Martyrdom........

I have to say that this has certainly been a busy week.  Just a quick recap... last Friday evening I stayed up all night with several friends and family, walking a grass track, in honor of family & friends who have fought and lost and those that have won their battle, with cancer.  The Fergus Relay for Life was the hot spot to be. Our team raised an amazing $9200.00.
All weekend I busied myself with getting the house ready for rehab... Bob was scheduled for knee replacement.  Tuesday, our beautiful new grandson came into our family.  This morning Bob went in and now has a beautiful new "bionic" knee.   I am expecting great things from him now... like a walk around the block would be nice.  I am worried about that Bionic sound that we used to hear when the six dollar man used to run...  I always found that annoying.
I have always said that I have absolutely no Martyr tendencies and that if Bob ever got sick, he could expect to go directly to the home as I also possess no nursing skills. (or patience)  I told him that, even before we got married so he knew that when I said in our wedding vows, " in sickness and in health"   I had my fingers crossed.
So 35 years later, he is broken and without hesitation, expects me to stick around and see that he gets fixed.
I decided I would try it and see where it goes....   so......  this morning, instead of just dropping off at the drive thru at the hospital, I parked the car and took him in.  He was a little nervous.  Not only did I help him with his registration, I went with him to check into the day surgery room.  I had expected to just leave him there, but the nurse made me come with them into the little room where he had to change into the Peekaboo gown and paper slippers.   I really should have taken pictures.   In comes this perky little nurse to check his vitals and get some disclaimers signed.  I suggest that maybe it is time for me to go on to work, when she asks if I would like to sit in the waiting room until the surgery is done.  I thought she was joking so I just laughed.  Then she sort of cocked her head to one side and stared at me the way the dog did when he was confused.  I had to explain that no, I would not be staying, but perhaps someone could call me when it was over.  "oh yes", she said, "we can do that".   I gave her my cell number, which Bob thought to be quite funny as I seldom have it turned on.  Which by the way I did turn on as soon as I got to the car.
After about five minutes or so, she is done her little jobs and says "I'll be right back with the I.V.".   I no longer cared what they thought of me as the caring wife.... I was out of there.   I assured Bob that I did indeed love him, kissed him good-bye, and headed out the door.... with a promise to return sometime later in the day.
Well...  I kept my promise....   I left work early, went and did some shopping for the new baby, thought I should probably pick up a few things for myself, and then headed to the hospital.   By now it was after 4pm.  I figured he would be in good shape by then.   WRONG...  he looked half dead when I came into his room.  He was definitely not feeling as great as he thought he would be.  He wasn't paying attention when I talked to him, something about the nausea and the pain.....  I 'm not really sure....  I tried to interest him in my purchases, but I don't think he was listening.   Kept whining about being tired.  I mean.... he seemed to be abit tired after his surgery.  I told him I would not talk for awhile if he wanted to sleep, and he took me up on it.   I sat there with no book, nothing to do, for a whole hour, listening to him snore and the guy in the next bed,  bitch about how stupid it was he couldn't go home... and why don't they have pizza in this hospital.
I kept looking at Bob laying there, slightly elevated, hands crossed over his chest.... .do you see where I am going with this....  all of a sudden I started to laugh, out loud, because all I could think was, "my God... when he dies we are going to have to have a closed casket... he looks terrible laying there." 
When he finally woke up, he suggested I go home as he wasn't wanting to talk to me anyway.  I said it was just like home and he told me to "piss off".  I guess he is feeling better after that brief nap.
Well I did my wifely duty.... no on can say I didn't try.
In fact, I have asked my Catholic friends to send a note to the Pope inquiring about Martyrdom..
Don't you agree??????????????

