Christmas Past

Christmas week was definitely slower than the week prior. Thank goodness!

Besides the big day, I filled my time with packing for leaving today (to the city), reading, watching television, and making mini-quiche for our Christmas breakfast. D had errands to run on the 24th in the morning and also baked buns and set a pan of cinnamon buns for the next day's breakfast. 

That evening we dressed in our new Christmas pajamas and went for a drive around town to look at the Christmas lights. There were some pretty fantastic displays, no photos though. It was clear that at some point small inflatable snowman were purchased by many; we ought to have counted them up as we drove around as I'm sure they would have numbered in the dozens.

We had hoped that a bath and the drive would help Eli fall asleep that night. It did not, and D said it was nearly 11:30 before he dropped off. I wasn't far behind him - not sure why I couldn't sleep but I was up past midnight. This is what our Christmas morning looked like:

5:30 a.m. Eli is up and raring to go. His mom attempts to distract him with his stocking. That takes about 3 minutes for him to unwrap some small gifts. He does go downstairs to play with the cap gun in the stocking...for about 1 minute.

G'ma gives up and gets up at this point. We discuss whether we ought to have breakfast before opening gifts. Eli vetoes that idea, but I manage to put the cinnamon buns in the oven before he has his say.

5:45 a.m. Gift opening commences. We have a tradition in our family, that only one gift at a time can be opened. It must then be admired by all before the next gift is handed out. This extends the amount of time.

6:05 a.m. I check the cinnamon buns and give them another 10 minutes.

6:15 a.m. Gift opening continues. Eli opens a gift from Santa and finds Mario Bros. underwear. It is the only gift that disappoints him. G'ma and Momma get slippers from Santa; we are not disappointed. 

I pull the cinnamon buns out of the oven and put the mini quiche into warm up for 10 minutes.

6:25 a.m. Quiche are ready. D realizes that she forgot to put one present under the tree. (She didn't really but she wanted to prank Eli). It's the Nintendo Switch that he asked Santa to bring. Much joy is observed, at least until she has to start the process of making it work with the television. 

6:30 a.m. I sit down with a cup of tea, two mini-quiches and a cinnamon bun. Eli has a bowl of cereal and a pear due to his egg allergy. D doesn't eat until later.

The hilarity (for me, at least) continued for another hour or so while D set up a profile on-line, watched several videos on how to set up the Switch, tested it, and said a few HBO words. When the video game was finally passed to the small child, I did the dishes and she went up to bed where she napped for three hours. Eli and I hung out in my bedroom, where I watched the Great British Baking show. 

Christmas dinner was a sirloin tip roast done low and slow in the oven, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, and my daughter's favorite, Stove Top stuffing. The beef was so delicious - it's been some time since I've done a roast. There is enough left over for a sandwich or two for D. 

We were all in bed early that night! Eli slept for over 12 hours and woke just as D left the house to do a bit of Boxing Day shopping. There was a table on sale that we wanted for the office/craft room at Canadian Tire. I was just as happy to stay home with the kid and the cats.

Christmas was taken down and put away on Friday. While D likes the sparkle, there is a lot of it to deal with. I had brought in the tubs from the porch the day before, and we made quick work of dismantling the Christmas tree, and the other Christmas stuffies, Nativity set, green garland and such. We did leave up the snow flakes and blue and silver garland. So, still a little sparkle and winter themed.

This morning I will get the car packed with the Christmas gifts for my brother and his family, my bags - duffle with clothing, laptop, and knitting. There are a couple of errands to run in the city before I head for C's house. Hopefully I'll have everything done, so I can park the car in the garage, where it will stay for the next two months. Then it is just packing for Yuma, hanging out with my son, Saku (the cat) and Sage (the dog) before I fly out on Tuesday!

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

Friday Funny

 

Merry Christmas!

 

However you choose to spend your day, enjoy!

*comments off

Here comes Santa Claus!

The Wednesday photos were from our visit to the regional park a couple of weeks ago. Businesses in the community sponsor the light displays, and the park charges $5 a vehicle for entrance. We were at the park early enough that there were very few vehicles and were able to stop and view the displays at our leisure. We're planning to do another drive this weekend just to see the homes that are lighted up. This year, we haven't seen the decorated truck that is usually out that plays Christmas music as it tours the town. Fingers crossed!

It was a busy week, though I think the week prior to a holiday is always a busy week. We started off on Monday, after dropping Eli at school, with D and I travelling to a nearby town so she could get a new debit card at the local credit union that is tied to the one in the city that has her account. She's set up accounts at the one in our community, as the two institutions are expected to merge in the next year.

