do with Crafts....especially Handmade Cards. My hubby sees what I am doing and just shakes his head. I'm sure thinking not another craft! You see I dabble in many different areas from scrapbooking to stained glass to quilting and many more. Speaking of which I have to get the thumbs knitted on to the mitts I am making for my daughter.

There are so many ideas out there for making cards and scrapbook layouts. The blogs I have found is amazing and the ideas they share are awesome. There area few craft blogs that I will be following. I hope as I get a few cards done that I will post a picture here for you all to see.

So with my list in my purse I shall be watching the Dollar Stores, WalMart and Adams for sales and supplies. After Christmas is when I will find some good sales but the question is will there be much left.

Some of you on my Christmas Card List may receive a handmade card, all depends on how many I get done. My goal is to do a few this year and next year I hope that all my cards will be handmade.

Until tomorrow have a wonderful Sunday and happy crafting!

Little Rants & Raves

I go away for 2 days and come home to a house that was a disaster...more than it was when I left. I am sure my girls think they are made of sugar...if they were to put their hands in dish water I am certain they think they would dissolve..there wasn't a clean glass to be found in the house......so last night after 3 1/2 sink fulls I finished all the dishes. I will be glad when we start remodeling our kitchen....I will have my dishwasher installed. For now it takes up a spot in my porch waiting to be put to good use. I guess I have lived this long with out a dishwasher I should be able to wait a bit longer. Plan is to have it in sometime in the spring. On the other had they had cleaned up the living room.

While I was in Regina I made stop over at Michael's Craft Store.....I picked up some new stamps & a couple of punches as I am going to try my hand at making some handmade Christmas Cards this year. I am so excited to try making the cards....still need to pick up a couple of things here but for the most part I am ready to start. If all goes well, I may take this project on for next year...will watch for sales after Christmas to pick up some supplies that I will need. I am very excited to try my hand at making cards....I enjoy scraping so I think I will also like this. I need to set up a space downstairs where I can have my scrapbooking set up at all times so that I can leave everything out instead of having to unpack and pack everything back up each time I want to work on something.

Well that is my little rant and rave for today!

Re-Connecting

Reconnecting with family is always a good thing. Recently I experienced the joy of reconnecting with family that we haven't spoke to in nearly 13 years. My husband's nephew and his wife. It wasn't that we haven't thought about them or anything like that...lives change and sometimes you loose contact without meaning too. My niece was the one that mentioned to me that she was wanting to make contact with her cousins that she hasn't seen in as many years and thought she might have found them on facebook but wasn't sure. So I checked into it and sure enough there they were. Immediately added them as friends to my face book as was thrilled when my they responded. My other niece and I have been messaging back and forth catching up on each other's lives.

It is wonderful to be able to make this connection. My husband and I are saying it would be so nice to go visit them at their house or have them down to our place for a visit and catch up. For now until we can visit each other we will continue to chat through facebook and over the phone.

My daughters are thrilled to find that they have cousins in their age group. They hope to be able to meet them one day soon. The last time they would have seen each other they were all little toddlers and don't really remember anything about spending time together.

Family is precious and should never be taken for granted as one day you may find they are gone for one reason or another.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

May you have a Spectacular Day!

Hard to believe that is Oct 31st. The kiddies will be out in their costumes in full force tonight. There will be witches, ghosts, Hanna Montana, Monsters, Vampires etc. There will be pillow cases full of candy and pranks played. What are your plans the this Hallowed Evening!

Hubby has picked up the Halloween candy, yes we left it to the last possible minute, otherwise would be picking up more again as the kids would have eaten it all....okay we would have helped out with that. lol Sent my son his costume on the bus, he is off to a party tonight....there will be a pink cat prowling around the city of Saskatoon tonight! That's right the Pink Panther will be in town for the evening....you may even see more than one of them around.

The girls are off to party's with their friends...neither is driving which is a good thing.

Well I will be short and sweet today! Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

Halloween

With Halloween only a few days away now, started to think about past years of Halloween Celebrations from Trick or Treating as a kid, to school dances to getting dressed up and going to dances or the bar with friends. One of my favorite things to dress up as was a witch or the bride of Frankenstein.