Once again..... I'm back

My promise to write regularly in this blog just keeps getting harder.  Although, today it is really easy to write.  We have been blessed with another grandbaby.  Our new grandson is Jackson Richard Gear.  He arrived yesterday, June 21, 2011 at noon, weighing in at a whopping 8lbs 10 oz.   Tomorrow I get to go to the hospital to hold him for the first time.  His big brother Caleb met him today.  According to his Dad, he was very excited.  My life is filled with beautiful boys.
On the other topic that I am sure you are all waiting to hear about...... the renovations......  the contractor is done.... do not confuse that with "the renovation is done".  My kitchen is beautiful.  Lovely hardwood floors, new cupboards and appliances.  But the finishing touches...  well, let's just say.. there aren't any finishing touches.  The trim is incomplete, the bathroom is a bare room filled with extra drywall and insulation that they didn't even bother to clean up.  The broom closet has not trim or even a door. 
The bottom line is that I am sure the contractor had every intention of completing this job, but it was important to me to have the house finished for Christmas 2011.  If you get my drift.
Any additional work that gets done, will be prefaced with a contract containing  a solid finishing date.
Anyway, feel free to stop in to see what is done and after all...  the front and back yard are magnificent.

Dust

Another day… more dust. I know I should not complain as more dust means that they are working everyday. But seriously, I am tired of chewing it. The minute I walk thru the door, I start licking my lips due to the dryness and all I taste is drywall dust. Not to mention, all my clothes have a powdery tinge to them.


I am so tired of eating out and trying to make meals for us at home. There just isn’t any room for preparation. Yesterday I gave in and bought a pile of prepared meals. There were steamy bowls, rice bowls, TV dinners, healthy microwavable meals, you name it and I think I saw it in the grocery store. I even bought little individual packages of cut up veggies, including calorie-wise dressing. I was able to make my lunch at home for today, with virtually no effort. On Monday, I barbequed chicken breasts, pork chops and breaded Swiss melts. Put them all in the fridge so that I can just throw them together with an M&M potato or pre-packaged salad. Almost like having a sink and counter of my own. The challenge will be to keep it up for another 3 or 4 weeks.

The other issue is the closeness between Bob & I. I am not talking relationship, I am talking physical distance…. there is none. We sit together in a spare room upstairs as I have mentioned before… filled with boxes and Rubbermaid containers, two chairs, two TV tables and a TV. The arms of the chairs are touching. I have tried to rearrange for more room but it just can’t be done. Well Bob says it can be done if I would throw out most of the “stuff”. I guess none of it is his……..

Waiting....

Here I sit at the car dealership, waiting for an oil change. That has been my whole day… waiting…..


First I lay awake, staring at my alarm clock, 5 minutes before it was to go off. I didn’t want to get up because I still had 5 more minutes. Then I waited at every stop light on my way to work, because I hit them all red. Then I waited in my car, in the parking lot, before going into the office because it was pouring rain.

Response time on my computer was slow today and I sat and waited what seemed an eternity everytime I hit enter. Of course, that means that I spent a great part of my day waiting for the end of the work day.

I promised my kids I would stop at Costco on my way home to pick up a few things for them. Costco isn’t exactly on my way home.

Today I decided it would be a lot quicker if I took a different route. I should have listened to the radio, because for some reason the 401 had some lane closures and several feeder lanes were closed. It took 30 minutes to get from one intersection to the next… a normal 5 minute trip. It took a total of 45 minutes to get to my destination. Surprisingly, I found a parking spot almost instantly and I was very excited. It didn’t last too long… I couldn’t find a shopping cart. I had to wait until a young man went about the parking lot, collecting them.

I got hungry wandering around the store and there were lots of sample ladies so I decided to try out a few… guess what….. I had to wait while they got their samples ready.

An hour and a half later, I was back in the parking lot, loading up my trunk, and heading home.

Well.. not home, first the oil change, then I will have to stop at the young one’s place to drop off his groceries, then I have to stop and pick up something for supper, and then to the boy’s place to drop off his groceries. I am pretty sure I will be waiting once again, at each stop.