The following day, D and I went to the bigger community nearby where we shopped at Walmart, Dollarama, and Staples. No card table was located, but we got treats for Christmas, groceries, and a new laptop for D. She's been doing a lot of crafting on the Cricuit and my really old laptop wasn't cutting it any more.

Wednesday evening was special, as we attended the elementary school's Christmas concert. Eli did not go up on stage with his class, but participated in his seat, singing along with his friends. His principal and teachers, his mother and I, were very proud as he stayed engaged throughout the entire concert. (He did have a device but acknowledged each group as they finished their performances.) It was a little bittersweet for me, as it highlights his differences and I have to accept that he may never participate as the others do. (Photo taken pre-concert as the school advised that posting photos without permission was not allowed.)

We had more snow overnight, about 10 cms. (4 inches). D went out about 6:30 in the morning and did the shovelling, while I slept through until 7:30 a.m. I did drive her and Eli to school, as she had a meeting with the principal, Eli's teacher, and a counsellor. They were meeting to make a plan for his return in January. 

I stayed home, did some housework, and finished my mitts. My mini-gloves have sprung a hole, and I needed the warmer mittens for clearing the car of snow! When I picked up D, we did a little more shopping, a few groceries, and the gift cards for my niece and nephew. Back at the house, I did more wrapping, D made more cards and put together small gift bags for Eli's classmates. 

I tried (and failed) to make mini-cheesecakes. I meant to halve the recipe but mixed up the amounts the various ingredients. Thankfully, I realized before I put them in the oven, and limited the test bake to two. They tasted fine, but the cheesecake did not set and the graham wafer crust was chewy. When D went to pick up Eli at school, I had her stop at grocery store for more cream cheese so I could try again this weekend.

That evening, I had a little over an hour to myself as Eli and D went to the Baptist church for their Christmas program. Rather than putting the gnome together, I binge watched the latest FBI episodes and started the Survivor finale. I also chatted with my brother - he and his family are off to Alberta for a couple of days this weekend to spend time with family and for my nephew to do a little snowboarding.

D was scurrying about on Friday morning writing notes for the Christmas cards for Eli's teachers. We had packaged up the Christmas baking the day before, and D had picked up gift cards for each of them as well. The gingerbread ornaments were also included in the package. She had also made up cards and little bags for each of his classmates (11 of them), and Eli delivered the gifts just before lunchtime with the help of his teacher. 

Meanwhile I finally sewed the gnome together - it turned out better than I had thought. I may have to make a few more. :) Nope, I have other projects swirling around in my mind. I'll take a few small projects with me when I go south - cotton for dishcloths and a cross stitch Christmas stocking project I started last year. Maybe I'll finish it by next Christmas.

Eli and his mom went skating with his class in the afternoon. I took the opportunity to catch up on some paperwork, and maybe I watched the inside of my eyelids for a little while. 

I'm anticipating that the weekend will be much more quiet than the week that was. We're expecting warmer temperatures so D and Eli may go sledding. Other than that, we'll be waiting for Santa's arrival on Christmas Eve. I do have a couple of small presents (from Santa) that will be wrapped and put under the tree when the boy and his mom are snug in their beds. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Enjoy the holidays however you choose to celebrate (or not). 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

More snow, cold, and my oopsie mistake

Oh no, more snow. We had another 22 cms.(8.6 inches) on Sunday from the overnight hours to around 9 p.m. that evening. D and I went out and shovelled twice, the first several centimeters were wet and heavy, and the second less heavy but more of it. We certainly got our workouts and steps in that day. Wednesday's photo of the abominable snowman (me) and the photos of the back yard were taken when we finished our second round.

Monday, I drove Eli to school in the morning, as there was no hope of D's small car making it out of the backyard. She had gotten up at 6 a.m. and cleared snow that had blown in overnight. After she came in for a short break, we both went back out and cleared off our vehicles, as well as around and between the two. She's made a decision not to leave her car out of garage the next time a storm is in the forecast.

We saw one city plow in the morning, and it was doing the main streets (not ours). D had an appointment at the bank that morning, and since there was no possibility of parking, I dropped her off and went home to do some housework. We had been planning to go into Walmart (the next town over) in the afternoon but the highways were in bad condition so that was a no-go. We did stop at the grocery store for some basic items, bread, milk, and fruit after I picked her up. 

