Snips and Snails

What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?

Snips and Snails and puppy dog tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

 

 

This weekend I'm travelling to a city 4 hours away to go to a cousin's baby shower. Sam is my third cousin I believe (her grandmother and my mother are sisters). Recently, a month ago,  another one of my cousins had her baby shower in town, I however decided not to attend -I have a HUGE famaily with more cousins than I can possibly know so even though I probably shoudn't claim to have favorites I do. I used to babysit Sam and her younger brother and sister. My first memory of Sam is her sitting at my grandparents house (the house I now own) at the kitchen table in front of the window, with her long dark hair with bangs and a huge toothless smile. Sam is going to make a great mother, albeit she is young at only 20, but her parents were also young and have done a fairly decent job at raising their kids. Sam and her boyfriend Andrew have also been dating for the last 3 years and living on their own the past 2 years. So its kind of exciting to be having a new baby cousin. Oh and the most exciting part is Sam's baby due date is my birthday =) I'm hopeful that I'll have a cousin to share the great day of May 16 with. Another cousin is also expecting in July, and her shower is next weekend and though I would have loved to travel 6 hours to the shower its not in the cards but I'll be sending her a gift once her and hubby settle into their new home in New Brunswick. I'm on a DIY kick and I made personalized onsies for each.

 

 

What are little girls made of?

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice and all things nice,

That's what little girls are made of.

 

 

Sam is having a boy. My other cousin a girl. It was kind of nice getting to make onesies for each gender. My mom knit the cutest outfit for Sams baby too, its a camo coloured vest with a poor boy hat and she bought pants and a shirt to go with it. So cute. If I remember I will try and get a picture. To go with the onsies I made I am also going to be getting each one of my favorite books as a child. I havent quite decided which books to get, I had so many favorites that I still have today -top contenders are a book by Robert Munsch or something by Dr. Seuess but another of my absolute favorite childrens book was one called Harold and the Purple Crayon, where the boy Harold uses his imagination and his purple crayon and goes on an adventure, then again I could find a book of nursery rhymes. I think my choices will ome to me when I get to a Chapters book store Saturday before the shower.  

 

 





Xmas Hopes

It's Thursday, 5 days until Christmas, 4 days until my dinner party for the family, 2 Days of work, no time to laze around.

I'm organized for the most part. I have a game plan for dinner on Monday. Sunday I'll make the dessert -a Key Lime Cheese Cake and a English toffee Cheese Cake, and the Bruschetta, and the French Onion Soup. I'll also peel the potatoes and leave them in the pot of water in the fridge. Monday morning I'll put the roast in the slow cooker and take out my goodies and bread to thaw. Monday after work, I can make the cinnamon popcorn for after church then I can re heat the soup and toast the bruschetta, boil the corn and taters and make yorkshire pudding. And enjoy everyones company, all 11 people (and probably the brothers 2 dogs) that will be filling my tiny house.

On the plus side I also got the part to fix the pellet stove, I wasn't expecting it until after the holidays so a big YAY there, and a big sigh of relief that my electrical bill won't be "as" high as it could have been if I had to wait longer.

I also made enough tip money this week to buy dog food and get my betta fish :) I'm getting 2 betta fish tomorrow and put up these betta tanks that can be mounted to the wall for some living art, they're pretty neat and suit my living room perfectly. I'll post a pic when Statler and Waldorf are in their homes. (Bonus!!! Who know's where I got the names from??? )

This afternoon I went to get my hair cut, I almost cried at all the hair I left on the salon floor :( I didn't get much length taken off but I did get a bunch of layers put in as well as some side bangs eek! I haven't had bangs since I was 9!!!! I like the new do, but its going to take some getting used to. The Hair dresser was mighty impressed with my self dye job, so pat myself on the back for that one. And I do have to say the black on the bottom and red on top with the layers looks awesome!

