Good Morning ALL! How are you on this Thursday? I am well. Receiving great report about my boy. Missing him but glad he is doing well. Still dark as night outside. We are nearing the shortest day of the year.
Are you ready for Christmas? Do you bake? Do you entertain? Do you wrap gifts in paper, bags or something else? What special dishes do you make during the holidays? Are you having a big crowd for Christmas? Do you put up an artificial tree or a real tree?
I am ready for Christmas. Shopping done and most wrapping done except for a few items that have yet to be delivered, Christmas cards mailed and still have a few to hand deliver and that will be on Sunday, house and tree are decorated (I keep fussing with the tree, looking for perfection, lol. Yes, I bake every year. This year I made Sugar Cookies and iced them, Chocolate Fudge and Chocolate Chip Cookies. I will make some Mincemeat Tarts for Christmas, as well. Yes, a bit although this year I am hosting more (which is lovely). My daughter, son-in-law and pups mostly come here for Christmas although I have gone to their home a few times over the year. Sometimes good for a change. I wrap gifts in paper, bags and sometimes use brown paper, Christmas towels, and sometimes put a gift within a gift. I started making this Hot Cheese Dip for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as an appetizer. I like to make some different twists on the traditional Christmas Dinner meal. Like chicken instead of turkey and one year we had tofurkey. Homemade cranberries instead of out of a can. Garlic whipped potatoes instead of just whipped potatoes. This year we are having Chinese Food instead of the usual. My friend Lucy gave me some Chinese Dumplings that she made so I froze them to have at Christmas. Christmas is usually me, Amanda, Steven and the pups, Alvin, Aspen and MiMi. This year we may have a couple of friends. We also leave an open invitation to anyone who does not have a place to go to for Christmas. The thought of someone alone makes me sad. I am having what I call a big crowd this weekend for a Christmas party, the second weekend in a row for parties. YAY, me. I have been putting up an artificial tree as I had a tree lose all of its’ needles. But I used to put up real trees. I love the smell of a real tree.
So there are my answers to my questions. I hope that you have fun thinking about your answers.
Countdown to Christmas: OMG only “9” sleeps until Christmas Eve.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
Good Morning All! How are you this Wednesday morning? I am grateful to be working from home today. We had a small amount of snow last night, actually I think before I went to bed. So the once cleared sidewalk now has a light sheet not even a blanket covering.
Last night right after I arrived home from work, I set my backpack and work things inside the house, locked the house and then carried on for a walk. It was so nice last night that I thought it would be a great idea to get out for some fresh air and exercise. On the way home, I stopped by the mailbox and picked up the mail. Inside were some Christmas cards from family and friends. I was doing an internal happy dance as I love to receive Christmas cards in the mail. I love to receive them period but most especially in the mail. Once inside the house, I took off my boots, set down the mail and carried on to the garage where I brought in the garbage bin as yesterday was trash pickup. Back in the house, I had a few things to do before supper so got them out of the way. Then supper (leftovers from Saturday’s Christmas party) went into the oven to warm. Once supper was done, I sat down on the sofa and munched away at my delicious supper. Missing my boy thought, it is way too quiet in the house and I have no one to snuggle with and not having him to go to bed with or to wake up to, seems very odd. My daughter sends pictures and videos often and he is definitely thriving in his new temporary surroundings. I think he is loving having two friends (Aspen and Milo) with him all the time and of course, his sister and brother-in-law. No stairs. New toys. Someone home all of the time. Good setup. One more week from Saturday and he will be back home. It was a good idea as I believe that we both needed a break but I will be SO EXCITED to have him home.
After supper, I did the dishes and turned on the dishwasher to wash the load that had been accumulating over the past couple of days. Then I just relaxed and watched some t.v. Quiet evening.