But then…. haven’t you all been waiting for me to write this new article for my blog……………

less than 8 months to go

I didn't forget to remind you on Monday that there are only 8 months left until Christmas 2011.  I just didn't go online all day.  So now I am reminding you that there are only 8 months left until Boxing Day 2011.  
With all this beautiful Spring weather, I know it is hard to think about Christmas.  But let me just point out to all of you, it is already, only 8 months to go.  Where did those first 4 months go??
For me, they are just dragging by.  Once again I whine about the mess and disarray of renovations.  I have been in my house for over 30 years and the only "reno" we have ever done was to move furniture around a room while we either wall paper or paint or put in a new light fixture.  I change my bedspread regularly too, but I now know that this does not count as renovations.
Bob thinks the renovations are wonderful.... there is not a Christmas item or Santa anywhere to be found in our house right now. 
My withdrawal is usually tendered with being able to be in the backyard or better yet, the pool, but it is way too early for that too.  I can't work my way thru my depression by baking because I don't have a stove... or anything that resembles a kitchen.  I tried baking Easter cookies on the barbque, but that was abit of a disaster. 
.  Needless to say, Easter didn't perk me up much either. Oh, I had a wonderful weekend eating and being around my family.  I guess that would pass for celebrating Easter, but I only like the Easter Bunny for his chocolate and I don't bother to decorate for his arrival... so not much preparation done there.
Is it any wonder that I just sit and whine, and just generally make Bob's life miserable.......Good job this is a once in a lifetime adventure........

What have I done?????

I am sitting in the upstairs of my house, in the spare room, watching TV. Sitting in a very uncomfortable chair, laptop on a TV table, totally surrounded by boxes and Rubbermaid containers. I feel like I am licking dust off my lips. Our main floor was almost completely demolished due to a renovation that I really believed would only take 3 weeks. The contractor promised full dedication to my job and begged to start a week earlier than I was ready for, so that it would in fact, only take 3 weeks. Tricked again…….. Total dedication lasted one week…. the destruction week. Never have I seen so much dust. It never seemed to settle. Now… six weeks later, I am becoming very concerned… the new kitchen cupboards and appliances are due in 3 more weeks and I can’t have my grandson over due to the holes in the floor, the boards with nails in them and the general mess of construction..

Last night I had a minor meltdown, with Bob being the sounding board. Every time he tried to say even “ok”, I went off again.

I have to say that it wasn’t as bad as the time he put the knives, forks, and spoons into the wrong slots in the drawer, when he emptied the dishwasher, helping out as he often does. I started off trying to be comical about how he has lived in this house for 30 years and they have always gone into the same drawer, you would think he could get it right. Well, somewhere along the line, I totally lost control of myself and went on a five minute rant. I told him it wasn’t helpful if I had to go back and put everything back to where it belongs. Suddenly I saw that “deer in the headlights” glaze, and I stopped and returned to the kitchen. A few minutes later, I sheepishly re-entered the living room to apologize but once the “I’m sorry” left my lips, I added “but for God’s sake, they have gone in that same drawer for 30 years” Bam…. right back at him….

And the reason I love that man….. he never said a word. Not then or ever, about that. I was the one who felt obligated to tell our friends, when we could laugh about it.

Tomorrow ……. the contractor. We will talk.

And so it begins.....

My husband and I have made a decision to renovate our century old home. Last fall we removed a 7 X 7 “shed” that was just off our kitchen. It was falling apart. Well… that reno got way out of hand. We replaced it with an 11 X 20 room, including an 8’ foundation.


I pledged that the reno for the rest of the house, would be kept more on tract with respect to cost and simplicity. I need a new kitchen. I am sure at this point, any one who has ever done any reno’s is laughing.

On tract and kitchen, do not belong in the same sentence.

Let me give the Reader’s Digest version of what is happening.

The contractor is coming next week to remove 2 walls. Basically he is gutting my main floor from front door to back door. We have plaster walls. Every wall and ceiling on the main floor is being replaced with dry wall. Currently the entrance to every room in the house has a big, heavy, wooden door. Three entrances are being turned into lovely 4 foot wide archways. When it is all done, the entrance from my front room to the new kitchen will be like entering into the grand hall.

Did I mention that I also want a bathroom, with shower, added to the main floor? Or that two windows are being relocated?

What's your brain age

All week I have been looking forward to dinner with my Writers group. I have not been able to attend for at least 4 months and was finally free of obligation. We meet on the first Tuesday of every month, at the same restaurant, so that fellow members of the group always know where we are. Anyway… that was last night.



