The time Pyrex saved me

  I might as well share

 when I heard that I lost my job...I was alone in the house...and I started to hyperventilate....and God knows what else....I was super scared I was going to have a heart attack...but I managed to calm down...by pacing in my house and opening  the front door...and then openeing the back door and taking DEEP breaths....

And I needed to find a happy place....

And I did! I had to look at my Pyrex hoard.....and I had to dig out some Turquoise Snowflake pieces and make a quick display. 

And that made me feel so much better. 

Have a great evening

OMG

The house SOLD, the house SOLD, the house SOLD!!!!!!

What? What? What?

And it sold in less than 2 months...which is freaking amazing considering the price point.

All the stress fell and we caught this freak cold...If a cold and the flu had a love child!

That really kicked our butts...all the while trying to pack boxes, boxes and more boxes and trying to deal with the balance of my dad's stuff.

and working full time....so it was good times all around!

This is also a very emotional time as I am purging, cleaning and finding this I was not aware of.

 My Dad was as shy as he was exuberant...Yes it happens

When he told me he had been nominated for an Emmy award for Cirque du Soleil's Dralion

he also told me he would not go and pick it up in L.A.

This is when he received it at his workshop.

 I took this picture from the TV.

I was watching the documentary that was released 

the year after his death. It was like visiting with him.

 This picture is from Google. He was in his early 20's.

His teachers had him pegged as a fashion designer

but he loved the theater.

So selling his house and moving is a huge thing but

it was a necessary thing.

I do not see our life as scrimping and scraping trying to get by 

, to pay insurance and those crazy municipal taxes....

So of my Dad's friends do not approve...

And to those people I say fiddledee!

And to this fuzzy bellied cat I say hello gorgeous!

Yoda loves to sleep on her back! 

When we move in my Dad's house we only bought

a sofa and a staked washer and dryer for small places.

this move we needed a kitchen table and we wanted a Tulip table

but after seeing the prices we opted for a lookalike not really Tulip table

 and those will be our dining room chairs. we decided to

refurbish our old chairs for the kitchen.

And after trying 50 plus sofas we decided to keep the 60's black vinyl

3 seater and put foam and new vinyl on it.

 Last week on a buy and trade Facebook site, I read

the message of a young woman who had recently separated and had 

2 kids and she was looking for this we could donate.

So I gave her these. She was so grateful and happy and I did not have to list them and deal with

weird classified buyers...

 I had to empty my freezer and look what I found...

pork chops from 2015! and they are not even freezer burned! 

WHAT???

I am my parents daughter and I will thaw them out and cook them.

My mother was a penny pincher and even if Dad loved to splurge he was really cheap on food!

 We also got through our first move.

Yes we will have 2 moves.

All my Dad's nativity is moved, 50 boxes, all the wood working tools

the freezer, the extra fridge and some furniture.

So that clears a lot of extra place for new boxes!

Seeing this makes me so happy, I feel tingly all over!

We have a red room right now and we love it, so this was 

a no brainer!

I just fined baking Dixie's Orange Cake from 

Pyrex prize recipe. This was a challenge from the Facebook group Pyrex and everything vintage!

NAILED IT!

That's it for tonight...Suddenly I am very, very tired

Take care faithful readers!

Rollercoaster

it is in these times that I cannot deny I suffer from mental illness.

Friday I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of life and yesterday I had a panic attack and Dan had to talk me down.

In case you need an update....in October 2018 we visited a duplex in Verdun, fell in love, bought it , and that meant I needed to sell my huge house on Le Plateau mont Royal.
House is on the market, we accepted an offer, inspection is in 3 days and I am freaking out because I fear the buyers might change their minds and be stuck with 2 houses....

Since then we went on a road trip to Ottawa, Ontario, had a great meal, thrifted but I did not find anything...On the plus side my Pyrex eagle eye is as honed in as ever! I can spot a piece of Pyrex a hundred yards away!

 All the following pictures are random, no real theme here.

My cat Yoda is not a cuddle but suddenly there is cuddle action..

WHAT???

 Are there any old time SNL fans here? If so I am sure you will appreciate

these Ambiguously Gay Duo action figures I spotted in one of my neighbor's

window. I love their sense of humor and would sure like to meet them before

I go. 