Just a few years ago my husband and I went to a local dance. His costume was awesome....we didn't walk in to the hall together. I told everyone he was meeting me there as he was coming from LaRonge from work. People believed me when I told him I was waiting for him to meet me there. Made it look real as well....every time the door opened I would turn to see if he had arrived. He picked up this mask of an old cigar smoking man, over sized pants, shirt (stuffed to fit) & rubber boots walked with a cane. He was priceless. The entire evening everyone was trying to figure out who he was. Al was getting so hot under the mask that he couldn't wait until the end of the evening to reveal who he was. The mask fit perfectly couldn't tell where the mast stopped and his skin started around the eyes.

In true tradition my girls are leaving it to the last possible minute to decide what to dress up as. This year they are completely on their own as I am out of town tomorrow - Wednesday & Thursday. I am sure they will come up with something good. A visit to Value Village and they will come home with a costume of some sort, retro and all. It seems weird to hear my girls say they want to dress like the 70's or 80's, especially since those the years that I grew up....I guess it reality it is no different than when I was their age I liked to dress like the 50's or 60's.

Its Been A While

It has been a while since my last post. I think it was just after my father passed away. So today I decided its time to start getting back into the groove of things. Enough of putting off till tomorrow what you can do today. So figured today was good as any day to get back to my blog.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We spent the weekend with friends in Flin Flon. The Korte's maybe our friends but they are more like family to us. It seemed like we barely arrived and we were leaving again. Time flys when you have fun.

Last weekend Al and I went to Regina for the SK Apprenticeship Board Awards Banquet. Al mentored one of the guys on his crew that received the award for the highest marks over all in his class. Al won this same award in 2003. So after the banquet we took the shuttle over to Casino Regina. Last time I was there was in 2003. Anyways I don't really play the casino games very much but that night plugged $20 into the slot machine and won $216.

Hard to believe that Friday is Halloween. Hopefully it won't be too cold for the Trick or Treater's this year.

Well that is all for today will be back tomorrow to write more.

Till then....God Bless

I Love You Dad

Since my last post so many things have changed in my life. Starting with the sudden passing of my dad on June 8th. I could hardly believe what I was hearing when my cousin came to tell me that my dad had passed away. One of my biggest fears had just came true. I wasn't ready for my dad to go, but are we ever ready to lose a loved one. Once I gathered myself, I had this tremendous feeling of peace come over me before I started to feel alone and lost in this world once more. My dad wasn't only my dad, he was my best friend. A day didn't go by that we didn't talk...I sure miss those conversations. Something will happen and I will say I have to remember to tell dad that when I call him.

My family has been awesome. My husband has helped me through this, we have leaned on each other every single day since. It still feels a bit like a dream but then I realize that I am not dreaming when I feel the tears well in my eyes.

With strength that I never knew I had helped me through the planning of the funeral, the phone calls that had to be made to family and friends. My faith helped me through this time as I know God and Jesus were with all the way and still are with me.

After my dad passed I prayed to God to let me know that my dad was safe in Heaven with my mom and that he was happy. The next morning I got the answer to my prayer when I phone my best friend in Flin Flon. Kim told me of the dream that she had of my dad on Sunday night, that he was in the most beautiful meadow you have seen. The wild flowers were absolutely breath taking and the smelt like non she has ever smelt before. My dad was walking hand in hand with a younger woman that Kim didn't recognize, they were laughing and talking and dad would stop to pick more flowers for this lady. Kim said he looked so happy. I asked him if this lady had dark hair and glasses which she said yes she did and she looked to be near 40 years old. I told Kim that was my mom that was with my dad. Kim told me after she arrived at our place that as my dad and this lady turned to walk back to where they came from with a basket full of flowers my dad stopped turned around and looked at her and told Kim, tell her I love her, then he smiled and winked as he walked away with my mom. Kim confirmed that it was my mom when she arrived on Wednesday when I showed her a picture of my mom. Kim's dream was the answer to my prayers.

Saying good bye to my dad was the hardest thing I had to do in a long time. I know we will meet again, I would have loved to have given him one more hug and told him once more that I loved him. That is one thing we always did was tell each love we loved them at the end of very visit or every phone conversation because you never know when the last time will be.

