Boxing Day

will I go shopping on Boxing Day?

NO a big N-O NO. I don't like crowds and I don't need anything! How nice is that!

I have enough food in the fridge and freezer for a couple of days....

Besides I'm just interested in getting reduced wrapping paper.

The good stuff is expensive! I like the hallmark one with the lines on the back for easier cutting.

I was able to drag my butt out for an hour long walk....

I was thankful I chose my warmest coat because it windy and cold- Minus 11 celsius or 12.2 Fahrenheit.

After my walk.....I just vegged out , like this!

I did't buy wrapping paper....I bought lemons and veggies.

We had a lot of freezing rain....the sidewalks are skating rinks!

The sofa beckons again....Have a great evening!

New Chapter

So we've arrived at a new chapter in our lives.

My stepdaughter and her boyfriend and her fur babies moved in downstairs. We had the pleasure of babysitting them on Friday.

 The girls are getting used to the new surroundings.

 Since we are in the middle of the city I had to reserve parking with my

move (demenagement) poster.

After a hard day's work we just had to have a

 Champagne toast to our new lives.

Cheeseburger fixin's

Dad would be so happy to have family nearby.

sleep tight

In the garden

My Dad's house has a special garden.

It is a secret oasis. I have been told that people could never imagine that this kind of place existed in Montreal...

 Meghan is enjoying quiet time on her private island...

 A quiet green haven

 Do I spy a pink flamingo?

I love hearing the cool gurgling of the cat's fountain.

Yes my Dad had this fountain installed for his cats...

I have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that this is my garden....

The accountant/executor is being a total mean lady and doesn't share info at ALL

I am worried that she doesn't follow the steps as she should.....

this adds up to my anxiety BIG TIME!

If you are looking for me...I will be by the fountain chilling....

Looking back

I knew i had to do a post on 2015.

What can I say? What can I write?

In a nutshell we sold the house. Getting it ready was A LOT OF WORK! We needed to fix some things to make it sellable.
We should've put some money aside every year to keep it up to date but we did not.
 So it was a race to the finish.

I am proud of what we accomplished, all tose DIY shows paid off in the long run. They still do as a matter of fact.

The experience we gained a homeowners is priceless and we use it nearly every day! every week Dan  says : I am so glad I didn't get rid of MY tools!!!!

Lol that is priceless.

One thing is for sure that we are not hoarders.....we were able to get rid of so much! And still continue to do so.


I have no new pictures to share because of a computer problems ....it can't find a network....

I still miss the house once in a while, but not really if you know what i mean. I miss the cats I lost    

mostly....Donald, Tipi, Paloo, Bobbit, Pinotte, Guizoo and Bob. Lots of love. Lots of memories.

But that is just part of life and having pets.

2016 should be FANTABULOUS!!! i feel great, energized, ready to soar

I subscribed to Appartment Therapy's January Cure and so far so good

I am looking forward to thrift galore and a smogasborg of garage sales

I haven't picked out a word for 2016. It is quite a trend this year on Facebook.
But I think those sites that pick a word for you are a sham.
How can you just give your first name and get a word that will guide your whole

Oh well, if it helps people....

On this note I want to thank everybody that left a comment, took the time to read, I really appreciate it.


See you soon dear friends!

And so the displays begin

It is nothing definitive. We are still unpacking all those boxes....

But it is going were well.

Yesterday we started working on the displays....

 The plan is....

Books, Pyrex, barware, knicknacks

So far so good.

Bandito loves it here....

The commute is around 25 minutes.....LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Be well my friends 

50 cents

When I dropped off 2 boxes of goodies at Brockville's Sally Ann I found these delicious jiggers/shot glasses.

                                          They remind me of Fred Press items and they will be great in the new bar!

                                          Old drippy faucet....it took 2 hours to remove! OMG!
                                           All corroded under and screwed on way too tight!
                                           Surprise! I was the one who installed it!

                                          New non drippy faucet! LOVE!
                                          For me. drippy faucets are the same as holley socks....
                                          very poor looking....In Quebec I would say BS (bien etre social translated to wellfare) .....

                                          The cubbard doors are removed and in the basement waiting for some paint.

                                          But we do need to take a hint from the kitties....and take a nap once in a while!
                                           Take care!

Still Frozen

The weather has been frigid, so much so that I wear or carry thermal long-johns pretty much everyday.

Frozen pipes are epidemic. It seems we haven't had this cold a winter in 20 years....


So I wake up, go to work, come home, fix supper, watch tv and go to bed...And start all over again the next day.

I don't feel like packing things or fixing things because Dan is in full plastering and sanding mode!

 The snow is starting to really pile up...We don't see the pingouins anymore!

 This is the pile of boxes of stuff to keep (so far)....

                                          Bob thinks a nap is the way to go....

