sad day

Our Miss Mimi had to go today. Yesterday we discovered that something just wasn't right with her. She wasn't her normal self and she wasn't using her litter box. My first guess was an infection. The vet was perplexed during the ultrasound...unable to find her bladder. He couldn't find it because it wasn't where it should have been. For some unexplainable reason, her bladder was now located outside of her abdomen and it was infected. He was not sure if she was born this way or she had suffered some kind of tendon injury. He had never heard of this let alone treated any animal with this problem. Surgery would have been risky and there was no guarantee that she would have recovered to her old self. Mimi was 5 years old. I picked her out of a litter when she was just 3 days old. I said I want that one...She was the only Calico. I brought her home a few weeks later in a cotton bag and handed it to Emma. She had no idea. It was a good day! So...we did our best. She never suffered a minute. I am thankful that we caught this before she became sick and unhappy. It could have been so much worse. She was purring right down to the last second. We love you Mimi. Thank you for all the love. Thank you for all the laughs. You will NOT be forgotten...xoxo

boxing day

Travelled 4 hours south to spend a couple of nights with family. The weather was mild and it was actually drizzling out, but that didn't stop us from a quick walk through the park.



Very pretty. And refreshing. It was good to walk off a bit of dinner.

a really great day

have yourself a merry little christmas

one more day to go. one more trip to the grocery store. one more day to get it all done.



me in my pink "pirate shirt". mike called it that. first off, is that a compliment or what? secondly, since when did pirates wear pink pleats with rosettes?

the little town was busy. just not when i took this photo... well this might be the last post until after the big day. hope it's merry and bright. xoxoxoxo

quiet time

it's really getting down to the wire now. i think i'm heading in the right direction. i stopped at 11:30 last night. turned of the oven, washed the mixing bowl...turned out the light. i needed 5 minutes to myself before i went to bed. the tree looks so nice. today i'm working. hopefully lots of last minute shoppers will come in. i love when it's busy.

they got fed up and went home

Had a little dinner tonight. It was a snowy day, but we were all snugly. The kitchen was toasty. And it smelled good too.

Lotsa food, holiday spirit and a touch of birthday. Happy Birthday little brother. I BOUGHT a cake. Nobody seems to be holding it against me. Sorry Dad...we had a cake without you. I promise to make it up to you soon. The big comfy couch was crammed full of happy bellies after dinner. That's the way I like it.

it's getting crazy...

I will take this moment to pause and reflect. * * * * * * * * * * * * . Mostly though, I just haven't got anything exciting to blog about. The cards were sent. Found some more lovely gifts...it's kind of like a treasure hunt isn't it? More wrapping to do. Baking, cooking, cleaning. I STILL need to go out and cut some evergreen branches...to freshen up the house this week. I am working tomorrow. During lunch I will do a little shopping on Main St. Our little town looks so pretty at Christmas...must remember the camera...

day 17...? i think...it is wednesday right??...

i have not done the breakfast dishes yet...but here i am bloggin'... went to town with a list and got lots accomplished. package to montreal-check. buy stamps-check. pick up prescription-check. buy MORE gifts-check. pet store-check. dollar store-check. i came home and had a turkey with cranberry sandwich (that'll put you in the spirit!) and then spent 2 hours wrapping.




so now i have almost half of it done. tonight i will sit and write my cards...i love sending them off. going to the mail box and putting them in the slot. isn't that a great feeling? ahhhhhh.... tomorrow.




back at easter i bought a few packs of tissue at the dollar store. 30 sheets! for a buck!!! good stuff too. i was thinking ahead. nice shade of green.