I am very grateful that my dad didn't suffer, he passed very quickly and painlessly and very peaceful.

Rest in Peace Dad, I Love You.

Heart Health

Since my dad took a TIA (Trans Ischemic Attack) aka Mini Stroke in December I have re-evaluated my lifestyle.

I always new that to be healthier I needed to loose weight but I had never done anything about...I guess you could say I was in denial. Well watching what happened to my dad scared me and really made me open my eyes and look at my own self and re-evaluate things.

I received an email this morning from Promise - Love Your Heart. There is some really good information on this site and the links provide information that I am finding useful. I have book marked this link and plan to look more closely at the information. One link that caught my mind was in on under the food guide area and it was about how to shop in the grocery store for your health. There are many other good articles on this site as well.

Follow the link below to

http://www.promisehealthyheart.com/

It seems more and more I hear of younger people having heart attackes and having serious heart problems. Take care of your heart, it is the only one you have.

Memories

I have received many pictures, stories, handmade gifts & cards over the years from my 3 children. I have saved many of these over the years and look back and remember the day Michael drew that dinosaur or the stained glass vase (tissue paper on a baby food jar) that Brittany made me for Mother's Day that still sits on my dresser or the card Meagan made me for my birthday. They all bring back many wonderful memories.

If you’re only giving your children cards and notes on “special” days and holidays, you’re missing out on a wonderful opportunity. On occasion I have wrote a letter to my children maybe to settle a disagreement that we had. Sometimes it is easier to explain what you mean on paper than in words. Other times it is just to tell them that I love them and treasure the times we have together. Sometimes it is a quick note to wish Meagan luck on an exam in school, or to tell Michael and Brittany to have a good day at work and of course the I Love You's.

I have many memories in my heart to draw on. I always enjoy going through the pictures that kids drew as they were growing up for the silly poems they wrote on the cards they carefully crafted for my birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas or just because.

Sometimes memories are all we have left....take the time to make them.

Love The One You're With

Today as I was heading towards the check out at WalMart a display of books caught my attention. One book more than the others seemed to stand out to me "Love The One You're With" by Emily Griffin. I am not exactly certain as to why it stood out so much to me. Maybe it had to do with a phone call from my youngest daughter, whose heart was hurting for reasons she couldn't quite explain. Of course it is boy troubles..... I read the jacket of the book quickly and set it back down as I am watching where I spend my money. For some reason the title of this book has been in the fore front of my thoughts since I walked away from the display of books.

As I thought about it I thought of questions that I could ask my daughter so she could think about things in her relationship with her boyfriend. Like can you truly love someone that makes you feel insecure more than secure, makes you scared to tell him what is really on your mind because you are afraid he will end the relationship. Do you love how he makes you feel? You see Meagan and her boyfriend broke up May 1st and were back together by the end of the May long weekend. They have gone from one extreme to spending too much time together to the other extreme of spending hardly any time together. She has to search her heart for what is right for her. It is always the hardest when it is your first love and you feel that you will never find another person to love or that will love you back.

This also got me to thinking about my relationship with my husband and how wonderful it is and how lucky I am that we found each other. I look forward to Friday nights when he is back home from work and dread Monday mornings as I know it won't see him again until Friday. We talk each night even if it is just to tell each other how much we love each other.

At once heartbreaking and funny, Love the One You’re With is a tale of lost loves and found fortunes—and will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered what if.

Have you ever wondered what if? I think most people have; but you can't live on what ifs you have to live with what you have and Love the One You're With.

God loves us. If we live in love, it serves as a sign that God lives in us.
We are capable of love only because God loved us first.

I John 4:16-19

Family Time

My weekend started out on a good note and ended the same way. Friday night around 7:30pm my son arrived at the Relay for Life. It was nice to see him....I gave him the biggest hug I could. Even though I miss him every day I am so very proud of him and happy for him.

Saturday Michael and his dad were out golfing until they got rained out on the 7th Hole. Even in the rain they had a great time together and both realized how much they miss each other even though they won't admit to it.

