Last Half 2022 – December

I thought this morning that we would go back in time, to this day which happened to also be a Friday, December 23 but it is the year 2011.

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Good Friday Morning …… Happy December 23rd, 2011.

Well this is it ….. only one more day till Christmas Eve, and then the big day.

I want to wish to each and everyone the most glorious Christmas.

May your days be filled with perfect health, great joy, much love and laughter, wealth and abundance.

This is my last blog until after Christmas.

My wish is that Santa brings you that special item but most of all I wish that your Christmas is filled with overflowing and abundant  “LOVE.”

That is the most important thing of all ….. to love yourself, to give love and be loved….

Merry Christmas my friends.

Special Hello:  to you ALL …. Merry Christmas….

Always, Carol and Alvin, too…….

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My thoughts and wishes are the same as these, many years ago, that your Christmas is filled with love.

Another brisk morning but it is warming up.

Countdown to Christmas: ONE sleep till Christmas EVE and Alvin comes home with Aspen, Milo, Amanda and Steven. I am over the moon excited. We will once again all be under the same roof.

I will be posting tomorrow on Christmas EVE.

So grateful for second day working from home this week. We are finished work at noon and that is great. I have laundry to do, Mincemeat tarts to bake, bit of cleaning to do and then it will be Christmas.

YAY.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Last Half 2022 – December

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? I am doing well. When I looked out of the bedroom window I saw more snow so there will be more shovelling in my future. The sky is grey so more snow. I was pretty sure that the temperatures were getting colder so not sure why the snow but not much one can do about this situation. Mother Nature does what Mother Nature does in the winter on the prairies in Canada. Happy December! I am grateful that today is Sunday and that I do not have much on my plate today except putting my winter coats back in the downstairs front entranceway closet and emptying the dishwasher. Oh, and shovelling! I have done lots of cleaning last weekend and on Friday and earlier on Saturday preparing for Christmas parties each weekend.

Last night was so much fun. There were five of us in total. Two ladies cancelled at the last minute. That did not stop us from having a great time. We laughed, we “cried”, we ATE (oh my goodness did we eat), drank and spoke about our ups and downs, some about work. I was actually surprised that we held off talking about the “W” word for most of the evening and then we had a good chat. We were all feeling the same as we shared our anxieties and all of that. Next time I ask people to come over – I will not ask them to bring food as I made enough for about 20 people. We laughed about that …..

Well, I am keeping this short as I just want to have a lazy day and I want to get that started now. In fact, I am going to stay in my pj’s for awhile until I go out to shovel, might as well wait until the snow stops.

Tomorrow is back to the office. I was thinking last night and shared, “Wouldn’t it be great if our employer decided to change our “schedule for back to the office” down to one or two days per week. Dependant on whether or not your job required you to actually be in the office” What a morale booster that would be right before Christmas.” A girl can only hope. Maybe changing my thoughts will change the outcome. Oh that would be so nice. Fingers crossed. Changing my thoughts to change things!

Have an awesome Sunday. Coffee here I come.

Countdown to Christmas: only 6 sleeps until Christmas Eve. Only 6 sleeps until ALVIN comes home. I cannot wait to see him, Aspen, Milo, Amanda and Steven. YAY. Happy Christmas to me!

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. last night was a reminder, if you are feeling something, it is very likely that others feel the same way! Always reach out and know you are never alone.

Last Half 2022 – December

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.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Alvin Charlie Lewis

Last Half 2022 – December

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.

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: off to the office …… lol

Almost Christmas 2020

Good Morning ALL. Well we did it, only one sleep to go until Christmas Eve Day. I am so excited. The plan is on for my kids to come for Christmas. There was a possibility that they may not but it has been confirmed they are coming. Alvin and I are over the moon. Our pod will grow by four, my daughter, son-in-law and the grandpups Aspen and Milo. We are happy. Today is my late start and I am happy to report that the two of us that are not on vacation have managed to keep the mail current to this point and hopefully the phones will remain quiet today so that we are able to do this for our coworkers. What a great Christmas gift that would be. I am hopeful. Also today Alvin’s BF Teddy and his little sister Kobi are coming to spend the day. I told Alvin last night and I would like to think he understood that they were coming this morning. He will be over the moon to have one last visit with his buddies before Christmas break. Christmas break will be quiet as we will remain on strict restrictions. The only visitors in the house we are allowed will be our POD which is my daughter, son-in-law and grandpups. I am pleased that we are allowed to have someone although I have said this before – I would be okay with just Alvin for some time. If that time alone meant that the virus would disappear hopefully forever. We would still see people when they dropped off food and stuff and can always video chat. There are ways not to be completely alone if you choose. Back to Christmas. Are you ready? Food in the fridge and pantry? Baking done? Gifts wrapped? Movies selected and games? I am quite certain that you are. I am except for changing the bedding on our bed as the kids will have the master bedroom, changing out the towels with Christmas towels in all three bathrooms, one last clean of the bathrooms and then prepare the food for us to snack on tomorrow night. Well less than one hour before the pups arrive. I need a cup of coffee. We went for a walk but only went just inside the park yesterday as the wind was cold. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be warm, I believe. We won’t get out today as the pups will be here and I cannot walk all three at the same time and I am not sure that I want to leave anyone behind while I walk the others separately (gifts under the tree). But we will get exercise with the pups here anyway. I work until 7:00 p.m. tonight. Last night I made a pan of chili not a big pot. It was delightful. Just scaled it back. I wanted to mention that I noticed the number of “followers” is now over 900. So exciting. Maybe by the 2021 I will have 1000 people reading or at least signed up to read this blog. Makes me over the moon happy. When I was a small child I did not dream of this …. although I think think that in the future we would be able to see people’s faces when we spoke to them on the phone. That would have been in the early 60’s. I guess I can see the future. LOL.

