just a bit of fun, food, roads, and it's a date

1 We have a bit of fun just puttering around and then we're off on our dump date. He loads up the truck and trailer with branches from a tree we've "pruned", and pruned harshly, and we are off!
2 I have a chance to whip up a pot of turkey chow mien with our leftovers. It's perfect and light for our late afternoon meal.
3 The roads are wet but not too slippery on my way to work. I'll see what it's like when I leave in a few hours. So thankful for good solid winter tires. 
3a I miss the kidlets and all of their noise, but we are recruited to watch them on Tuesday so Daddy and Mummy and their other grampa can take in a movie. What will we plan to do with them? 

the last six days

1 Mr P is packed up and ready to head home. It's a long drive. Sixteen hours, so he'll do it in two days.
2 We chit chat over the phone and find him the perfect out of the way place to stay. It's plain and simple, but clean and with a continental breakfast.
3 I make a big dent on my Christmas gift wrapping and gift making!
4 The idealistic me wants to make all sorts of things for everyone, but the practical side of me tells me to think real. I narrow down my selections and feel relief instantly.
5 Making a gingerbread house with Izzy. I love how she says, "I just love Grampa so much."

6 While we are making the gingerbread house, Kesler has found the train Christmas tree ornament along with little village we've put up. He meticulously checks each one out, carefully put one away before taking a new one.
7 It's time for a kitty. We have mice in our basement and they are not welcome!
8 The grandkidlets have a sleepover and in the morning are bursting with energy. Soon the hats, coats, gloves and boots are on and they're exploring the front yard.
9 Izzy finds the sand pile and soon both kids are wielding shovels and pails.
10 I'm glad there's no snow. It's nice to enjoy warmer weather after the long bitter cold snap we just had.
11 Grampa and Izzy get busy making pine cones for the birds. Lots of effort goes into getting the right amount of peanut butter and seeds as well as choosing the perfect length of string for hanging.
12 Mr P has patience. He hasn't been around kids a lot, never had any of his own, so it's a new and sometimes overwhelming experience for him. Still, he has patience.
13 Kes does really quite well despite being overwhelmed with sights and sounds from the busy Christmas morning. He's not ready to face the world yet, and hides his face in mommy and then daddy's shoulders.
14 Our Christmas dinner, well the turkey part is created and boned and served by the one and only Mr P. He follows the directions perfectly and it's a lovely golden brown and the stuffing - delicious!
15 Santa brought Izzy and Kes a few things in their stockings at our home. They each got a battery operated guitar! Kes loves music. Kesler carefully touches each button to hear the sounds. Izzy touches them all at once and dances all over the living room in complete abandon.
15a Chris had taken Izzy to the Dollar Store for Christmas shopping. She was so excited for each gift that she had chosen and each gift was perfect for the person. I'm amazed at the perceptiveness for a four and a half year old.
16 Izzy catches us smooching, grins and says, "You're married. Come on over here and dance. Rock it you guys."
16a Bath time for the little ones after dinner brings the energy level down a notch or two. At least for a little bit. Soon it's time for pumpkin pie and topping and we ride the sugar high.

17 After dinner we talk online with Nick and Sara. They look amazing, happy, cozy and we all get nostalgic. We show them the old home videos of Nick and Chris as toddlers and everyone has a good laugh.
18 Sara and Izzy sing songs to each other. Izzy chose a song from Frozen and Sara sang a Chinese lullaby to her.I look at the screen when Izzy is singing and see tears streaming down Sara's face and she's biting her bottom lip. They are lovely together.
19 The house is slowly being set to normal. The boxes are being filled with ornaments, gifts put away and baking goes into the freezer. All we have left are lights on the house and some turkey in the refrigerator.
20 Mr P likes his wifi weather station. He's putting it up and having fun playing with the install and putting the app on his phone.
21 It's quiet here. Just the sounds of the birds, the whirring of a washing machine down the hall and the sound of the keyboard.

cool, perks, hugs, stunning, magically hands, and stormy weather

1. The Coolest Thing About Gratitude
2 Working a half day and being done for a week! I purposely took off a full week to spend relaxing and having fun with family and friends. Casual employees get perks too!
3 I dropped off cards and gifts on Friday for my coworkers. How great to see them before the holidays and to get and give a hug or two.
4 Sam gave me a gorgeous hand crafted bracelet and earring set. So gorgeous I slept with it on! (ok just when napping but wow!) Thank you so much
5 The massage therapist did her magic on my back and neck. I was so congested it was a challenge to lie face down. She worked on my lymphatic system. Still stiff but better.
6 The rain and wind reminded me of living on the island. It seemed to come in gusts and every now and then I'd wake up from the loudness of the wind chimes, but it would lull me back to sleep as well.

time to go, help, information, no snow, christmas presents, and movie

1 This cold won't leave. I'm tolerating it for now. If it becomes too annoying (it already is) It'll have to leave out the front door, and no lingering.
2 A new friend has had the misfortune of breaking her ankle and is shuffling around her shop. It is endearing to see her husband go out of his way to help her.
3 He gives me the information I need to get downloading again. Darn that man is smart. Thanks Mr P.
4 Lots of flurries but none of it stays on the ground. I can see the snow line across the lake and it's making it's way down, but not today.
5 Cinnamon maple candied nuts, strawberry/cranberry sauce, and melted chocolate pretzels are all made. Took much longer than anticipated but done and ready for tags, ribbons and bows.
6 Watched "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". Chick flick and pure silliness. Why not?

the day, mac and cheese, little, wrapped up, tea, how many more sleeps?