Sunday afternoon Michael and headed into PA. After my meeting we called my dad to invite him over for supper. He told me that he would pass as he was feeling tired....make a long story short, I put Michael on the phone and dad agreed to come for supper. Off to Safeway's to pick up steaks & corn on the cob. When we turned down the drive way both Michael and I start to laugh as my dad is already at my house waiting for us. We figured he knew Michael was home that as soon as he hung up the phone he grabbed his hat & car keys and was off to our house.

Michael and made an awesome supper enjoyed by all. BBQ'd steak - done to everyones liking, backed potato, ceasar salad, corn on the cob & ceasar salad. It was great for us to sit down to a wonderful supper as a family.

Family time is so very important. A time for us to share in each other's lives and build more memories to last a lifetime

I'm Tired

Well it was a long night but most enjoyable as always. As always the Prince Albert Relay for life is a big success.

The Luminary Ceremony is always an emotional time. Prime Ministers Park has the perfect setting for lighting of the "HOPE" candles, on the side of the hill with a row of spruce trees across the top and the Pipe Band standing just in front of the trees...truly a sight that takes my breath away each year. It is during this time that I think about the loved ones that have battled Cancer and lost; those that have battled and won and those currently battling Cancer. I don't know anyone that hasn't been touched by this dreadful disease in one way or another.

I will post photos & more information from the relay later, for now I am off to get some much needed sleep. zzzzz zzzzzzzzzzz

“ Victory is sweetest when you have known defeat."

A Walking We Go

Tonight is the start of the Canadian Cancer Society 12 hr Relay for Life event here in PA. Along with many other towns & cities in Saskatchewan there will be Cancer Survivors walking in the Ceremonial Start with the first lap of the relay and many team members walking through out the night. To see the sea of yellow t-shirts is amazing and so inspiring, they tell us year after year that we give them inspiration and we tell them the same thing...it does my heart good to know that we have as much impact on the Survivors as we have on them.

So with lots of water, some healthy munchies and a couple of Red Bulls I am set for the night. I am hoping to stay awake the entire night which will be a feat in itself as last night was a late night and I was awake at 5am so yep its going to be a long night.

Each year I dedicate my walk to my Mom, Uncle Ralph, my best friend Cheryl Thompson and this year I am adding my Aunt Helen who is currently battling cancer.

Ah-Ha Moments

It is amazing how one's self confidence rises as good things happen in ones life.

I had heard many people say that as they gained weight their confidence levels dropped and that when they started losing weight their confidence levels rose. I had my confidence Ah-ha moment last week. I have noticed that as I am shedding the pounds and inches my confidence is rising. I never really thought that my confidence was low but now as I think back to situations I realize it was. I attended a department wide meeting for work. When we arrived I found that we actually had to draw a number out of the hat to see which table we would be sitting at, already I didn't like it. I hate having assigned tables, it takes one out of their comfort zone and makes them vulnerable. So I drew Table 10, I was the first one to the table so I was able to take my pick of chairs. I sat their for a moment and thought to myself what am I doing, get up off your butt and go mingle. Before I would have stayed in my seat and waited for someone to come talk to me. It was at this moment that I had my Ah-ha moment and realized that my self confidence was rising. Then I asked myself what is different from this time to the last time you were in this situation. It was my weight that was different. Now I have lost 50 lbs or more but I have lost more than 20 lbs and more than 5 1/2 inches ( I haven't taken my measurements in over a month) but I am loosing weight and feel great. I am wearing clothes that I haven't worn in 5 years and clothes that I have been wearing that were on the tight side are now fitting better.

I have had a few Ah-Ha Moments since I decided to change my lifestyle for the better. Some of these moments come when I realize that eating breakfast everyday helps stay full through out the entire day day, not just the morning or being able to walk 5 km without pain and feeling like you could go again.

I especially like the looks I get from friends that haven't seen in months and notice that I have lost weight and say WOW you look good. I know that I am doing something right and I feel great about it.

When my husband told me he could tell I am loosing weight, I asked him how he said because I feel skinnier when he hugs me. That was such an awesome feeling to know that there is less of me now when he hugs me. I can feel it too, I do feel skinnier than I did last month and I look forward to feeling skinnier yet over the coming months.

Grocery shopping is a whole different experience now as well. I am reading labels and comparing the foods to get the healthiest choice possible. Part of my lifestyle change it wanting to have a garden so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor this fall when it comes time to harvest the garden. I want to can relish and freeze some produce for the winter and have potatoes till maybe Christmas time that come from our garden.