Countdown to Christmas: 10 days until Christmas Eve (and Alvin comes home with Aspen and Milo while the kids go to St. Albert for Steven’s family’s Christmas.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
Good Morning ALL! How are you on this Tuesday morning? I am doing well. Perhaps a bit tired as I seemed to toss and turn a bit last night. Went to bed a bit later than usual which seems to be a trend as of late. My friends Pauline and Lucy came over for a visit. Pauline brought some of her Christmas baking treats and Lucy made some Chinese Dumplings. I asked if I could freeze everything and they said yes. I thought Lucy’s Chinese Dumplings would fit into our Christmas Menu perfectly. YAY. We drank teas and they tasted some of my Christmas baking. Laughed, oh how we laughed. So much fun, these two wonderful friends. We exchanged gifts as well. Quite unplanned. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends. My friend Lucy is Chinese and last night we were talking about language as she learns something about the English language everyday. We decided that we will help each other. She is going to teach us some Chinese. I cannot wait. Always loved the Chinese language(s) and culture. Will be so much fun. Lucy says when she does go home she finds that her “mouth always hurts” and that is the different way we use our mouth in conversation. We are practicing to say her name properly as her name was changed when she came to Canada to make it easier for everyone. I cannot imagine having to change my name. We had a great visit. Thank you ladies.
Looks like another cold day ahead. Not much good for walking. I believe after today, it will warm for a few days before we head into another deep freeze. Hopefully by Christmas the weather is good for people to travel and for everyone to go outside and get some fresh air and walk. That means me.
I am mentally and physically preparing for the office Christmas party at my house this Saturday. By mentally – just wanting to ensure that I do not forget to do anything. Making sure I have enough seating, food and all of that. We will have a great time. Two out of three Christmas “parties” are already out from under the TREE. One more to go and then of course Christmas.
Countdown to Christmas: 11 sleeps till Christmas Eve.
Time to head downstairs. I have to grab something to take for my late coffee break snack as I only eat once before supper. I have leftovers for tonight so that is good. I should likely go and check the mailbox and deliver the last handful of cards tonight.
Have a wonderful day!
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
Always, Carol & Alvin
P.S. one of the gifts that I received from Pauline was the card game that we played at the “fish fry.” I cannot wait to play it with the kids. To the office, I go today.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this Monday morning? I am doing well. Had a pretty fair sleep. Up early as it is go to the office day. Oh, how I miss working from home 98% of the time. So much easier and so much more productive. I find the office one massive distraction although I do enjoy seeing my coworkers. Anyway!
Countdown to Christmas: today is December 12th so that leaves 12 sleeps till Christmas Eve.
Do you remember when you were a child and dreamt of seeing Santa and all of the presents under the tree? I will admit most Christmas it was a major disappointment but I still kept dreaming. Even through the disappointment I knew that I was luckier than so many other children. My comparison was the Children’s Orphanage that was in a small town in our area. I think that it was the thought of those children and the possibility of being one of them that kept me focused on the positive and kept me dreaming. Anyone that thinks children do not realize or know what is going on, think again, as you are sadly mistaken. We know.
Yesterday I got the shovelling done, finished up the laundry, put away the clothes that were air drying, washed my SHARK vacuum (as you are supposed to wash it out after each use), tidied up, went through my office desk drawer and sorted through and organized the papers and a few odds and ends. Pretty much a quiet, quiet day. I do miss my Alvin. This week and then one more week till Christmas. It will be a homecoming like no other. Cannot wait. He has slept through the night for three or four days now. Wow, that would be nice to continue but I get up sometimes so it would be okay.
So it is Monday! Yup it is Monday………what can I say? I would not say that it was my favourite day of the week and I would not say it was my least favourite. It is the beginning of the work week for me. I know that this is not the case for everyone!
Okay to explain this photo. On our way home from work on Friday, we happen to see waiting at the lights beside us, a cat in the passenger seat of the vehicle next to us. Have you ever seen a cat not in it’s carrier? I have not. The cat was looking out of the window and at times was meowing. I think this was the start to a great weekend. Just a guy and his cat!!
I had almost forgot about this until I was looking through some photos that I uploaded/downloaded yesterday. A good memory.
I am going to wear my new scarf to work today. So excited. It is so warm and comfy. I may even wear it while I am working because sometimes our office is cool. Thank you G.
Time to head back downstairs, whoops that was a slip. I have not been downstairs since I went to bed. Funny how your mind works. Oh Mr. Alvin! The Momma misses her boy and cannot wait until Christmas.
Have a great Monday!
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
Good Morning ALL! What a beautiful morning! The sky is blue with hints of orange on the horizon as the sun rises on this Sunday morning. How are you doing? Considering I was up until after 2:00 a.m., I am doing well. Likely the energy will dissipate over the course of the day as I usually go to bed just after 9:00 with lights out no later than 10:00 p.m.
