Endings and New Beginings

There are a couple of hours left in this year, 2011. I have spent most of today wondering how I feel about it and I really can't say I am sad to see it go. A friend of mine says they feel like the new year is like getting a present and they can't wait to see what they get. I am not in that frame of mind either. I always do hope for good things in the new year but as the evening goes on I am lacking more and more enthusiasm. I am not sure what is up with me today. I do know that I am not going to allow myself to slip into that state of mind where I start to feel sorry for myself. Its not worth it.

I do know that I am not making resolutions this year, this year I am making wishes. Maybe wishes will be more effective and long lasting. I read on the internet somewhere that someone was making wishes this year and I shamelessly stole the idea.

Brace yourself here are a few of them.  I am wishing to clear some of the clutter from my house. (I actually started that one tonight, I sorts through stacks of magazines in my craft room. 99% of which will be either recycled or go to the office for others to read). I wish to redo my bedroom, I wish to paint the red guest room, I wish to start giving back more. I wish to weave, spin and quilt more in the coming year, I wish to get back on track to getting healthy, I wish to be more frugal, I wish to learn to stop wishing for things I know aren't going to happen. I have a million more wishes, for things, for improvements, for happiness, for contentment and for acceptance. Biggest wish of all is that I wish that everyone will have the best year ever in 2012.

So I plan to stay up until midnight, open the front door to let in the new year and then the back door to let out the old year, then I will go to bed. I had Chinese food as per tradition, I watched a really bad movie on netflix and then I sorted magazines. I had a very quiet day. I did not feel like doing a lot of stuff. I had played with the idea of putting away the Christmas stuff but my house looks so nice and tidy I decided against it. If I started putting the stuff away, it would totally mess the place up and I was not in the mood. Tree could still be up come June with this attitude :-)

Last night I had the No Cook Group over for coffee and the remnants of the Christmas dainties after we went out for supper. We had such a nice evening, we chatted, snacked and laughed until 10:30 when everyone decided they maybe should head home. I was tickled to have them. I need to start entertaining a little more than I do. It just laziness on my part and I really need to get over it.

I think I will go and see if I can find something on tv worth watching until its time to ring in the new year. I hope you are all enjoying your evenings no matter how you choose to celebrate.

Toodles
Linda

Last Day of Lazy

Hmmm its back to normal tomorrow, back to work, back to the routine. Yes I know that New Years is still to be celebrated but I'm sorry, its not nearly as big a deal to me as Christmas. Probably because I never have celebrated it all that much. So to me the big deal is over and done and now we slid comfortably back into the day to day routine.

I slept in this morning, snuggled into my bed and waking at the lovely hour of 10:00 am. I rose and ate cookies for breakfast. You can do that when you are the grown up and make the rules. It was shortbread and sugar plum spice tea for breakfast. I did not spend the entire day in decedent indulgences, I did do some sensible things. I stripped and washed all the bedding on my bed, mattress cover, quilts and all. The whole kit and caboodle. One needs a clean caboodle once in a while. I also made the felt cow and horse wall hangings that were ordered before Christmas. It took most of the afternoon but I am very happy they are finished now, another thing off my to do list.

What else did I do to pass the time. Oh yes, I furminated the cat. I am boggled at how much hair that little brush gets out of her. I highly recommend the investment if you have a pet. I plan to make brushing her with it a priority as it really does make a difference. She leave bales of hair around the house and I need to be more diligent on the brushing. The best thing is Minou seems to like to be furminated. She lays content and rolls when needed. She does not fight to get away. From the way she behaves while I am pulling wads of hair from her. I think it must feel good, sort of like when we get our hair done. So its on my list to do more frequently so see if I can cut down on the hair that is everywhere in my house. I really am tired of everything being covers in a grey hairy haze.

Not totally sure what I will do with the rest of my day. I feel a nap coming on and I may just watch tv whilst crocheting for the rest of the night. I have one little mending job to do for a friend at work then I am free. Its a split seem in the bum of her son's pants. A 2 second job at the most. I think I can manage that before the sun sets on this last day of laziness. Three days of work and then three days off. I also think I can manage that.



Toodles
Linda

Monday Moment with Minou

Hmmm yeah, excuse me, Christmas is over, 

would you mind removing these dudes from the stairs, 

they are in my way.

Merry Christmas

From my home to yours come the most sincere wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May 2012 be the best year yet for you and your family. I have high hopes for 2012, I expect big things from it, big, happy, wonderful things.

So far it has been a wonderful Christmas here at the old homestead. Many traditions have been observed even though its only the cat and I here to observe them. Ok I need to say this right off the bat, I am not feeling "oh poor me, all alone on Christmas" not even a smidge. I had a wonderful full on family Christmas last weekend with the near and dear. I was treated royally and the date is not important, its the being together that is important. SO I am not having a pity party I am having a party. I am alone by choice today, I had many generous invitations to join friends for the day.