I know my parents spoil us at Christmas, hell all the time really. Usually we have one or two high priced items we're usually garanteed to get, some of my past expensive gifts are kitchen aid mixer, the pasta attachments for it, mechanic tool box, this year I asked for a flat screen tv, blu ray player, and then some kitchen gadgets -which I feel I miss out on getting through a wedding shower or as wedding gifts since I have no plans of ever getting married. I also had a list of books I wouldn't mind reading, and for a change this year all I really hope to get are the books. The kitchen gadgets would be nice but I manage without them as it is, and for one person living alone I have 4! yes 4 working tvs in the house, so I really dont NEED another tv.

Happy Holidays! Joyeux Noel! Felitz Navidad! Happy Christmas!
Have a great holiday! (And if this happens to be the last day before the apocolypse it was a pleasure knowing you!)

24 days of normalness

I will be thinking of you for the next 24 days, while you check gifts off your lists, decorate your homes, freeze while hanging Christmas lights outside, write, address and mail your christmas cards, stress out of getting all your baking done...etc...

I am done my Christmas cards, all addressed and sitting on the table ready to be mailed (I think I'll do that next week or the week after so I'm not too super early). My shopping is done. The majority of my baking is done, I have shortbread cookies to do and thats it. My deorations are up -mind you I leave my outside xmas lights up year round, and my indoor decorations are easy peasy too. I have a few craft gifts left to assemble and get get to mail out to friends.

This year even though I work a half a day on Christmas Eve, I'm going to have the family over dinner and after church games and drinks. I'm going to stick with a releatively simple menu of French Onion Soup and Brushetta for appetizers, slow cooker Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes (maybe infused with garlic and herbs), Corn and gravy possibly Yorkshire Pudding since it is Christmas. Then for dessert Key Lime Cheese Cake. I think we may have to start eating at 4pm to make it to church for 7pm. After church festivities is going to be filled with board games, and mom mom is going to make up a minute to win it game, snacks will include shrimp, holiday treats I've baked, and slow cooker hot chocolate with the option of having it spiked with candy cane vodka, which is homemade and currently stewing on the counter. Hopefully the next 24 days will fly by I'm hungry for xmas eve dinner!!!

This year isn't even over and I'm already planning next years gifts and xmas eve. My brilliant idea is a version of the ugly xmas sweater parties. I think it would be hilarious and fun to give everyone ugly sweaters for xmas next year, and make them wear them either xmas eve (including to church) or just xmas day, though xmas eve would be much more fun. Kind of like a surprise ugly sweater party. LOL good times. I may even have to include a few friends whom I send gifts to, they shouldn't miss out on the fun just cuz they don't live near by.

Recycled Christmas

There are no young children in our family at the moment, and after last year's Christmas I've done alot of thinking and soul searching. Having younger children around can make Christmas extra fun with the hopes of what St. Nick may bring, and then playing with all the bounty after gifts are open, but as a "older" family the holidays have shifted, become for lack of a better word boring. Not to mention the difficulty of accepting outsiders (mainly the sister in law) into our family's traditions and having her belittle them or getting the vibe of not appreciating them. In a way for me it would almost be better if they just did things with her family, I'm not looking forward to when they have kids.

In the past I've usually tried to be creative and unique with my gift giving. I feel disapointed when others don't put the same effort into gift giving. This year I've decided I'm not buying anyone anything. I am making all the gifts, with the help of Pintrest. Mom and Dad, Nick and Jess are getting care packages -mini pumpkin tarts, mini lemon tarts, mini cupcakes, bread, lasagna, and shortbread cookies. Kelsie is getting a smaller version of the care package along with some other knick knacks I've found around the house that she may have a use for. Kelly & Larry, Rose, Liz, Jodie & Erik are getting a variety of Pintrest projects.