teddy and me...day 16

Last night I went to bed early, eager to just get really warm and cozy. It was one of those weird weather days. Started mild and rainy, which ='s slush. The power went out. Then it dropped in temperature and the snow started. Gusty winds pounded the house. (the power was back on by then) Bed was a good place to be. I have been reading "Marley and Me" and last night I was nearing the end of the book. Marley was a difficult dog. It was just the right book at just the right time. I am looking at my own old dog in a very different light now. While the two dogs had many similar quirks, I can say that Teddy has done very little damage over his 13 years with us. But don't get me wrong, he has been challenging to say the least. There are days when he has driven me crazy. He is not a normal dog. He is not a smart dog. Teddy is nervous and untrustworthy. Given a chance to bolt out of the yard...he will just run until he becomes lost. He eats garbage. He is a great howler. Teddy has no short term memory. Never has. Now he is deaf. These days I am reminding him to "stay" every few minutes in my "outside voice". His happiness and feeling secure is only achieved when he is somehow attached to me. Usually a wet and stinky muzzle on my foot. His teeth are bad (I blame myself) and now he can clear the room with the stench. When he passes gas he actually makes this little wind sound (which he doesn't hear anymore) then he smells it and moves to another spot in the room to get away from it. Anyway......the book has been good medicine. A little reminder. If Teddy could talk he would say, "love you, love you, love you, love you......" because he does. And that is all he thinks about when he's not in the same room as food. He is old and he sleeps most of the time. I am going to fluff up his bed and get him something special for Christmas. I will take a nice portrait of him. I love him too. I am not looking forward to the last chapters...

day 13

We had THEE most amazing full moon the other night. The little camera tried really, really hard to catch the moment. Imagine that it was actually almost like daylight. The snow sparkled and twinkled. While it was still low on the horizon the shadows were spectacular. I had gone into town earlier and the moon was enormous...wished I'd brought the camera with me........I love a full moon.

days 11 and 12

We have a few half finished projects around here. That is why it is so important to make lists. The rule is that you can't cross a task off until it is COMPLETE. Here we are, back to Friday again. This gingerbread house has sat all week with a few home improvements needed. Ha, kind of like real life! It has stayed out on the kitchen table and whenever one of us gets a few minutes we add a little to it. No one seems upset about it. I think the moral of the story is this. Nobody is perfect. Especially when I roll out of bed in the morning... And take a picture of the Christmas tree... and then notice after that I am reflected in the balls....hmmmm..... and maybe someone will get a close up view of my bed head..........oh dear....

day 10...no snow day!

phew. it stopped snowing. the girls went to school. i went to work. look at our back yard. yes, that is a picnic table. that is how much snow we've gotten. i should go out there tomorrow and measure that pile of snow!

tonight we were off to the town's auditorium to watch emma in the band performance. i am really, really impressed with the school's music program. it looked to me like the kids were having as much fun as their teacher. really excellent. tomorrow i am going to focus on some more gift shopping!!

day 9

it has been snowing for like...a day. not joking. more still has to fall too. they are saying we are in for about another foot or two. as long as i have my electricity i'm fine with it.


hello hudson.....he came for a visit today. just the two of us hung out together. that is the perfect way to spend a morning during a snow storm. he loves to cuddle and he likes it when you whisper little songs in his ear. he also kind of grins at himself in the mirror. oh babies....sigh. p.s. i am predicting snow day #2 arrives tomorrow.

day 8

Elsie made me promise that I wouldn't decorate the tree without them, so everything was on hold until 3:30. I have been very protective of the trees we've had in the past. Today I handed it over to them. So I just sat back and watched them work. They made all the decisions, well most of them...



And guess what? It is the most BEAUTIFUL tree EVER.

Good thing it's all cozy in here tonight....because it is cold, cold, COLD outside!

day 7...a day late

These photos in no way represent day 7. I was at work. And it was very, very cold out. So cold that only 2 people shopped at the store. Brrrrrrrrrr! The best part of yesterday was that the girls got so many chores done around here. It was very nice to come home to. After dinner we brought the tree in. We watched "ELF" while the lights were strung on. I still love white mini lights the best for our tree. Tonight we will hang the decorations...



I am gearing up to do some Christmas baking. And no, I won't be using any recipes from my slowcooker book! I just like the red here on this little shelf in the kitchen...




I think I might hang out in the kitchen for most of today. Stay near the stove. Make a pot of tea. Bake some cookies. Think of something that will stick to the family's ribs tonight. Did I mention how cold it is? Brrrrrrrrrrrr. COLD COLD.

day 6

It's late. But there is no way I'm going to miss out on day 5. Today's main event was Elsie's dance recital. She had a little hip hop routine...and she was GREAT! I didn't get a photo. I thought I would make a video of it instead...but of course the camera failed me yet again.....No worries. I have a plan. Everything will be fine. We went and picked out out Christmas tree tonight. So, here we are...living in Muskoka. Land of the Christmas Trees. Probably a few places around here where we could have gone and cut down our own. Where do we end up getting it??