The afternoon had us in the kitchen doing a bit more Christmas baking. D finished off the pinwheel cookies and made a batch of peanut butter cookies, while I made thumbprint cookies. She made caramel for my gingerbread cake (baked a couple of days ago) and added the chocolate layer to the toffee bars. We still want to make a bit of candy, perhaps peanut brittle or peppermint bark. 

We were both grateful to wake on Tuesday morning to find that both the street and back alley were cleared during the night. (I heard nothing). The machine had left a ridge across the back, so D and I were out about 6:30 a.m. to remove it before it hardened. The temperature was about -9C (16F), but we knew that it would get colder throughout the day. 

When we went to drop off some donations at the thrift store (and do a bit of shopping) it was -19C (-2F) and the wind was blowing. We both picked up a few pieces clothing, books, I also got a yarn caddy, and Eli got a toy keyboard. Total spend was $13. No item was more than $2. It amazes me every time we visit.

D and I got more baking dealt with on Wednesday, she baked two kinds of butter tarts, one with maple bacon, the other with raisins. In the meantime I cut up the gingerbread cake and the toffee bars. Those went into tins and out to the porch which is currently another freezer. D will make up containers of goodies for Eli's teachers, and I'll take a container when I head back to the city at the end of the month for my brother and his family.

Though quite cold, the afternoon was spent in the next town over. We needed some groceries, D needed to stop at the Service Canada office, and I wanted a card table to put downstairs so I can work on a jigsaw puzzle. We were in a bit of rush and we both forgot a few things...one of which was the card table. 

Thursday was the coldest day - we woke to -33C(-27F) but with no wind, I surprisingly didn't find it that cold when I went out with the garbage and recycling. D had an appointment at the school when she dropped Eli off at school. I stayed home and managed to wrap most of my Christmas gifts. This year the presents won't go under the tree until Christmas Eve so there will be no temptation for our guy to peek and poke.

Later I started another batch of shortbread and did something very foolish. I don't know what I was thinking, but I popped the butter in the microwave to soften BUT it was in a metal bowl. As can be expected, the microwave is now dead. I can't blame any particular distraction for my "oopsie mistake". 

In the afternoon I started a present for my daughter's friend M.  Apparently she's always wanted a homemade gnome. I have lots of Christmas yarn and spent some time perusing Pinterest and found a great pattern for a larger gnome. I continued to work on it Friday and by end of day, I had the body (including nose) and hat completed. I started the shoes but by that point, my eyes were starting to cross, and it was time to put the hook down. On a positive note, I learned a new stitch, the crab stitch. It's a reverse single crochet and took some getting used to to wrap around the 66 stitches on the edge of the hat. 

Otherwise Friday was pretty quiet - we did go to Canadian Tire to buy a new microwave. Funny story, my daughter was re-heating pizza for Eli at supper time and tried to open the microwave mid way through. It wouldn't open and it took the two of us a minute or two to figure out there is an automatic lock button that needed to be pressed to release the door. Unlike the old microwave this one senses when the food is hot and beeps so she thought her time was up.

Today, I'll keep working on the gnome (shoes/arms/legs), watch some curling*, and do some research on my next trip. Oh, that reminds me, I haven't shared this information yet. I'm flying out to Phoenix on New Year's Eve, to spend two months in Yuma...hooray, away from the snow and cold! 

This has been in the works since last February when I reached out to the landlord about the availability of a one bedroom park model in a small community within the city of Yuma. Long story short, the price was ideal, the property was available as last winter's tenants didn't want to plan that far ahead. I did! 

Friends of mine are in Apache Junction, and will pick me up at the airport and deliver me to Yuma on January 1.  When I advised my landlord, she offered the hide-a-bed in the unit to my friends for a couple of days and when asked, declined any additional payment. I think I've hit the jackpot! 

For my readers, I'm sure you'll all be happy to know you'll soon not hear whining about how cold it is, or how much snow I've had to shovel. It's my first time spending this much time away from home in one stretch - I did a month back in 2015 on Vancouver Island (practicing for retirement - though that didn't happen as I expected). If all goes well, I may make this an annual experience, at least for a few years.

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

*Jackie, in case Harvey isn't aware, the RBC Dominion Western Showdown is being aired on You-tube. There are some local Saskatchewan teams as well as some of the big names. Gushue got beat by a lesser known team out of British Columbia on Friday!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

A surprise addition, finishes, and a birthday

My son called me on Saturday evening, while I was in Bismarck. That may not sound unusual but he doesn't often call, so I knew something was up. It took a bit of conversation before he told me that since I'd been away (three days) he'd adopted a dog! He has been talking about it since he bought the house last year, and I had hoped he'd wait until the fence was re-built in the back yard this spring. When I arrived at the house on Sunday, and went upstairs, I met my "granddog" Sage.