At the end of my work day, I drove home, made dinner and suddenly remembered my Writers group. I had talked about it at coffee break with my co-workers, even called my husband early in the day to let him know I wouldn’t be home for dinner. He was very pleasantly surprised when he got home and found dinner on the table.


I don’t get it. I do all these brain exercises. I bought a DS a couple years ago to do the “games” that are supposed to enhance your memory and bring your brain “age” down a decade or two. I do Sudoco out of the paper, I play scrabble with the computer, and number games. All of these are supposed to sharpen the brain. It appears they are filling up my brain and not leaving any room for my reality. I say “my reality” as I do acknowledge that sometimes my reality and other people’s, are worlds apart.


I’m sorry… what were talking about…….

No wonder I'm tired

 My adventures with the children have come to an end, at least for this session. Mommy sent me an email to let me know the reviews were positive. Apparently snow pants are to be worn on the bus, not something I enforced. They don’t remember me yelling at them as they were rushing to get ready for the morning bus. My guess is, that they remember that all the meals I prepared were their favourites. Life is back to normal and now that she has been home for 24 hours, Mommy is just mean….. funny how that works.


I on the other hand, am very tired. I am not sleeping well in my own bed. There is something about sleeping in a big, king-size bed, all alone… compared to sleeping with Bob in our queen-sized bed. But as always, it takes me a couple days to stop missing the little darlings. I’ll be back…..

This will take my thoughts back to my real world.

Today is the 25th… only 10 months until Christmas 2011. You may recall that I bought a new Santa face last month… 75% off… Well I hung it between my living room and dining room. It has been up there for at least a month, but it was just last weekend that my husband saw it. It was “where did that come from” “how long has that been there” “did you just buy that”. I answered honestly…. “It has been there for awhile now; I am waiting for the shed to be done so I have a place to store it. And no I didn’t just buy it”

I think Bob checks the “shed” everyday when he gets home, looking to see if I have started moving some Santa things out there already. I keep his life very interesting.

My thoughts are all over the place today. This morning I was missing the kids. I saw a gardening magazine and started thinking about getting outside in my yard. Then they started talking on the radio about an impending storm so I started thinking about curling up with a book and a cup of tea at the end of the day. That got me thinking about some finishing touches that I have to make to the “shed” and I make mental plans to do that when I get home. Suddenly I remember I have a sick aunt and I should go visit her. Wait, I’m at work and I should probably give that some thought today.

No wonder I can’t sleep. Maybe it isn’t sharing the bed that is keeping me awake after all.

And then there were five

Sunday - I am in surprisingly good humor. The sun isn’t shining yet, but the wind is gone and it has stopped snowing. It is 6am and I am up, showered, and waiting to wake up Bryanna, who is in my bed.


She came into my bed about 3am, after going into Baxter’s room first and waking him up. I am not sure why, and neither was she. They both went right back to sleep. Not a luxury I shared with them. Now I was worried again that I would miss the alarm.

When I did get up, I was trying to be very quiet, so as not to wake anyone. Baxter called me almost immediately, but I convinced him it was still nighttime… at least until my shower was done. He burst out of his room like he was making a grand entrance, gave me a big smile and announced, “ I heard you Donna and knew you wanted to see me”

I decided to start right away with potty detail. The smile on his little face disappeared, but he did pee in the potty and got to have a couple smarties for breakfast along with his toast and berries, because if you remember, I don’t do his cereal right.

I had Bryanna dressed, fed and packed for hockey by 7am, when her ride knocked on the door.

By 8:30am… I had 4 dozen cupcakes made, dishes done and kitchen all cleaned up. I decided to go into town, to my house. I enticed the children by telling them we were going to see the new shed. We saw the shed, visited with Bob, and picked up a few supplies for me. We were only there for about 20 minutes before we were back on the road. It was unanimously suggested that we pick up some Timbits…. An excellent opportunity for me to have a coffee, as I haven’t figured out the new coffee machine at the farm.