Two of my friends Gillian & Signe came over and we celebrated our Annual Christmas Party, I cannot even tell you which number this is. I would have to look back on photos but we have been doing this for years not long after I arrived here in Edmonton. These girls are amazing and I love them dearly. They are about my daughter’s age and give me a modern outlook on life. I do not feel 65. Also last night at some point before the girls left we got a fresh blanket of snow and when I looked out of the window a few minutes ago – there it was – waiting to be shovelled. So once I get downstairs and put on the coffee and before I do some more laundry (bedding), I will run out and shovel. I guess I figured the Christmas Shoveling Angel would have magically swept it up, lol. We had such a great time last night. We chatted about everything from A to Z and everything in between. Everyone brought appetizers to contribute to the potluck and we had so much food. Enough for 10 not 3. Lots of leftovers. Everyone got great gifts. All things that we can use. We were all happy to revel in each other’s company and the gifts were an extra special touch.
I am going to cut this short this morning as I want to get laundry done, bring up the dried clothes and do the shoveling. This will be a day to relax as I have an even bigger party coming up next Saturday and then of course, I work all this week. Starting the week off at the office.
Perhaps free air will do me some good. Nice to see the sunshine or at least a clear sky. Have an awesome Sunday. Take some time just for you. I might go out for a walk as I have not had a “real” walk since Alvin went to Amanda’s a week ago yesterday. I do miss him but he is doing so well out there, it has been worth my missing him.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
PS: whoops had to edit my post as I forgot the countdown to Christmas – for this Sunday, December 11th, 2022 there are 13 sleeps left until Christmas Eve.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? I am doing well. Had a great long sleep. As I look out of the office window the sky is grey and I almost think that I can see the trees swaying ever so lightly back and forth. Today is Saturday. The weekend has begun. I am so grateful for the weekends. Time to relax, readjust, clean the house and do all those things we do on our days off from work. Almost forgot that there is some shoveling that needs to be done. I can see the deck has snow from a few days ago and I imagine the same could be same for the driveway. So shoveling is in my near future. In fact, I might get that done in the next little bit. Tonight my friends Gillian & Signe are coming over for our Annual Christmas party. I cannot wait. We will have a multitude of appetizers, sweet treats and different kinds of drinks. We girls laugh, sometimes “cry” but above all we treasure our time together. They are such good friends and I love spending time with them.
I have some things to get ready for the party. Food wise. There would be some vacuuming in my near future, washing of the floors, some dusting, cleaning the bathrooms. Odds and ends. Make sure that the house looks perfect for my company.
My daughter dropped by last night on her way home to pick up some things. I also made sure that she tooks some Christmas baking. We had a nice visit. Alvin seems to be settling in well as yesterday morning for the second day in a row he slept through the night. In fact, everyone else in the house was up yesterday except for Alvin which had an immediate concern for them. Amanda carefully went over to ensure he was breathing and he woke up. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. Two weeks till Christmas and the boy comes home. I do miss him but I also realize that it is good for both of us to have some time apart. This is the first time in years and never for this amount of time.
Countdown to Christmas: 14 sleeps till Christmas Eve. Time is flying.
Yesterday we had a Secret Santa & Christmas party at work for our immediate three departments. There are 17 of us in total. Everyone brought something whether appetizers or sweet treats. So good. Then we opened gifts. I became the photographer of the event as I happen to have my phone out. There were giggles along the way and deep roars of laughter. During the gift opening people started to throw down the tissue paper as most gifts were in gift bags and I made a comment about recycling the tissue paper and of course the bags. We had some fun with the tissue paper. Some people folded it up and gave it to me. I found that another coworker also reuses the paper so we shared the excess tissue paper. Everyone was happy with their gifts. We had a fun couple of hours. Then back to work (some of us). Always hard for people to settle down after they had a big lunch and gifts. Then it was time to go home and start this weekend. I almost forgot our Manager had this gift exchange where she had wrapped as many gifts as there were people in the group and had a bucket of numbers for everyone to draw one. The person with no.1 got to pick any of the gifts and then went from there no. 2 and so on. If you did not wanted to “steal” the gift from the previous person you could and then you chose a gift for that person and so on. The first person got to choose from all of the gifts or one of the remaining ones. It was great fun.
Okay time to get downstairs and get this day hopping. Lots to do before tonight. I need coffee.