She is a mixed breed (unknown), about a year old and was found as a stray. I would tell you, based on her behaviour, she was obviously living in a house at some point. Though she did have a couple of wetting accidents the first two days, it was more a result of us not recognizing the signs - she goes to the front door and sits. She has no problems holding it overnight and according to C, she prefers deeper snow to do her business on their walks.

Sage rarely barks, loves to play, and thinks she is a lap dog. At about 55 pounds, I'd tell you she's a bit big for that. Thus far, she has not met Saku (the cat), who is currently enjoying the peace and quiet of the basement. Saku seems only mildly interested when Sage is noisily playing upstairs. I sent a text to my son at work on Tuesday telling him I think he got himself an elephant! Once Sage is crate trained, Saku will be given the run of the house once more. C figures that will take a few weeks. I'm not entirely sure how Saku will react to the dog, but I suspect he'll avoid Sage as much as possible. I should mention, Sage was tested at the humane society and showed little to no aggression towards other dogs and cats.

Before I forget, the photo on Wednesday was the result of the trip to Bismarck. I dropped the stuff at the bottom of the stairs when I arrived home on Sunday. Tuesday, I re-packed the shopping into other bags and one box, leaving the suitcase and backpack in Regina. I'll be using those for my next trip in about 4 weeks.

I got away from the city just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday. It was a cold day (-18C/0F) with high winds around (50 kph/35 mph), and there was drifting snow. When the sun rose, there were sundogs too. 

Thankfully my drive is only about 90 minutes, so I was home by 9:30. D helped me unload the car, and unpack everything before she left for a meeting at the school. I was happy to stay indoors where it was warm and comfortable.

It warmed up slightly overnight so I headed out to do a bit of grocery shopping while D took Eli to school. He's only going half days this week as he's been having trouble regulating his emotions. The school district's psychologist spent time observing him earlier in the week, and with D's input, the school has come up with a plan to keep him safe in school and learning. She really does have a wonderful team and they acknowledge that Eli is very bright but struggles with the social aspects of the classroom.

Thursday was my daughter's 42nd 43rd birthday. She wanted only one thing - to go for dinner at a recently re-opened restaurant in town. We went early, about 4:30 p.m. as Eli had a planned activity in the evening at a local church. The restaurant serves Filipino and Canadian food; D and I shared a bowl of Bihon Guisado (vermicelli noodles, veg) with chicken and a plate of mixed spring rolls (veg and pork). The portions were large so we took half of the food home for another meal. Everything was so delicious! We'll definitely be back.

While on my trip I had crocheted a scarf, leaving the Christmas ornaments to be finished when I arrived home. It was nice to spend my afternoons watching curling and crocheting. I finished the two gnomes and moved onto the baubles for my brother and his wife. Another blogger had shared photos of her handmade ornaments a couple of weeks ago and this was just the idea I needed. I've got another pair of mitts on the needles, to match the scarf. I couldn't find a pattern of crocheted mitts that I liked, so these will be knitted.

Today, I'm planning to do a bit of Christmas baking, more knitting, and will watch the Canadian Seniors' Curling Championships. Our provincial men's team is into the playoffs; the provincial women's team missed the cut. D and Eli are planning to go skating at the old rink today. 

Sunday, it appears we have another snow storm heading our way with a possibility of 10-15 cms. (4-6 inches) of snow. That will be a stay indoors kind of day, except when we are out to clear the sidewalks and the parking spaces beside the garage. I'm actually quite happy to have a quiet ending to the week.

P.S. Saku and Sage met for the first time on Friday evening. Saku hissed and Sage was clearly afraid of the cat - C said it was funny to watch. He'll continue to keep them separated for the time being.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

A successful shop

This will be a re-cap of the shopping trip to Bismarck. Am I the only one who finds the return trip longer than the trip there? We were on the bus by 7:30 a.m. and arrived in Regina about 5 p.m. on Sunday. When I arrived at the house, I visited with my son and his friends for a bit, grabbed some leftover pizza and headed downstairs for an early bedtime. 

Let's go back to Thursday - I called the cab company for a pick-up about 20 minutes later. He didn't show for nearly 15 minutes more than expected and then drove like an idiot to the drop off. He said he had winter tires on the vehicle, but skidded around a few corners. I was not impressed. However, we arrived just as the bus arrived in the parking lot so I gave him a small tip.