 My Dad picked up those 2 Italian funeral ornements quite a long

time ago, I remember them from my childhood. They were in his office.

and now I have them. the beading work is amazing but this is a kind of craft not everybody

is confortable with....

 I have seen this Empire dresser most of my life. It is a thing of amazing beauty

and I was oh so very happy that my BFF Jean-Francois wanted to give it

a good home.

It is now living on the north shore of Montreal.

On a newer note, i spotted these Vintage inspired Pyrex pieces

at the dollar store. I know, I know the quality is iffy but I like the design...

Okay I got one!

And by the way...today I feel so much better, so in control. 

so Que Sera, Sera...what ever will be will be

the future's not ours to see Que Sera, Sera!

so my friends, my faithful readers...if you feel scared, anxious, panicky...

please reach out to someone.

There should not be any stigma about mental illness .

 Most of us suffer from it one way or another

stay safe, stay thrifty

2018 Recap part 2

Starting in June it was PURGE time!

and I started selling stuff in the classified.

 My Dad collected Flameware from Pyrex...so all I did't want I listed on Facebook

 You can't tell but underneath the kitty and the throw was

a beautiful Mid-Century report turquoise chair.

It was beautiful but so uncomfortable!

I hope the new owners are happy with it!

 Just a small collection of my Dad's pitchers

I found a good home for them...

 This beautiful Teak leaf table was listed on the classified and 

went to a good home.

We sold 2 of these chairs and kept the third one.

we also sold patio furniture, a smoker, a planer, a router with bits...

and a Queen duvet cover, a pink coffee maker....

and much stuff I am forgetting about!

So right now I am too tired to continue....Sorry

balance of recap hopefully tomorrow!

It is live!

So I am so excited that my house is finally on the market!

The photograph did an amazing job! I was so stressed, cleaning and purging and not sleeping.

It is one thing to whip up our space up to par...but we had to motivate my stepdaughter as well!

I do understand that it is not easy and a lot of the stuff is still my Dad's because there was just too much....

 Sometimes I forget that I have some Gooseberry fridges!

I think they are lovely!

I don't think I ever saw this counter top so uncluttered!

It looks so big!

Skeleton Bob is keeping warm despite the freezing weather...

I wonder what the potential buyers will think of that....

Of course I wanted to post pictures of the house but they are not in the laptop yet!

But I figured out the secret....I need to open the laptop everyday!

Just in case

of course I had every intention of blogging every day but as usual life is busy, busy, busy.

we are taking a lot of life changing decisions and during the Holiday season it sure can throw a wrench in someone's Holiday planning!

so even if I dropped a couple of Holiday treats from this year's roster like caramel corn and cranberry fudge....

I am still churning out the classics ...gingerbread, pferffernusse (pepper gingerbread), Xmas candies and candy cane meringues.

and fruit squares and mini butter tarts for Xmas supper at the inlays.....

today I will share my candy cane meringue kiss recipe...very simple in case you are missing a cookie on your cookie plate...

you will need:

4 egg whites room temp
1 cup super fine sugar (I use powdered sugar)
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
crushed candy cane


set your oven to 170F or lower if you can

start whipping the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add salt and cream of tartar
continue whipping and gradually add the sugar.
whip until you get glossy firm peaks, add the vanilla. blend well
use 2 teaspoons to form little kisses on a parchment lined cookie tray. sprinkle crushed candy cane on top.
bake 2 hours with the oven door slightly ajar. after 2 hours turn off the oven but keep the oven door ajar to let the meringues time to dry.

 These are always a bit hit on our Xmas table!

ENJOY!!!

October???

last 2 weeks f August flew by....and so did September.

The temps are cooler, praise the Lord!

All I did this summer was sweat....I swear!

 This is my kitchen wall, the only one without cabinets.

My Dad had knife magnets installed, more than 20 years ago.

For some reason, I always have been skittish about using theThis m....

but after 3 years, I guess i am used to them...

This mug made me crack up...

I wish I pooped glitter!

 One of the last things I sold ....it makes room in the yard and fattened a bit the vacate fund.

 Bob Ross has a game named after him!

Who knew the guy was such an icon???

 On my way back to work from a doctor's appointment

I snapped this beautiful and intriguing fountain.

that sight really made my day!