Have an awesome Saturday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Did you sleep well? I had a pretty decent sleep. Since Alvin’s departure to this sister’s house, I find myself taking longer to actually fall asleep. I suppose when the body next to you is clearly relaxed and “lightly snoring” – it cues you to do the same. I miss the little guy so much but on the other hand it has been great being “single.” I have made that reference a few times in the last couple of days because being alone feels like being single again. He kept me in a routine of sorts, his but still a routine. Tomorrow is one week since he went to stay with his sister and in two weeks he will be back home. My daughter shared that the night before last he slept through the night. No middle of the night getting up to go outside. Wow, he almost never does that. I am happy that he is settling in with them and is comfortable and not anxiety ridden as I felt/feel guilty enough with him not being at home.
I am glad that today marks the end of the week. We are having a Secret Santa and little Christmas party with our group which takes in three small departments totalling 17 staff including a Manager and Supervisor. It will be a nice break on a Friday. I made up individual packages for each person of chocolate chip cookies. That way everyone can just take a package and we do not have to put our fingers on them. With all of the “bugs” going around – better to be safe than sorry.
Countdown to Christmas Eve: with today being December 9th there are only 15 sleeps remaining.
I love the photos that come up on my computer screen each morning. What a wonderful reminder of where I have been and where I am now with thoughts of where I may be in the future. I absolutely love the photos of me and my siblings. They seem to rotate a lot so I take that as a reminder from the Universe that I should reach out to them. It can be a simple text or a phone call or even an email. Just reaching out. They are the ones outside of your parents that know you the longest and usually the best. Siblings. There are only four of us now – we started out with five. We have an angel watching over us each and everyday. I can feel him around him. He was so charming and loveable. I just spoke to my youngest brother a few days ago which reminds me to reach out to my other brother and my darling sister. Oh, when I see those photos, I think of way back then. A simpler time not always easier. To my sister, if you are reading this, I love you and miss you so much. To my brothers, well I love you both very much and miss you as much. Family.
Well looks like the clock is counting down and I still have to pack the Secret Santa gift, a small gift for my Manager (and friend) and the big container of cookies.
Have an awesome day, it is Friday. YAY.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
Always, Carol & Alvin
PS: Grateful for the reprieve from winter temperatures.
Good Morning All! How are you doing this morning? I am doing great. Happy that today is Thursday and almost the weekend. Countdown to Christmas: we are at 16 days to Christmas Eve. I am so excited as this Saturday is my “friends” Christmas party. Well two friends. My dear young friends. I think it is a good idea to have friends of all ages. If you should be so lucky and I am. I love all of my friends. I have girl friends, boy friends, young friends, old friends, four legged and three legged friends, friends of all nationalities and backgrounds. A very diverse group. I grow from every moment that I spend with each of them. Every day I say to the Universe “how grateful I am for all my friends.”
My eye appointment went well. My Doctor said that I have very healthy eyes. Did you know that every person in their lifetime will get cataracts? I had no idea. The average age is 74. I learn so much from my eye Doctor. He is so interesting. I learned about eye pressure. Did you know that coffee can affect your eye pressure? Not me. Anyway, it was a good appointment and that is all that matters. I was very early to the appointment so while waiting I checked out the displays of frames and was immediately drawn to this red patterned pair. Subtle but not! One of the staff came over and even took pictures for me so that I could send to my daughter and one of my friends. My daughter was busy and did not get back to me right away but my friend was able to, so next frames are a red design. They are so cool. Likely the coolest pair that I have ever owned. Unfortunately because of the way the last appointment went two years ago, I have to wait until December 28, 2022 before ordering them. Waiting is good in this case as then my coverage from my employment eye plan will cover a portion of the almost $1000.00 bill. Yes, for one pair of progressive lens with a nice frame and sunglass clips. They are worth it. The glasses were over $850.00 and the clips were about $130.00 or so, I think. On the upside my eye exam is covered by the Alberta Government Health Care system. Whoot Whoot! I paid $25.00 for an extra exam which I also get. It will be covered by my Health Spending Account as will the rest of my glasses costs. Don’t feel bad for me. I am covered. So grateful for our great benefits.
Well time is slipping away. First time at the office with Alvin not being at home. Feels strange. I am sleeping better which is a good thing.