Well everyone time to head on downstairs. Put on the coffee to perk. The sky cleared yesterday and I was happy to see the moon last night from my deck.

Be safe, continue to live your live showing kindness, respect and compassion to all. Truly it is the only way for us to live our lives.

Always, Carol & Alvin

YAY, it is almost here. I feel like I am 8 again. Best Christmas EVER is coming. So excited. So excited.

Welcome to December 2020

Good Morning ALL. How are you on this “8th sleep/day until Christmas Eve Day?” I am doing well. Finally finished wrapping the gifts last night. Now that is not to say that I overbought or anything but just took a bit longer to get things done. For no real reason. But I am happy and I know that Mr. Alvin is happy to know that his grumpy Momma is done. For some reason last night I was “short” in the patience department, I don’t know why. Work is going well, I am ready for Christmas, all my bills are paid, I saw my daughter on Sunday and I have chatted with friends …. but for some reason I was a bit grumpy. Oh, now I remember it was because Mr. Alvin was being a whiny pants and I was trying to wrap a gift. I did not have a box for the gift and I really wanted to put it in a box. Anyway, we both survived. NO one was harmed. Speaking of Mr. Whiny pants …. someone is giving me that look, he may have to go outside. So this is going to be a short one. I hope that you are doing okay and that all is well in your preparations for the holidays that is for those who celebrate. We all have our own traditions and non-traditions. We are unique individuals so why not. We need to remember that always and forever. We made it out for a walk at noon yesterday was great and then I shovelled my front walk and both my neighbours on each side of us.

Okay, I had better go as I think he may have to go outside and go poop. I know what it is like to have to go the bathroom NOW.

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday. May you be surrounded with love and respect and compassion. May you continue to spread love, respect and compassion to all others.

Happy Wednesday.

Mr. Alvin, I am coming, my little buddy.

P.S. he loves to sniff the gifts. I was afraid that he was going to open one of his sister’s gifts last night. I think it is the tissue paper ….

Always, Carol & Alvin

Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday the 14th day of December, 2018.

Another beautiful day on the way.

Almost forgot Mr. Alvin’s blanket for the floor.

Too  much on my mind.

Poor little guy is being “neglected.”

Not really but perhaps his Momma is a little bit absentminded or just mind wanders to other things.

 

How old do you have to be before you realize that you cannot please all of the people all of the time?

10? 35? 50? 66? 92?

Perhaps we always think the best of people before they whip the wind out of our sales.

I don’t know.

Just pondering people this morning.

Thankfully I am surrounded by mostly wonderful, kind, generous, loving, compassionate and supportive people.

The ones that are on the other side of the spectrum ….. they are in the minorities.

Perhaps it is those people, the negative ones that truly make us grateful for all of the others?

Thankfully the positive energy outweighs the negative energy.

But somedays that negative energy is very powerful and eats at you.

Food for thought.

 

Well this afternoon it is back to the dentist.

ARGH, having a tooth removed.

Oh well that is not so bad.

I am going to bake and ice the sugar cookies for my friend, as she loves them so much.

She buys the supplies and make/bake them with love.

 

Was able to deliver some baking to two neighbours last night and the third one wasn’t home but she came and picked up the package later.

It was so ICY, we walked on the street beside the sidewalk.

Alvin pulled and I pulled him back.

Not exactly a relaxing walk but we got some fresh air and delivered some cookies….

At my friend’s house ….. they are the ones who always come to my rescue ….. the four-legged visitor from last weekend …. anyway I said that her sister

thought it was a VOLE and  not a mouse due to size and colouring and the fact it did not make a sound.

Did that make me feel better?

Yes and No.

 

Anyway almost time to get this show on the road.

Life is crazy, crazy busy and at the end of the day “most interesting.”

I am eternally grateful to my kids for gently persuading me to adopt a pup.

Alvin has been such a blessing.

I can come home at night to this amazing creature who is so happy to see me.

He doesn’t judge.

He doesn’t suck the love out of your heart ….. he fills me up.

He keeps me on my toes.

He is my boy.

 

Okay, time to go.

I hope that you have a great Friday.

Sorry for being all over the place.

It is just that kind of morning.

There are days.

 

Where are we days to Christmas?

I have lost count.

Less than two weeks now.

 

Special Hello to:  my sister ….. my brothers …… my friends …., thank you.

Always, Carol & Alvin