Sunday Skating.

We spent today purging closets and taking the items we no longer need or use but still have life in them over to the charity shop for donation. I counted 18 big garbage bags full to the top. That's a lot of stuff that left our house today. Just 2 bags of garbage went out to the bin. I'm so excited to see our home emptying as we get ready for the building of our new home and eventually the sale of this one. It's a bigger house but we'll  have less stuff in it. 

Tonight we're off to skate at the pond at our rec centre. Our little guy is so determined to be a hockey player and step one is helping him learn to skate. He's taking lessons on Friday nights and then we all head to the pond to practice. It's working as he's getting steadier each time. We're getting in shape. And we have fun!

Did you skate as a child?

Do you skate now as an adult?

Concert Hangover!

From the Urban Dictionary: A concert hangover is similar to a drinking hangover, but the main cause is instead, a music concert. Experienced the day after with symptoms such as headache, loss of hearing, sensitivity to light, loss of voice, sore throat anda very  achy body. Normally goes away within a day or two. 

P!NK was an amazing concert last night but we are suffering the effects today. Just proves that we are far too old to be going to concerts!!

Looking forward to hopefully feeling better tomorrow .... shhhhhh! Don't talk so loud!!

Tiny Hockey Player!

Tiny skates. 

Tiny helmet.

Tiny 3 year old hockey player.

That's our grandson!!

Falling Behind.

One of my hopes for 2014 was to write daily in my blog, even if it's just a small snippet of daily life here in our little house in the big woods. I started quite nicely, creating a total of 7 blog posts in 6 short days. And then life happened!

My parents bought a beautiful time share back in 1993, which they used all the time and even gifted us several trips that we were so grateful to receive. When you have a house full of small children and a frugal budget, the opportunity to get away is heavenly! But in time, she stopped traveling and we found our own peace of heaven to visit, so it wasn't getting used as much. Then the company had some issues, ended up in court and had to sell, so all the terms changed and the fees went up drastically, beyond my mom's retirement budget. She tried to see her unit but it wouldn't sell as all the owners were trying to get out at the same time. Then the owners offered a buy out with a huge fee attached. My mom fussed for months without telling us her  dilemma, which was keep paying the ridiculous fees or accept the buyout. She talked with her lawyer and then made the decision, even though it meant her meager savings would be down to nil. Finally, in a moment of desperation, she contacted me, as she needed both my brother and I to sign off on the forms to accept the buyout as well. I went to her house on Friday afternoon, with a bouquet of flowers and some fruity danishes for our tea. We went over the forms and immediately I knew something was out of place. I called the company and discovered that the amount my mom thought she had to pay was actually not what she needed to send to end this mess. I confirmed the correct amount with the rep, then called back again, talked to a second individual who confirmed the details that the first shared with us. Got off the phone, showed my mom the correct figure and she burst in to tears. Such a worry she's carried and now she can sign off this burden without draining her entire savings account. We now have an agreement in place that any financial decisions that cause her to worry she needs to contact me so that I can make sure she's not being taken advantage of. The scary part of all this is if she had not confided in me and just sent the funds, they would have kept the amount instead of letting her know it was too much. Crooks! But now all is well and tomorrow, the documents go in the mail. Done. Fini! Yeah!!

Now we can get back to life again and stop worrying. One less thing for her to pay for each year and I'm hoping she'll consider taking the amount she was setting aside for this payment and put it in to her savings each month. Build it back up and take a trip when she's ready to again. 

Silent Day.

I "borrowed" this picture from the internet tonight. It truly reminds me of how I felt today, all day, until everyone was home again. Free, alone yet peaceful. For the last 2.5 weeks, everyone has been home from work and school. I love having everyone around, especially on weekends and always in the evening. But I equally love my Mondays after a weekend when everyone leaves me alone for the day. 

Today was just what my heart, my soul and even my body needed! I cleaned, purged out all the boxes and gifts from under the tree, made my lunch, then dinner for everyone else, baked banana bread, took pictures, wrote alot, folded laundry, watched a show, then fell asleep for a little nap. Tonight, I feel rested, relaxed and rejuvenated. I go back to work for 2 days on Wednesday, so this break has been heavenly. 

In this busy, crazy, hectic world, we all need some down time. I've always loved Mondays, the feeling of a new week exciting and purposeful. It's even sweeter after a holiday and today, I felt so grateful for this day, just for me!

How was your first Monday for January?

Frozen.

We woke up to - 38 degrees celcius today.

But that didn't stop us from venturing out in the frost. We bought new paint brushes and a sketch book for me at the art store, pasta bows, sauce and swiss cheese for tonight's dinner from the grocery store, screws and anchors to finish our "gallery" wall from the hardware store, with a final stop at the library for more books to keep our spirits high during this winter low. 

How did you deal with the cold today?

A Moment of Calm.

Our weather here in Western Canada has not been as bad as the East, or down in the U.S., or across the sea in Great Britain. It's quite cold and tonight very windy but at least not blizzard strength. Thankful that our winter has not been bad at all, compared to other parts of the country and around the world. Thinking of everyone who is dealing with extreme weather this winter.

We were out for a bit earlier today and this evening, dh went off to a hockey game with his buddy but the rest of the day was cozy in our warm home. 

Tonight, we had a bit of a lull when the wind calmed for a short time. I looked outside our family room window and realized how beautiful our yard looks with the snow drifted across the landscape. I can't wait to see what it looks like in the morning. 

Here's what it looked like, just before the wind picked up again. Now we're nestled in our bed, listening to the wind swirl the snow outside. Comforting to be home, cuddled up and safe.

Wherever you are, 

I hope your weather is calm and warming!

Passport Picture Day!

We took a big step towards our proposed

Disney trip that we'd like to take with

our daughter and grandson this spring.

Today, we all got our Passport Pictures taken.

Each of us had 1 take. Our guy, B, had a few

extra shots taken. The photographer was great!

She let him laugh and be giggly at the beginning.

Then, on cue, he was able to hold a serious

shot, with his head square, eyes open, 

mouth closed and no hint of a smile. 

He nailed it! 

Now we take it in and see if the Passport office

agrees that it's quite the handsome picture!!

This boy ....

 .... loves that his name starts with his favorite 

letter "B". All day long we have to trace his name, 

making sure to always start with a "big B"!

He spotted his letter at our store and

we had to stop to take his picture!

Our sweet "B"!!

He keeps us laughing. 

Wish me luck ....

.... we're getting ready to go shopping! We, who never shop on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day or New Year's Day or any other holiday, yes, we are going shopping today! More than anything, we need to get out of the house but it's bitterly cold outside, so our two choices are to stay in and watch hockey on tv or head to the mall and walk around. None of us enjoy crowds but staying inside one more day might make us a bit stir crazy! Or homicidal!!

My mom gave us money to buy new fluffy towels for our master bathroom and I have some great gift cards to use. Tons of sales right now. We've decided to venture out but if the crowds are crazy, we can head home. An adventure and something different for us on the 1st day of 2014!

Happy 2014!!

Wishing you and your family a

New Year of life, love and luck.

Happy 2014!!