It was a beautiful afternoon for outside. Temperature about minus 6, but no wind. We were only outside about an hour, when Caleb showed up for a sleepover. So much excitement. Another hour outside and the caregiver was ready for the warmth inside.

And so the rest of the day went… relatively quiet and uneventful. I like that.



Family Day – Oh the luxury… I got to sleep until 7:15am. Caleb woke me, begging to go get his friend Baxter so they could play, “cause it daytime Gramma”

Baxter & Caleb shot thru their respective door ways at the same time. It was like they had been separated for years and were finally meeting again.

OH.. on the potty front… I am going with no pants until breakfast and have had success two mornings in a row. Pee in the potty before breakfast and it gets you 2 smarties. For you smart asses, I am talking about Baxter.

I had promised pancakes and bacon for breakfast so I got to work right away. I have decided that the positive side of getting up this early every morning, means I don’t have to rush into lunch preparations as soon as breakfast is cleaned up. It’s great… it gives me more time to get laundry done and folded up.

Our plan for the day was to stay outside all day. The weather gods have decided otherwise. The three elders went out right after breakfast and were back inside within 15 minutes. Temperature minus 15 and windchill about 10 degrees less. We will try again when it warms up this afternoon…..

We went thru several pair of big boy underpants, but it was usually on the run to the potty that we had some leakage. He wasn’t even done with his dribble before he was asking for his two smarties. This incentive is working.

We watched Despicable Me for about the 4th time this week. I know it has been too many times now, because Caleb & Baxter can recite part of the dialogue before it happens.

I declared Family Day to be DS free. Even Bryanna doesn’t ask any more, as I usually have one day without electronics when I am here for an extended period of time.

Adam got bored this afternoon and dressed up like a Barbie doll… I have loads of pics on my phone, so have to figure out how to get it off there. Eeyore has definitely left the building for the week, because I have not seen him once, since I got here.

The meals today weren’t my best choices, but dessert was served and that keeps me their favorite.

I tucked everyone in tonight, with all of them hoping for a snow day tomorrow, so we can have one more day together….. see…… still the favorite.

Is it worth reading....

End of Day 2.. Everyone arrived home from school and day care, soaking wet. Sox, mitts, snow pants… totally drenched. All four had a great day.


I asked Abby how she made out with her unfinished homework. Her answer;” it’s okay, Bry did my homework for me on the bus.” Well… no lesson learned there.

Bry’s Mexican Day at school was cancelled and everyone in the class was told about it except Bryanna. Since all I packed in her lunch was the bag of nacho chips and some salsa, for the pot luck lunch, she just ate the chips. She seemed totally unconcerned about the whole thing. She thinks maybe it has been rescheduled for next Friday….. maybe… I don’t know….


We dropped Adam off at Zach’s for a sleep over, due to a 7am hockey game next morning, but not before a discussion about why he is being sent to school everyday. Apparently, it is a plot by all parents, not just his, to “suck the Joy out of his life”. And by the way, he had a good day at school… go figure.

I made Taco’s for supper, so I really rock. Poor Baxter was in bed within half an hour of supper. He was whipped. The girls watched a movie and were in bed by 8:30. I had a very quiet evening.



Day 3 – Saturday..a day I normally sleep until 9ish…a small child entered my room at 6:30 am, to see if I was okay, and to inform me that he was very wet, and very hungry. Yesterday, I didn’t do the Fruit Loops and milk right, so he wanted me to try making him toast & berries. Not sure how I screwed up the cereal, but I did.



When I thought about the events of the last two days, I thought… oh.. so mundane. even I don’t want to read about it. But between the weather and the children … of course there was some adventure or at least something worth writing about.

We got a blast of wind and a dump of snow that closed the highway all day. This meant that the birthday/manicure party that Abby was supposed to go to was not going to make it into our agenda. She was so disappointed…. Mostly about not getting her nails done, promised milk shakes and the movie Tangled, which her parents “didn’t bother to take her to”…

I decided to make an attempt to “fix” things. I dug through Mom’s bathroom cupboard and found some nail polish, an emery board and proceeded to provide a real manicure experience. I set out the little dishes with warm soapy water for both girls to soak in. Then, one at a time, I filed, massaged, creamed up, and then painted nails. Alternating clients at each step. Abby was very impressed. Bryanna not so much. She just wanted me to put on the polish and hurry up and make it dry. I even offered them both a beverage (as I was instructed by Abby) while they waited to dry.