Home Depot. Isn't that sad? Pathetic actually. In the past we have lived in big urban places. That never stopped us from keeping it real. So tonight I blame it on timing. Running out of time actually... See? Back to that "not enough hours in a day" thing. To be fair, we are only getting about 10 good hours of daylight these days. And tomorrow I am working during half of them. So it was kind of an emergency...the trip to Home Depot. The tree will look lovely. xoxo

housekeeping kind of day (5)

Doesn't get more exciting than this. There was no getting away from it. So I just got to it. Usually I put a bunch of cds in and turn up the volume. Sometimes I put the "spa music" channel on. But today I just listened to the voice in my head. Man there's a lot of yapping going on in there! It would have been funny to list the topics I covered. I love how I flip from one thing to another. I would be in the middle of one task and then a thought would appear and I would have to stop what I was doing and go off and do something different. THAT is why I never get things done. But today, without any outside interruptions, I managed to get almost everything taken care of. Of course the housework ate up most of the day...so I still have a long list of things (I want) to do.





I took some time to wander about with my camera. It always takes longer then I think it will. Then I want to edit right away.....and maybe re-shoot something.....then edit......then check my e-mail.......and facebook....read a blog....it makes me hungry so I go looking for a healthy snack.....and then I notice its snowing again so I grab my camera and head outside.....and the cat is out there.....so I take her picture.........and then she wants me to feed her.......then I find some Christmas decorations to bring upstairs........so I hang it in the stairwell......and I figure I should put the rubber boots in the closet......hey, those flip flops should be somewhere else......throw them in the storage bench.......I am thirsty.......get a water bottle........THERE is the ball of twine!....I need to wrap those cedars before the deer eat them all.....I have to go to Walmart and buy burlap!! ..........I have to get dressed........oh look at my hair.......................

day 4

The sun is shining! My washing machine is busy, my bed is made and my camera was right where it was supposed to be. I have a list. Probably need to make a few more...They are calling for lots more snow which is both fantastic and brutal at the same time. In our part of the country the only reason the tourists come up this time of the year is for the snow. They come to ski and snowmobile mostly. So without the snow the local businesses suffer. I love the snow because it is pretty and because I get the most out of my ski pass. The downside is that the driving is deadly and the heavy snow can cause the power to go out. We have been spared so far, but some have gotten stuck in the middle of that inconvenience a few times already this season. Can I make a request? Just enough of that sparkly, fluffy white stuff to make it appear as though I'm living in a snow dome please??... Thank you!

day 3

I spent most of my day at work. It was pretty quiet considering we're in the middle of the shopping season. Kinda scary actually. Not just this little store, but the whole street is feeling it...slow. Let's hope that things will pick up...





After dinner Elsie went outside to wait for the annual food drive to show up. Our local fire department goes door to door...flashing lights and sirens screaming. We love it! She filled the time by building a snowman and making snow angels. Hey, my yard looks like a kid lives here!






When she came in we all tuned in to our favorite holiday special. Rudolph is my favorite reindeer EVER! Elsie made a cup of hot chocolate...now I want one too. *Note* --must buy marshmellows...
Tomorrow I am hoping to spend a little time thinking. Thinking and making lists.

day 2

baby steps...

we have made progress. better than that, i took two steps back and sorted through all my christmas stuff and filled bags and bags with potential yard sale goodies. then we proceeded to bring out our favorites. old and new... it all suits us fine.

today's agenda included new boots for elsie...check that off the list.

hmmm. i also bought some new dishes. they were 40% off , so i had to.

we had sheppard's pie for dinner.

emma made brownies.

ok...i can feel the momentum building!!

The Days of December

december is such a great month! it is perhaps the motivation i am needing. there will be endless stuff to take photos of. i'll still be using this temperamental and undependable camera, but that won't stop me. yes...i am going for it! i cannot promise anything, but i am going to try to do the DAYS OF DECEMBER!!

so today was a snow day. let's call it snow day #1. last year i believe we had about 12. we shouldn't have had one today. the roads were fine. it snowed, but really it wasn't anything to be too worried about. by dinner time the snow started to get heavy and wet. too much for the snow blower so we spent an hour shovelling. it was actually quite warm out. a perfect night for building an igloo...we didn't... but we SHOULD have!

well, here goes it.

december. my calender is full already! concert, rehearsal, recital, wine and cheese, dinner party, birthday and birthday...apt. apt. and apt...decorating, shopping, writing, wrapping and sending and work, work, work. santa. can't forget santa.

...yay!