                                         And so does Bandito!
                                          But who doesn't love a warm sleepy kitty when the weather is frightful?
         
                                          I can't wait to do some HEAVY thrifting!

Great Sunday

I love weekends where everything seems to glide and flow effortlessy....

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about a lazy couch potatoey weekend but one where you suddenly get up from the couch and start taking care of business, slow and steady!

The meat pies are all wrapped up and frozen ready for future feasting. The burned out bulbs are replaced.

The basement door is insulated, the garden hose rolled up in the caddy (We bring the frozen hose down in the basement, let it defrost and rolled it up again so It is snug as a bug for winter).

Dan has been a busy bee cleaning out the basement and throwing away broken things. And I decided to start decorating inside!

 A nice and joyous winter scene....

                                      This is our new Xmas frame...It lights up!
                                             SWEET!

                                   As you can see Bandito is totally ignoring my decorating efforts!
                                   He is content to bask in the keyboard's soft heat....

I am now working on a blowmold scene.....Stay tuned!

Sometimes you thrift

Last saturday I had high hopes because we were going to an anual basement church sale....

In the past years we bought chairs, cool items for the store and blow molds galore!

Now this year I spent only 25 cents and got this

 It was pretty crudy and my better half just looked at me increduously...

Really? You're going to buy this?

 

 I got this vintage cookie tin for a .50 cents

 

                                 And this one too!
 

                                          And I fell in love with these little paint by number guys
                                          for $2. Sweet!
                                          And we did most yard sales between my boondock and
                                           Brockville, Ont.

                                           So everything for $3.25 and I got to donate a lot of overflow...
                                            4 boxes a big basket and a lampshade.

                                           Next time I'll post some pics I took from this road trip!

So sad

I'm sorry I've been M.I.A for the last seven days. This was not intentional.

On July 12th we got news that Dan's mom Rejeanne, passed away.

This made for a lot of mixed feelings even if we knew for quite a while that this was inevitable.

Rejeanne was a joyful, happy woman; she loved cats, she loved food,sugar,reading, crosswords,antiques and bacon!

                                 Here's Rejeanne petting Yoda in 2007.

                                I think this is one of the last pictures of her before the Alzheymer was too severe and she had to go and live in a center.
                              
                                 Be well Rejeanne you are with your husband and your kitties now; be safe; we will be thinking about you and remembering all the good times.

Cute

Yesterday we hopped in th car and headed to Ontario; Morrisburg to be more exact. There's a flea market on Sundays....Every Sunday from 8 to 4...

I didn't take a lot of pictures, because how many ictures of overpriced Pyrex can you see? Really?

We didn't buy anything; we were looking for some thrifty battery operated camping lanterns and didn't find some.

On the way home we stopped in Long Sault to a flea called the Market Place, some of our furniture comes from there.

I saw this and have to take a picture!

 

Aren't these tackylicious yet adorable?

 

I'm already regretting leaving them!

 

Oh well!

 

Maybe they'll still be there when we go back!

 

Be well

Bad News, Good news

I was really surprised when my neighbor's son knocked on the door yesterday....First of all he knocked and we never get visitors.

He asked me if I recognized him and my first thought was that he was going to tell me that his Mom died . But thank god he just came to tell me that his Mom wanted me to have her old dishes and that she was moving.

Now this lady is my favorite neighbour and it feels real good to have her next door and she was the cats babysiter.

But really I didn't think about the cats, I only was sad about seeing her leave...

Here's somethings she gave me:

This a sweet, sweet ashtray, you know how I LOOOOOOVE ashtrays!

 

Onion Soup dishes with plates

Made in Canada

 

A Glasbake casserole with warmer

 

 

I love this reamer but the maker escapes me....

 

There're plenty of other treasures but I didn't have time to take pictures.

 

I hope to show you more soon!

 

  

Monday...sigh

Not a big fan of Mondays....except those on vacation!

So today was a slomo d of day, where everything is complicated and slow moving. It happens!

But whenever I feel blue I think of my furry faces!

 

Yoda loves the snow and running in it; which explains the snow on her adorable face.

 

 

Gotta go I need to be rested for tomorrow

Puuurrrr

This will be a quick post because it is almost time for the ice pack application....lol

My back is better, thanks for your good wishes. My chiro visit went well, but I need to ice, ice baby!

I guess that dates me!

I caught 2 of my guys naping the other day...

 

Bob on the right and Bandito on the left.

They're getting to be great pals, but Bandito finds Bob plays a little rough...

 

But is a great nap pal!

 

Be well

 

We need extra blankets here as it is almost minus 30 celsius and that is minus 22 farenheit.

 

YIKES!

 

Calling all cats upstairs for canoodling! PRONTO!  

I'm SO excited I'm GONNA THROW UP!