In spite of the weather, Adam was delivered back to the house by 4pm. Since Taco’s are a favorite of his, and we did have leftovers, it was Taco’s again for supper. Looking for even more bonus points, I made milk shakes for them and surprised them with Rice Krsipie squares and chocolate chip cookies.



To sum up the day… potty training is not going well, I have not handed out any smarties yet. Adam’s team got massacred at his hockey game. Abby still upset she hasn’t seen Tangled (and that is all she can think about). Bryanna is totally unaware that there is anything going on in the world around her. And me, I am just hoping to get up in time for Bryanna’s 7am pick up, for hockey.

Primary Auxiliary Caregiver Status

For non family members, I have temporarily relocated to the Ferguson Ranch. I am cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, providing transportation, guidance and minor health care for four small children. They range in age from 3 - 10. My 3 year old grandson joined us one night for a couple hours and is expected to spend Family Day with us. I know that alot of you worry about me being on my own with the four children, but the duct tape is in my care, not theirs, and I never turn my back on them. I don't allow groups of more than two at any given time and I wander spontaneously among them.


On day 1, my only job was to make sure I was here when the 3 elders got off the bus. Go to day care to pick up the younger, heat up supper, (which was left for us by Mom), supervise homework and ensure a practical bedtime happened.

Well the bus drop off happened without incident.......... Then the trip to the day care with 3 fighting siblings was such a delight. At least Baxter was excited to see me when I picked him up. Once we got home, supper was ready for the table. "I don't like the mac & cheese" "I didn't know that was what stir fry was" "the rice is cold" "how come he got juice and I have to drink milk"........... well this is going well. Good job I am not new or I would have been offended.

Homework has always been a challenge for me, as teaching is not my first calling. Adam, the eldest, was eager to get started with his homework. He informed me that the math portion was to be done online.... ya right... I checked his journal and sure enough, the teacher had written in the website. My guess is that teachers now think that we caregivers aren't bright enough to help with homework any more. Next was to edit a story he had written. For those of you who are familiar with my "find a word" homework with Adam a few years ago, will remember that I find this part of the homework very frustrating. I have to say, that one of us has come along way, as it went very smoothly.

The next child on the list, Bry, showed me her journal that said..."no homework tonight" Oh thank god.....

Next comes the little con artist... Abby. Now I am very aware of her cunning ways, but I did not by any imagination realize a 6 year old could be so sneaky. I asked her for her journal to see what was for homework. There was nothing written in and no papers there to indicate there might be something to do. Also, Mom left a bag with a note that tells me this was homework for the night. In the bag was a book which I was told, had to read to me in part, each night, until it was finished. No big rush. I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I trusted her. She has the biggest brown eyes that just ooze trust.

Bedtime went off relatively smoothly. Bry had a little trouble settling but soon was sound asleep.

Day 2 – this is where it all fell apart…….. kids got up, got dressed, got breakfast, and helped me pack their bags for school. I grabbed Abby’s bag and there was 2 pieces of homework that were supposed to be done for today. She didn’t want to do them last night, so she hid them. I remained calm and told her that she would have to suffer the consequences at school, not having any homework completed. She shrugged her shoulders and muttered, “whatever”. Six.,…. She is six…..arggggggg

Five minutes until bus arrival and they were all dressed, bags in hand and heading out the door. Success……. HA!!!

I asked them all to wait for the bus over on the “non-icy” part of the driveway. I might as well have said, “Go run on the ice that has 3 inches of water on top of it”, because that is exactly what they did. A couple minutes later I could not find Abby. She was in the garage, sobbing her heart out, soaked to her underwear. A small slip on the ice and she was down, and wet. I hauled her back into the house, got her changed and back outside, just as the bus was pulling up.