Last night I packed up cookies, fudge, and Christmas cards making several deliveries to friends in the neighbourhood. So much fun. It was so beautiful out. What a change from Tuesday. I walked over to the vet and dropped off some treats and cards to Dr. Karen and the staff and picked up some supplies for Alvin. His sister is stopping by tonight on her way home to pick them up. I overdressed for the walk as I was very warm when I arrived at my eye appointment, lol.
Have an awesome day.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus possibilities and coffee.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this Wednesday morning? I am doing well. Happy to report that Alvin is settling in well with my daughter and her family. Countdown today is December 7, 2022 with 17 sleeps till Christmas Eve. Have you mailed Christmas cards? Do you mail cards? Contrary to popular belief “people” do love to receive something personalized in the mail other than a bill. Perhaps you have an elderly Aunt and Uncle who live hundreds of miles away. Send them a card and some photos. Nothing says “we are thinking of you” than a lovely card and some pictures. I love receiving cards in the mail. I think that I forgot to mention that I have received three beautiful Christmas cards. One from a friend and her family that live in Quebec, Canada, another from long time friends near Regina, Saskatchewan and the third from other long time friends about two hours outside of Edmonton. I am grateful that they took the time to send cards, letters, notes and photos. So grateful.
This morning is my eye appointment. Appears that it has started to warm up temperature wise overnight which is good because I am walking. Also with the warm up came some snow. My daughter texted me a few minutes ago to let me know that she will not be coming into the city for work this morning but will be working from home. The roads are extremely icy. I am debating whether or not I will need my ice picks on my boots. If the snow is sticky it will provide traction but might be a good idea to wear them all the same. I can always take them off if I do not need them.
Yesterday at my lunch break I slipped over to my neighbours to pick up a couple of baskets for gift wrapping. I had a quick coffee and visit. Then back outside into the cold. It was so cold yesterday. Always great to have a visit and coffee with a friend. Thanks Gillian. After work and supper, I wrapped the gifts in a basket. To be honest it did not quite turn out the way that I had imagine it but rather looks like a large wrapped hard candy. You know the ones, lol. Anyway, it fit nicely under the tree and perhaps the other way it would not. I am officially done. Done. Done. Done. YAY, me and today is December 7, 2022.
Well I suppose it is time to head downstairs. Did I mention yesterday that I figured out why my sleep is not the best? I do miss Alvin but usually we are up and downstairs to the sofa anytime between 3-430 a.m. so we never spend the whole night in the bed. I guess my bed is not quite as comfortable as I once thought. The sofa however is very comfortable. Perhaps I should set the alarm for 430 and then head downstairs to the sofa! Food for thought. Although last night the quality of sleep did improve. All in the life of ……
Time to go and make coffee. Turn on the Christmas tree lights and check out the weather forecast.
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee. Thank goodness for coffee.
Good Morning ALL! It is bitterly outside here in Edmonton and surrounding areas this Tuesday morning. Without the windchill minus 30 degrees celsius. Thankfully it will warm up tonight and be single digit minus temperatures tomorrow. I hope this finds you doing well. I am good. Feels so strange being alone in the house without Alvin. He is doing well at my daughter’s house.
Today December 6th is the birthday of my cousin Janice. Happy Birthday dear cousin. Wishing you a wonderful day.
Countdown to Christmas Eve is “18” sleeps – under the three week timeframe.
I am pretty much ready for Christmas as far as Christmas tree up, house decorated, baking done and gifts wrapped. Most of the gifts that is – couple things to arrive. All in all, ready. I will need to go to the grocery store a couple of time before Christmas for those last minute items. Anything that I could store for a long period of time – has already been purchased.
Back to work this morning. Working from home today and tomorrow and then to the office for Thursday and Friday.
I sure could have stayed under the blankets this morning. Might have something to do with the frigid temperatures outside. So grateful to be able to work from home today.
Tomorrow I have an appointment to get my eyes tested and pick out new glasses. I always look forward to getting a new pair of frames. Would be nice if they had a sale and I could pick up two pair. I have to decide about what to do about “sunglasses.” Clips or sunglasses or transitions. Will see tomorrow.
Well time to head downstairs and put on the coffee. I am ahead of schedule this morning but if I had to go to the office I would be running a tad late. Will have to get up a bit earlier on Thursday and Friday. Just because Alvin is not here – I do not need to be lazy, lol. Sure miss the little guy.
Continuing to live with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
My New Life @ 51 