                                Cleaning the carport, I opened a box and spotted these Pyrex treasures....
                                I am not ashamed to proclaim that I brought them back inside!
                                They appeared at my one and only garage sale in 2016.....
                                 They did not sell.....



So far the water feature is closed, the front steps have been repainted and I removed the weeds from the front of the house....

Next weekend it is Canadian Thanksgiving...and we plan to close both fountains and plant the perennials I purchased. And slowly closing the flower borders for the winter.

Maybe we feast and give thanks with oysters...or a roast...I have no idea yet

Stay safe,warm and happy my faithful readers

See you soon!

lemons and lemonade

Since I last posted a lot of things happened.....

I got my back stairs and railing grinder and repainted. I looks so clean!

I invited a company specializing in crawl spaces to fix mine! no more humidity, mold and saggy floors....

and we had the kitchen and main bathroom repainted and agin it looks so clean. In retrospect Dad had neglected interior paint and was a fan of the color dingy!

The kitchen is not finished yet and I can't wait to share with you all. There will be a lot of Pyrex and vintage goodies!

We got a graffiti on the stone in front of the house about a year ago...and I
thought the city was supposed to remove it....

this week someone glued eyes on it WHAT??? we laughed so hard! To think someone saw the graffiti and said oh it needs goggly eyes!

so we are pretty much done for the rents for the time being...Dan is always tired because of the meds and I can't do everything and work full time so things are taking a lot of time to get done....

Last Thursday my employer announced  a 700 job cut in Canada (except Nova Scotia)...Since then it has been pandemonium in the office! every body is speculating and freaking out generally from 7 am to about 11 am.

it makes it very difficult to concentrate and work. I am not worried because I have been through this before twice with the big telecom company and I think it is a waste of energy to be flopping like a fish out of the aquarium. The first stage is voluntary departure with incentives....

I am not even considering this....I am too young and like I told my boss I am here for the long haul and if they fire me they will have to pry the laptop from my dead cold hands....and that I am willing to learn anything.

by the way...my boss is a new boss , she is charming and lives in Nova Scotia. Lucky girl!
having a leader in another province is quite weird....but like everything I will get used to it!

well that was a lot of information all squeezed in that post!

One last thing...one of my neighbors installed a help yourself

herb garden! How sweet is that?

Seen around

Life is pretty good right now.

I try my very best to do everything right at work, 

to cook light, healthy and low salt....

But I must confess...it is not always a success...

last night I cooked a supper that tasted of nothing even if I put effort in it!

OH WELL! LOL 

IT HAPPENS!

 Look closely ....the 2 whippets have onesies...

WORD

 This bowl is so sad....

I did not bring it home

 Found a new friend for my pink friend....

The pink one is vintage. The green one came originally from 

the dollarsatore was priced at $1.50...the sticker was on the bottom

but I got her at Goodwill (Renaissance) for 75 cents

so a win for me!

So this picture I did not bother turning because sometimes a girl

is just tired....

This is a mold/casserole that I found in one of my Dad's crate

Someone identified it on Facebook but I forgot the name...

I am in a weird place mentally...I don't know why or how

Have a great night peeps

hugs to all!

New finds

So February in Canada means a visit to the financial adviser or contributing to your RRSP

if you have one.

I don't really like parting from my hard earned cash but in the long haul but

I will get a tax reduction...

Near the financial adviser's office there is a Value Village!

Of course I had to stop!

Scored these vintage new Horizons Blue Pyrex Fridgies for

a big ol' $3.97 canadian! woot

Now I am on the hunt for the Horizons Blue 503....

Seen Around

Last Saturday there was a vintage church basement sale in Montreal.

I told Dan about it and he said I wanna go!

So off we went!

 Let's start of with a declaration! 

I need a plastic ottoman with plastic flowers in it!

That is seriously sweet!

 I do love a spaghetti lamp....but I had 2 in my apartment.

 Canisters are always a fave of mine....

I have no idea why I took this picture....lol 

 I was tempted by these milk

 pitchers, however I felt they were too expensive

 I should've grabbed this ashtray...but I did not

and it was only $5

Oh well live and learn...

This is what I came home with.

a Pyrex Citrus Daisy loaf pan and 2 cool glasses.

We really had fun but were really glad to come home!

Sleep tight!