What else could happen now??? Baxter was already dressed and I just needed to get his coat and boots on, and we were on our way. This cute little thing, came running when I called, stopped just short of me, and announced; “Donna, I think I have a poopy bum”. What an understatement. Just a warning…. Reading from here on, could be gross and not suitable for all readers……..

He had crap from his diaper to his neck and back down again to his knees. I had to almost lay on him, to get him to stop wiggling in it. I got his clothes off, and removed the diaper. As I started to wipe him clean, he pooped in my hand. I am 57 years old and have never had anyone poop in my hand. I was grossed out, beyond belief. Then the little darling smiled up at me and said;” Donna I don’t think I am done yet”…. No kidding……

With both of us cleaned up, I dropped him off at day care and went to my own home, where my husband asked if I was ready to go for breakfast...........

First Month

One full month has passed since that wonderful day in December.  I still have the tree up, but it will be coming down this weekend.  My grandson is here today and I told him I was taking it down.  He said: "I will no like that Grandma... I want the tree all the time".  I have him so well trained. 
Anyway... that means that we have only 11 months until Christmas 2011... just 334 days... where does the time go?
As you all know, we have been doing some renovations around the house.  When it was started, I was told it was a fairly small project, very basic.... should only take about 3 weeks.  That was in October.  We do have dry wall up now and it has been taped and mudded.  Should be done any day now...  so I have been told.
Well, yesterday I was told, by Bob, to get up to Dixon's, the local lumber yard, and pick out the paint.  I had already done that back in October, but the "chip" got misplaced.  Well..  the bonus ... Dixon's still has some Christmas decorations on sale, 75% off.  Well, I couldn't just go in there and not buy something.  So, I picked out my paint chip and a beautiful Santa face for somewhere in the house next Christmas.  It was a win-win occasion for me.
Our plan is to continue renovations.... a major one is the next step... kitchen and bathroom.  As much as I want a new kitchen, I am not sure I want to go back into a mess so soon after the first one.   We have gained much knowledge from our first experience and there will definitely be some changes made for the next one.

Dreary Nights & Payback

During December, I really enjoyed evening walks.  All the pretty lights glowing from inside everyone's home and the beautiful decorations & lights adorning the outside of so many houses.  Now... it is so dark and gloomy looking.  Every once in awhile, a light or two pops up to bring a smile to my face.  I always find January so depressing.   I get up in the dark, I come home from work in the dark.  That is why I leave my tree up so long.  It is so the rest of my family does not have to endure the wrath of my depression.  You see, I only do it for them.  Once again showing what a self less person I am, always thinking of others.
I had a call from a little 3 year old friend yesterday.  He just left a message on voice mail.  His "bah humbug" father was encourging him in the background to say "Christmas is over Donna".   Well I have news for him.  I will be spending 7 days with his four, impressionable children in the very near future, and you would be amazed how quickly I can erase that humbug brain washing.  Special treats and small gifts help as well. 
I may even convince them to push their parents for a Christmas in July celebration.  They are four in number and the parents are only two.
You would think that John would learn.... don't mess with Donna & Christmas.

Where is Everyone

Today I had some free time and that always makes me restless. I decided that it had been weeks since I had browsed the blogs I like to follow. Everyone appears to be in the same position I am. Either too busy or just can’t be bothered to write just now.


I have started 2011 off on the right foot, and I already have 2 posts on my own blog. When I went to “Writers Ink” and saw no recent blogs, I decided to add one. Maybe this will help others to get writing again, at least where I can see it.

I am sorry I missed Tuesday night’s dinner, but weather was lousy and I just wanted to get home after work.

I am sure the conversation was plentiful and stimulating, as always. Hopefully I will make it next month.

I haven’t written much more than my annual Christmas letter until just recently and I haven’t read a book in over a month. As much as I love Christmas, it takes it’s toll on the other pleasures of my life. Now that 2010 is behind us and we still have 353 days until next Christmas, you can look forward to seeing more of my writing, right here. All the best in 2011 to everyone………. dg

OMG let this day be over

Yesterday, was one of those days. I am totally blaming my husband for all of it.