Today as I tried to cross things off my to do list, that didn't quite worked out as planned since I had  wood stove and water pump issues at the same time!! I seriously need to save my change and figure out a new solution for the water pump. So laundry not done, dishes, not done, floors washed not done...I did manage to bake te dog cookies for a client for their xmas gift from myself and my mom. (I still have to bake a bunch more to hand out to clients at the store for the month of December) oh I forgot to mention my sexy stove I got for my birthday broke too :( the over handle broke last week so dad and I patched it up but it broke again today...digging out the receipt is on my list of things to do. But between baking the batches of cookies I did some xmas decorating inspired by Pinterest. Here are photos of my window treatments (I'll also be doing this at work since it was simple and looks nice). I even found a use some of the music boxes I've collected over the years. Why not put them on display for everyone to see instead of having them on a shelf in my room or in the spare room.

(On a side note the musice box in the middle of the window on this picture is a mouse house all ready for xmas, theres a woman mouse on this side, in the hosue with an xmas tree and on the other side on the outside of the house is the male mouse with a larger xmas tree by their front door, I've had this music box for over 20 years! I'm not entirely sure when I got it, as I can always remember having it, and what makes it extra special is that its homemade, my mom made it.)

 

 

Sister-in-laws (should be outlawed) (plus a hidden pintry)

It's not a secret that I'm not a fan of my sister-in-law. When my brother first started bringing her around to family things, I tried to get to know her and be friendly, and for a couple years sure she had her flaws, we all do, but we got along quite well. Then slowly true colours emerged. The engagement happened, bridezilla reared, I stood my ground, big fight, ugly words, hurt feeling ensued. An (empty) appology was issued, with "plans" to try and ammend things. I've struggled and sorted my feelings and I'm working on trying to be civil with her, its a work in progress. (and this is going to be another place where I can vent).

My latest baffleness when it comes to her and my brother is the following:

Sunday was remembrance day. In school I used to go to the ceremoy either with girl guides, scouts, or with the class, after high school and college, I sort of developed a tradition of going to the rememberance day services with my dad. So on Friday I informed him I'll be out for breakfast on Sunday then we can go to the services, he agreed, said mom might even come too since there's no stairs (mom's having knee issues with arthritis and something about her miniscus). So I show up Sunday morning, and I'm not sure why I was surprised but mom had invited brother and sister-in-law out too, ok fine whatever. We have breakfast homemade egg McMuffins (and the eggs were cooked in a muffin tin via the oven -something I saw on pinterest and passed on to my mom as an easy way to cook eggs so they're all ready at the same time for xmas morning....dad was cooking and over cooked the eggs slightly making them dry but otherwise that Pinterest pin was a success and will be tried again xmas morning). Over breakfast, I heard that my brother traded his wifes perfectly good snowsuit for a plow for his quad. WTF!? Really?!? Then in the next breath tells my dad he's got a job to do now, go open up the driveway BEFORE my dad goes to work, so people can drop their kids off at sister-in-laws half assed day care, then go back after his bus run and finish cleaning the yard. My dad said he'd go after his run but not before. Now in my head, I'm thinking WTF why can't sister-in-law be useful and open up the drive way before her 'clients' get there. Is she so helpless and lazy?!? I wish I could pull that crap and get my dad to come clean my driveway everytime it snowed -I even have a quad with a plow for him. And if she can't use the quad, use a f-ing shovel!!! They live in town -my driveway is easily 2 if not 3 times the size of theirs. Oh and heres another idea -they could get this free-loading basment dwelling "friend" to keep the yard clean. (that is another story in itself which I will get to one day -its a whole other ball game and emotional mess I'm trying to sort out). So apparently I'm some kind of mutant independant woman of this day and age to look after myself and clean my own yard...who does that these days??? Next she has the balls to ask who all is going to be at the remembrance day services...um does it matter? You go to show your support for the vetrans and those currently fighting. Go to support your husbands family history of great uncles and grandparents that fought during WWII, who cares who else is going to be there. Needless to say she didn't come, which to me is very disheartening, selfish and a few other things too. I was pleasantly surprised that my brother came and didn't cave to what the wife wants (this time).

Rant over...for now...she irks me in the worst possible way and most of the time I feel like no one else see it and that I'm the crazy one that is making this crap up, but then there are those one of two folks that see what I see- Thank goodness for them or I very well could be in the loonie bin.