The ride down was smooth and easy; there was less snow and the sun shone for most of the trip. We stopped twice, once in Estevan for lunch, and then at the truck stop in Minot (the only place open on Thanksgiving) for dinner. We left Regina at 10 a.m. and were at our hotel about 7:30 p.m. The bus had started in Saskatoon with a pick-up there, then Moose Jaw, Regina and Weyburn. With the driver and our hostess, there were 49 of us on the bus, including one husband who was the subject of some good natured ribbing. Which he handled kindly. We never did ask him to carry our packages. :)

Early the next morning, about 5:30 a.m. I looked out the window to see a vehicle leaving the hotel. It was a mother/daughter pair hopping in an Uber to head for Kohls. Most of the rest of us left the hotel about 7:45 a.m. - a much more civilized hour for Hobby Lobby and Joann. After a couple of hours (no I didn't shop that long) we headed to a mall for four hours, and finished the afternoon off at Menards. Back at the hotel, we off loaded our purchases and were on our own for dinner. I'd bought a microwaveable meal so ate in and watched television.

We had a later start on Saturday, just around 10 a.m. and had a short drive to a shopping area with several stand alone shops. We were given three hours for this area - far too much time in my estimation, so when I finished my shopping there, I dropped my parcels on my seat and walked the block or two to Walmart. It was another two or three block walk back to the hotel. I was finished my shopping by noon, so I grabbed a sub at Wally World and took my bags back to the hotel. The afternoon was spent relaxing in my room, packing, crocheting, reading, and watching a bit of television. The bus arrived back at the hotel at 5:00 p.m. I picked up the last of my items, and packed the remainder of my purchases before heading out to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Several of the other shoppers had eaten there the previous night and said it was great. It was not, but was adequate and I washed down my dinner with a Blue Moon beer. 

The good: it is so wonderful to not have to drive. At one point on the road home, the driver avoided an accident as several vehicles had stopped on the highway. She was able to maneuver that big bus to the shoulder and stayed on the road. 

I picked up the remainder of my Christmas gifts and got some great prices on various items. The best buy was a pair of winter boots, regularly priced at $80 for $19.99. There were also some needed items purchased for the house I share with my daughter. A hall rug for the living room front door area, baking sheets, food containers, a cutting board, and just for fun, a couple of Christmas tea towels. The latter were a mere 96 cents apiece.

Because I was travelling alone, I had the two seats in the row to myself. Not only was it a space to put my shopping bags, but I was able to take a short nap on Sunday morning.

The okay: The food at the truck stop and at the restaurant in Bismarck were just meh. The former is the only choice, but should I decide to go next year, I'd definitely try one of the other restaurants near by. That's assuming, of course, that they return to Bismarck.

The mall was huge, anchored by J.C. Penney and Target. But, there was no food court, just a few small restaurants scattered throughout. With the bazillion people shopping, everything was crowded. I did find a two top at Shiels and had a taco in a bag salad. 

The bad: Between the taxi at the beginning of the trip and one at the end, I'll probably call an Uber next time. I'd called for the taxi just as we were pulling into the city. I told the dispatcher, I would be on a large white bus. Although he was told this the driver waited at the Walmart doors, and when I didn't answer my phone (it was in my pocket and I didn't hear it), he left without me. I called again, and he did return but I was annoyed as it was a bitterly cold walk across the parking lot. His excuse - he didn't see the big white bus!

The interesting: Diane, our hostess handed around a form with our names and asked for our personal contact information as well as emergency contact. One of the women across the aisle from me saw her maiden name on the form and asked "who is X? It was me, and we quickly determined that we are distant cousins as I recognized names of her father and grandfather. I wasn't able to open Ancestry until I returned to the city, but have since learned that her great grandfather and my great-great grandfather were brothers. 

Will I go on next year's trip? Probably not unless our Canadian dollar improves against the U.S. dollar. While I got some good deals, I did have to watch the pricing. I stopped at Walmart for some boxed foods and Oreo cookies. These were brands or flavours we don't have here in Canada. I was shocked at the price of Oreo cookies, over $5, so only purchased one package of the toffee crunch flavour that my daughter asked for.  In fact, I found the pricing was often higher on some foods than we see here, however, the boxed items (cake mixes and Hamburger Helper) were considerably lower. 

In any event, it was a good get-away. I'm happy to be at my son's and will drive back to my daughter's tomorrow. Oh, and one last thing, I parked the SUV while I was away and was able to back it out in one try. Can't say I wasn't a bit nervous about my first time! Hooray for back-up cameras. 

There will be a post on Saturday with some other news and the rest of the week! Hope everyone is having a good week!