We both had to get up for work. Being the kind, generous person that I am, I told him that he could have the bathroom first, “but I was shutting off my alarm, so please wake me when you are done”. He heard, “wake me when you leave the house”. Even if that is what I had said, normally that would not be too bad, as he leaves about 7:40. But yesterday, he had a dentist appointment before work, so he woke me at 8:15. I hauled out of bed, had a quick shower, dried my hair, dressed and was out the door by 8:45. Not bad….

Then it all came apart. First off, my house key got stuck in the lock. I could not get it out. I pulled and twisted for about 10 minutes. Finally I went back into the house and searched for the WD-40. Once I found it, I sprayed into the lock until it was oozing oil. Out came my key. Then I scurried down the stairs to my car. The doors were frozen shut. I tried them all. Only 10 minutes earlier, there had been construction workers in my yard, but they left, I am assuming, for coffee.

Finally I put my foot on the passenger door and pulled the driver door with all my might. It gave way. I ended up sitting on the rocks, but the door was open.

I didn’t even let the car warm up before I was on the road. Now I was really late. It was after 9am. When I hit the main road, I got behind a woman who was, in my opinion, afraid to drive with a light snow covering on the road. 30km per hour. Good God, I was never going to get to work. I decided to take the back road. It didn’t look too bad. Well not to far down the road, there was a car in the ditch. The tow truck was pulling it out and the police had me wait until he was done. Fifteen minutes later, I was on my way.

Finally….. I was at work. I almost missed coffee break.

This is not the end of my story……. I went out to lunch with a friend and we tried a new restaurant. It was okay, not rushing back, but okay.

Well…. About 3pm, my stomach was not feeling great. By 4:30 I was in the washroom, tossing my lunch. I immediately felt better.

I finished up my work for the day and headed home. That woman I had encountered in the morning was back on the road, or maybe still there from morning. I am sure it was her. Once or twice, we got it up to 70km in an 80km zone.

When we got into town, I remembered I had to pick up a few things from the grocery store.

Lettuce…. they didn’t have any left, just prepacked bags….yuck.

Hamburg buns…. Didn’t have any, maybe tomorrow , the young man told me.

Milk…. They didn’t have any 1% left, in any size.

So………………… I bought chocolate.

Happy New Year

I hope you all had the wonderful Christmas and holiday season that we did at our house. For the past month, our house has been filled regularly with friends and family. Not to mention the glow of pretty Christmas lights. Our new room out back is not finished yet.... big surprise. I had hoped for Remembrance Day, then I put my hopes in Dec 1, then Christmas. I have resigned myself to the waiting game. Maybe Ground Hog day we can celebrate "the room".


Right now we are sharing our annual tradition of watching the Rose Bowl Parade with our grandson Caleb. Once the parade is finished, the football marathon begins. I had no idea there could be that much football in one day until I met my husband 36 years ago. Now there is so much of it, that it takes more than one day. When we were first married, my immediate family would all gather at my parents home in the early afternoon. We would play cards until supper was ready. Friends would drop in periodically throughout the day, some joining us for supper, which was always ham & scalloped potatoes. Bob would always sit and watch the football, alone in the living room. Then, one year, disaster struck... the current "bowl" game was all tied up when the 2 minute warning was sounded. Bob's "team", whoever that was, had possession of the ball. As the favored football player grabbed the ball and headed for the end zone, my mother snapped off the TV, announcing supper was ready. Everyone in the house gasped and then total silence surrounded us all. Mother then stated," come on, there will be another game on after supper". Bob turned the TV back on quickly, but not fast enough. His team had fumbled the ball, just short of the touchdown, the other team recovered the ball and made the touchdown of the century.

Needless to say, that was our last New Year's Day with my family. Our own tradition began.... home alone..... I started doing jigsaw puzzles.

Well, I must prepare for my family to come over for supper..... they know not to touch the TV or disturb their father and they are all very helpful with the puzzle.

Happy New Year to you all and I wish you all the best of 2011.