Thanksgiving for 40+

Thanksgiving Table, set for 40



one end of the tabe...

other end of the tabel...get skinny and squish together!

Cousins; Kirstie, Rose, Steve, Me, Doug, Anastasia


Thanksgiving weekend was a blast! Can't wait until next year to do it all over again!
There was 40+ people for dinner on Sunday, it was great to see an visit with everyone...I also can't beleive how much older we've all gotten. My generation of cousins (in the pic above) are all in our 20s -with me being the oldest at 30, the cousin generation above us have kids in their early teen years, there are no more babies or young kids around -the youngest is 12! Seems like they're all waiting for my generation to start having babies...hint hint guys lol.
Needless to say I didn't miss my parents and the family at 'home' this thanksgiving, they're the ones that missed out on the family gathering, in fact my parents say they want to come down for it next year...



the essence of a Rose

This photo was taken in 2009/2010 over the holidays while I was visiting my aunt Bonnie and Uncle Jack in Qatar with my parents and grandmother. Here my mom and grandma are taking the buggy for a leisure ride while dad, Uncle Jack and I take the quads into the desert on the sand dunes. While we were on this trip, this same day actually my grandma and I also went on a short camel ride. Did I mention that my grandma was in her early 80s on this trip?

My grandmother, the city girl turned northerner.

She was the youngest of 4 girls, until at the age of ten the family welcomed a new addition a baby brother. Over the years I have heard countless tales and antics of her younger years. Then in her late teens she met my grandfather, they married and my grandfather moved her away from her family and the city to this 'god forsaken middle of nowhere' northern town. One of my favorite tales is when my grandma said she spent her first year of marriage in tears nearly everyday, adjusting from city girl to rugged northerner wasn't easy. My grandfather would often come home from work curious to see what crazy antics my grandma had gotten into that day.

My grandparents had 2 boys just over a year apart in age. They would have had more children if my grandmother wouldn't have been so sick after my uncle was born. My favorite story of when my dad and uncle were younger is that my dad was bugging his little brother and I guess really annoying the shit out of him, so little jack went into my grandmothers sewing basket got a needle and poked my dad with it. LOL. instant quiet! My dad didn't like needles, still doesn't, but when he was little he used to faint when he got stuck with one. Uncle Jack sure had some smarts on how to get his older brother to be quiet. Bet at times my grandmother wished she could have poked my dad with a needle to hush him up now and then.

My Uncle and Aunt didn't have any children, and my parents just had the two of us. But fortunately my grandmas extented family -her sisters and brothers are some of my favorite cousins amoung my giant extended family. This Thanksgiving weekend I'm going south to celebrate the holiday with her sister June's family. My decision of going south this weekend was simple, why stay in town and fake it through the weekend with my family and the tension between sister-in law, Kelsie and me when I can go south to be with family that I can be myself and who are glad to see me there. Plus I really do enjoy being around Great-Aunt June's family. And if its something I've learned in the past year is that life is short, and we never have as much time as we think we do.

A year ago October 1, my grandmother passed away. It was completely unexpected, in fact the day before Kelsie and I had gone to dinner with her, then her and I went shopping, little did I know that would be the last little shopping trip I'd have with her.

My grandmother lived her life with no fear, nothing to look back on and say, I should have done this or that. If she wanted to do something she did it. She was adventurous, outgoing, the complete polar opposite of shy. She was kind, fun, generous, chatty, upbeat, friendly with a carefree spirit. Things I can only hope to strive to become more like.

My grandmother was the last of my grandparents to pass on. And though I know my grandmother patiently waited 11 years to be re-joined my my grandfather in eternity I am glad to have gotten those 11 years to fill with more memories. I was blessed in my life to have gotten to know 5 grandparents when others don't get that opportunity.  Nanna and Poppa; my mom's parents, Grandma and Grandpa; dad's parents, and Great-Grandma; my grandmother's mum.