I am sure that I will have these Ah-Ha Moment as I continue on my lifestyle change that isn't only good for me and also for my family. Choosing to live healthier is my choice and I am glad that I made it.

Saving Memories

Today I stumbled across a box that my daughter Meagan made me many years ago for Mother's Day. I have never forgot about the box but rarely do I pull it out and look through it usually a couple of times a year. Meagan used an old Japanese orange box covered it with paper then drew different things on the box. I saved many different things in this box from pictures that my kids drew, various cards from them and my husband, notes from my kids and even the odd piece of art that they created for me. It didn't take long and this box was full so I created another one with the help of both Brittany and Meagan using an old shoe box, tissue paper and pictures from a porcelain doll magazine. Now this box is nearly full that I am thinking it is time to make another "Memory Box". Well this got me to thinking of a painting class that I wasn't able to attend. The class was painting the lid of this nice wooden box that would be perfect to keep letters and cards in. The quote on the top of the box was from Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Now I am searching the Internet for quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder, so I can paint a similar box to keep those special letters and cards in as I am in need of another memory box.

"It is the sweet, simple

things of life which are the

real ones after all."

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Society

Society is always changing. Every time we turn around something has changed. I look at what it is like for my kids growing up in today's society and think about what it was like when I was growing up. There are some similarities but things have changed drastically from when I was their age. Girls now a days are downright mean and nasty. I remember we could be mean but to the lengths that these girls of today. You also stood by your friend, you never left you in a alley to defend yourself when someone was going to attack you then say they were worried about you, that is not a friend. This happened to my daughter on Friday night and now this girl is trying to say I was so worried about her, give me a break worried. Friends don't leave friends in a time like that, they at least call 911 for help. To make the matters worse my daughter was jumped because of this so called friend who got this other girl to come after my daughter. We wonder why our kids don't trust others.....this is a perfect example of how you can't even trust those that call themselves your friend.

The youth of today know that they can really push the limits and the most they might get is community service or don't do this again. We have created the society that our children live in and we have created this mess. Our schools have banned the Lord's Prayer because it is disrespectful to the non Christian children. When I was in school if you weren't a Christian you stood outside the class room while the rest of us said the Lord's Prayer. You're no longer allowed to use the strap in the school system, no no they suspend the kids from school for a day or two, all we are teaching our kids with that punishment is if you misbehave bad enough you can have a day off school maybe more depending on what you do. We ask why so many kids have gone bad, in and out of the justice system they way they are...I think if we just looked back and seen how we made it possible for them to turn out they way they have we'd realize that we helped contribute to the problems.

I am glad the my girls are nearly done the teen years.

Time

These last few days it seems as if there just isn't enough time in a day to get everything done. I have been so busy at work, believe me it will be a while before I complain about not being busy at the office. Some days 5:oo pm hits and it feels more like lunch time.

Two minutes always seems like so little time except when you have to wait to do something. Last night while I was getting my nails done I had to pee, well that was the longest two minutes I have spent in a really long time. I realized that it us that make it seem like time goes by so fast. We busy our selves with this and that and before we know the day, week even the month has flown by.

Yes time goes by with or without us. Make the best of it as once that time has gone by it is gone for ever.

Serenity

Last night I attended an Al-Anon meeting with my Aunt Mavis. I remember when I was about 10 years old I spent my summers in Vernon BC with my Aunt Mavis and her family. Each week while my aunt attended her Al-Anon meeting my cousins and I would attend the Al-a-Teen meetings. It was that summer that I learnt the Serenity Prayer and have used it for many different situations in my life over the years. I enjoyed the meeting and learn more about myself in that 1 hour at the meeting than I thought I would.

God Grant Me the Serenity
To Accept the Things I can not change
The Courage to Change the Things I can
And the Wisdom to know the difference

The theme was Gratitude which led into being grateful. A reading from a book sparked the theme and made me think deep inside the many different things that I have to be thankful for and grateful for these things as well. This sort of leads back to what I said yesterday about making a new memory each day.