Back to tradition, I spend last night watching a zillion Christmas movies, I dined on appetizers for supper and quite frankly I over indulged but they were worth it. Wrap anything in puff pastry, make it bite sized and I am pretty much hooked.

This morning I rose late, gave Minou her Christmas tuna fish breakfast, made my all in one breakfast. Another family tradition. Its not the one my family makes, that is a confection known as Breakfast Bruschetta and we have Monkey nuts. (cinnamon pull apart bread). I make a different one and toast, but it looks yummy, no???

I may be eating it for days but its worth it.  So breakfast is cooking away, its time for presents. I have so many wonderful generous, thoughtful friends. I was showered with loot. Not a dud in the bunch. I am totally spoiled that is for sure.

I am munching up my breakfast or maybe I should say brunch because its actually lunch time. Slurping up my coffee in my favourite Christmas mug. The cat is zonked out on my bed, sleeping off a tuna induced coma. I may get dressed at some point today or maybe not, but I am thinking that I will. Apart from putting the turkey portion into the oven and making hash brown casserole I don't have any plans to work too much today. I will watch the Queen's speech, try and catch up on the stuff I have taped and I am going to crochet the day away.

I am blessed and I know it, I am grateful for each and every good thing in my life. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

Toodles
Linda

Christmas Eve Moment With Minou

Hmmph All this Christmas prep and she still hasn't got the rum for the egg nog.

One just can't get good help these days.

Faux Christmas Festivities

I found my camera so I made the choice of doing laundry or doing a blog post, laundry can wait. First of all though I have permission to share the CUTENESS!! Here is my precious grandbaby modeling her new hat made for her by her Grandma Linda, This is the Ladybug!! She is a keeper I think.

So on to the Family Faux Christmas, ( we call it that because we usually are celebrating on another day, not the actual Christmas day) , we had a great time. The Carpenter and Busy were the hosts. Miss Mouse and the Farmer were there along with the Pilot. My oldest brother, the Historian, celebrates with his kids and grandchildren, we don't seem to get together anymore. There are so many of us and everyone works a different schedule, its hard. We have also outgrown the ability to all stay at one house like we used to. Once the kids start having kids it gets crowded quickly.

There were presents, lots of presents, here is a glimpse of the Christmas carnage after a flurry of present opening. We are blessed to be so fortunate that gifts are not a hardship. Santa is most generous. I am grateful for how blessed we are, we can be together and enjoy each others company, everyone is generous with everyone else, its how Christmas should be. We are very lucky to be in this position. I am grateful for that.

 We have such a good time when we gather together:

There is Dancing:

Spontaneous moments of affection:

(Miss Mouse and The Carpenter, father and daughter)

  And of course there is food, lots and lots of food.

here is Miss Mouse whipping up some pumpkin pies for our dessert. Its her Daddy's favourite pie and she is the one who  grows and cans the pumpkin each year. (Like her Mom she is a very good cook). She was a wonderful help, Busy was not feeling well later on in the day and Miss Mouse stepped up and did a lot of the stuff that needed to be done for our supper. Just a note, she is dressed in the Christmas apron I made for her. I made one for Busy as well as part of their gifts

When I give gifts, my favourite kind to give are the ones where I gather a whole bunch of odds and ends and give them as presents, some purchased and some homemade. I find the stuff all over the place and gather it up the whole year long. The aprons were a hit!!

We dined on a delicious prime rib meal. As there are several turkey dinners looming in the future, prime rib was decided on and it was fabulous. Stuffed potatoes, homemade buns, salad, wine and pumpkin pie. So yummy. Plus a never ending flow of dainties, candy and nuts. Many of the treats that show up at Christmas time have been part of our Christmas traditions for years, generations even. It would not be Christmas without them.

Oh yes and how do you know you are having a Saskatchewan Christmas?

Its the firearms under the tree.

Rifles and handguns abound.

The new owners seems thrilled.

( I tried to borrow the hand gun for work but they would not let me take it home.) 

 Santa was good to me and I took home a load of loot. My family is always more than generous with  me. I had a lovely weekend, lots of laughs, lots of fun and good times. I love to get to see everyone.

So now its all done and dusted. Real Christmas  day is still coming and  I hope yours is fabulous. For me I feel like is all over and done for another year. I have already got lists of things to go for next year, decorations to be made and some ideas for gifts.

Toodles 

Linda 

Home again, Home again

I am home again, I have celebrated Christmas with my loved ones, I am content, overfed and very happy. We had a lovely time. I will make a more detailed posted at another time, not to mention that I am too lazy to find my camera to post pictures. Right now all I want to do is sit, and knit, watch tv and relax. I am basking in the glow of a lovely weekend with my family and I want to savour it for a bit more.

I have the Hostess coming to tea tomorrow night which I am thrilled about. I need to do more of this, more having people over.

So more posting later, I will find my camera and share with you, for now I am off to bask.

Toodles,

Linda