Why you might ask?

because.....I GOT THE JOB AND I'M STARTING MONDAY!

Maybe it's because I used the word wackadoodle....

The question was: How do you deal with conflict? And I answered: Well I will definitely talk to the person I'm having a conflcit with to try to resolve the matter, however, if there's no talking to her and that person is a wackadoodle I might ask some help from the supervisor.

You know what is really cool too? I will still be able to thrift and go to the Salvation Army every Thrusday after work....Delicious!

I will miss the cats for sure!

Gotta go I need to check my work wardrobe! LOL

I'm still alive!

I'm sorry I didn't post much this week. As you know I'm looking for a job and got a call Wednesday for an interview on Thrusday. So I was quite stressed out and frantic; checking out the wardrobe, researching the company, checking my CV, preparing my bag etc....
 The interview went quite well, I made them smile and laugh (don't know if it was a good thing) and even managed to use the word wakadoodle (that might not have been a good idea! lol). I should hear from them next week. In any case it's a learning experience.

Thrusday afternoon I was able to visit the Salvation Army (no I didn't take pics of my treasures yet). And went to my dance class at night. I was totally super duper tired yesterday (add mother nature's gift on top of it). I didn't do anything yesterday.

I watched episodes of Six feet under. ALL DAY! LAZY,LAZY GIRL! The cats were really happy about this and napped all over the living room....

Don't bother me PLEASE!

ZZZZZZZZ!

Yawning and stretching

I'm watching tv with mom.

We're having supper with friends and we're supposed to hang out by the fire outside and even eat ice cream in the snow.

It seems it's something often enjoyed in Russia.

I was asked to bring dessert....a Queen Elizabeth cake. The cake has dates in it and there's a baked frosting with coconut and walnuts....Decadent!

Have a great afternoon :)

Things I've made

Well it's one of those days, where I want to post but don't really know what about. I had a post all ready about eBay sellers and shipping...quite abrasive I must say.

In short : eBay and Etsy sellers, when a buyer (me) asks for FIRST CLASS SHIPPING  we mean First Class shipping. And I'm no idiot, I know what a Pyrex bowl weighs and I know that Canada is in group 1 and I can understand the USPS web site quite well! So don't quote me 30.00$ shipping for a 16 oz bowl ok??? Even if you wrap it with rocks, it will be around 10.00!!!
I know I sell stuff on eBay and on Etsy, don't try to fool me!!!

WOW! that feels good! So next I want to welcome my newest follower: Missouri Michael from Cul-De-Sac Shack . A delightful retro blog, Michael. Thanks for stopping by.

Next I feel I must also thank Sandy (AKA Doris he Great) from Aging Disgracefully for blogging about these sweet,sweet solar LAMPS. Today I took the bus and bought 6; if I like the effect at night I will go and buy some more 2morrow. They are adorable and for 2.49$ each quite a steal (and you can buy them in CANADA!!!)

Ok now things I've made:

Tofu: That was a lot of work for nothing....but it tasted quite good! All that boiling and steeping and mashing when you can buy a brick of tofu anywhere for 1.99$

Sausage: I love these and even if they are time consuming; I know what's in them....No cow poo or listeria...You've seen the insides of my water bottles....I'm still freaking out about this!
I make a mean Italian sausage and a meaner breakfast patty.

Beer: I loved my homemade beer except that the fart factor was humongous. This was time consuming but worth it as well. I stopped making beer because I couldn't control the temperature in my old drafty under insulated house.

Assorted cordials and liquors: I love making these, but nobody ever drinks them...except once in a blue moon....The Limoncello was horrible you could remove paint from old furniture with this....

Jewelry: I went cuckoo for jewelry a couple of years ago and took some courses. I probably don't have any talent because I can't sell most of my creations. But I still make some necklaces and earring for myself and my friends.

Bread: This is fun, but I never quite obtained the results I want....I tried the no knead variety but I had to warm my oven so high I thought my house would burn down....

The quilt: well I've been working on this one for....5 years??? I work on it a couple hours then I forget about it for months! When I lost my job it was on my to do list....2 years ago. So this is still a work in progress! 

Home Canning: It took me quite a while to master, but now I can make some blackberry jam (from my garden) without spazzing out! I discovered canning in 1997; I lost my job then too and I discovered that I suffered from an advanced case of squirrelitis ( must build humomgous stocks of food). The joke was that if the cats didn't move I would try to can them.....

Well that's it for now...I didn't really have pick from my projects (the were lost in the big computer burnout of 2009) so I inserted cat pics. The small grey one in the tent (my avatar) is Yoda she's all grown now (she was named by my SD who is a Star Wars nut) and the beautiful boy in the hostas is Boubou.

Have a great weekend! I hope I get to thrift...I'm definitely an addict! I itch all over.....