My aunt talked about a list of things she was grateful for, this got me to thinking and starting my own Grateful List in my mind. The more things I thought of the more I realized that there is so many things to be grateful for in life. Sometimes we tend to forget about the things we are grateful for.

Later that night at home as I thought about the many things that I am grateful for; I thought to myself it is time to put these down on paper as a way to appreciate the gifts that God gives us. These gifts enrich our lives in so many ways, sometimes without us even realizing it.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3, 5-6

Last Time

This afternoon I was reminded how quickly life can change. I attended the funeral of a friend and co-worker whom I had seen for the last time on Monday May 5th. Had I known that I would never had the opportunity to see or say hello to Les again, would I have acted any different on our last encounter. Probably I would have. I might have spent more time talking about how he is doing or asked him about his grandchildren and things like that. But we don't know that each time we see our friends and family if it will be the last time we will have with them or not.

I am reminded of what my grandmother used to say to me, don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. I tell my husband every day that I love him. I also tell my children and my dad that I love them as well. It gives me comfort in knowing that they know how much they mean to me.

Yesterday I promised myself to try and make a new memory everyday not just for myself but for others as well. Yes our lives can change as quick as a wink. Don't miss out on the opportunities of today to enrich your life or that of someone elses.

Nature, Beauty & Reminiscing

Today being my EDO from work my Aunt Mavis and I were able to enjoy another walk together. This morning we walked 5.20 km = 3.23 miles. It is so nice to be able to appreciate the beauty of the world around us. While we were walking we watched a Coyote way out in the pasture walking and looking for food. As we were watching him he spotted us and stopped in tracks and watched us continue our walk. Soon he was off and running to the north.

My two dogs, Timon & Rocco accompanied us on our journey. Timon went for a swim chasing after a muskrat, which was much faster than he was. I wish I had brought my camera along this morning, watching Timon chase after that muskrat was funny....would have made a great video for "America's Funniest Home Videos". Watching him jump in the air and come down with a big splash....a memory I will carry with me forever. He chased after the Mud Hens and the Ducks more so in play than anything. Rocco on the other had was at the end of his leash, jumping wanting to join his pal in the water. I am going to have to make it a habit to carry my camera while I am out on a walk, you never know what you might see.

Aunt Mavis and I reminisced about my Grandma Gardner and her love for ducks. To this day I think of my Grandma every time I a duck, how she loved ducks. Growing up I remember the many pictures of ducks we had on the wall or the figurines that grandma had collected over the years, I still a few of them. My favorite tea cup is one that my grandma used every day, a stone wear mug with a duck painted on the front. Every time I have a cup of tea I think of my grandma and remember her with fond memories.

We enjoyed the beauty of nature and listened to the choir of frogs that silenced as we approached the pond or the call of the ducks to others across the pond. The many different tracks we seen on the road this morning from different birds, animals and even caterpillars.

How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24

Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day

Today we celebrate our "Mothers". Many have traditions that they follow year after year, others decide from year to year what to do. Never the less this is the day for us to celebrate our mothers & grandmothers.

This year I started the day off walking with my Aunt Mavis. We walked 4.6 km about 2.8 miles. It was a really nice way to start my day. We took our time enjoying the beauty that God has given us in Nature. We checked out the different tracks that we found down the drive way like those from deer as they crossed from the hay field over to the pasture or those of a muskrat or those of the different birds such as geese and cranes.

So many times when I am either driving to work or going for a walk I see something and think, I wish I had brought my camera with me, so this time I did.

We decided to walk along in the ditch and see what we could see. We found some Crocus' in bloom. These are certainly a sign of spring. When I was a young girl every spring I used to ride my bike down the road to pick a small bouquet of Crocus' for my Grandma. Crocus' were always one of grandma's favorite wild flowers. So today instead of picking the Crocus' I took pictures of them. They are such a beautiful flower, we can only appreciate them for such a short time before they are gone for the year.


It was nice to be able to have that time with my aunt to reminisce about the past and talk about what has been happening in our lives the last couple of years and where we headed in the future.

When we arrived back home my dear husband had coffee on and omelets on the go for our Mother's Day Brunch. This was Al's Mother's Day Gift to us....

Another pictures of Crocus' that I took while on our walk this morning.