1 My birthday is quiet and gentle. The kids come for a visit in the late afternoon and we have a chance to visit and watch the kidlets play.
2 Kesler loves mac and cheese. His face shows all his emotions and the anticipation is pure excitement.
3 Izzy and I share the chicken noodle soup. She says she's happy to have a little bowl with a little spoon for little girls.
4 I love the look of a package covered in simple brown wrapping paper. Crisp, clean and tidy.
5 Egyptian licorice tea. A nice big teapot that lasts the evening.
6 The countdown has started. Mr P is laid off as of Sunday night. I'm so looking forward to having him home. 6 more sleeps.

gripped, B, meds, healing hours, bday, voice and woohoo

1 Oh dear, this cold has me in it's grip. I'm resting and resting, drinking tea, and resting some more. I'm thankful for the peace and quiet of my home.
2 My friend, B has relocated to the area and is working at the hospital as well. We catch up over the phone and find out we have so much more in common that we even thought. How fun!
3 Medicine. Yes, I am very grateful for the medicine that is bringing some relief. Sorry to whine about my cold but hey some days it's difficult to find the positive. Okay, today's really hard, but I am here and hoping to turn the corner.
4 Twelve hours of sleep. Wow, that was amazing and healing.
5 It's my birthday today. I'm enjoying the Facebook messages, a couple of calls and texts and of course a visit from my family who brought me chicken noodle soup and tea. Love them.
5a Izzy says, "Grama, your voice sounds like a real Papa Bear." She means it's so deep I sound like what she thinks Papa Bear from the Berenstain books would sounds like!
5b Kesler is enthralled with the snow globe. It is definitely the train that runs underneath that he is drawn to.
6 Mr P calls and we have a fun and flirty (as flirty as I can be when I am sick) conversation. I'll be so happy when he's finally home.

massage me, where i sleep, and vitamin c

1 The massage therapist works on my back and neck and her warm hands work smoothly and with confidence. I like that the lotion she uses is non greasy and has no odour.
2 I slept on the couch by the fireplace, and in front of the warm fire and covered with a heated blanket, Toasty and relaxed.
3 Vitamin C. How great to find some in the crisper in the refrigerator. I sliced up a few and fed my cold.

Friday fun and not so fun

1 A busy day at work with a head cold. ugh, but I am grateful it's over and I made it through~
2 Our sweet Kesler turned 3 today! He had a small party with his family and I'll go over tomorrow and have some time with them to celebrate just a little bit more.
3 There was a lovely invitation to an Christmas party with one of the other jobs that I do as a casual. How very nice to be included even if I had to say no because I was working!

Wednesday and Thursday

1 We work well together. So well, in fact, that we don't even take our breaks!  But I like it, it works, like us :)
2 The dining room and kitchen island have turned into Santa's workshop lately. Lots of organizing, wrapping and mailing. One package gone to China, two more to go! Great to get it all done.
3 The women in the gift shop hide the items that I want to purchase on Friday so that I get 20% off! I love how they are so hush hush and yet still do it so I can get the discount.
4 We put on a nice buffet tonight. Our little meals have turned into full on meals and it's awesome. Tomorrow I am on my own...what shall I bring?
5 She comes all the way out to the house so that I can sign the paperwork to get the new hot water tank installed. We chat, just for a bit and I realize she's in desperate need of an ear and hug. She gets both.
6 Mr P is off of the hook. The poor man struggles every year because my birthday and Christmas are so close together and I have often said I prefer to have them separate. Really, it's such a small thing, and he has such lovely intentions. This year we will do it simpler and easier. I don't know if he gets it yet, but I'm hoping he will relax and just breathe.
7 Kes has a lovely wonderful exciting moment when he connected with another little one and they were playing together. It was magical.
8 Finding the perfect gift for Kesler's birthday.

who's Santa, kind words, and eat up

1 I met Peachland Santa today. His name is Tim and he owns the local hardware store. We chat for a bit and when I thank him he says, "Oh, I'll tell Santa when I talk to him!"
2 When I show Tim pictures of the kidlets we took with Santa he says of our grandson, " Oh I remember him, he didn't speak but his eyes were dancing."
3 We have a mini buffet tonight and share our treats with each other and others. Cheese, crackers, ham, olives, cucumber, fruits, banana bread, spinach croissant, nuts.....oh ya baby!

i like it, tree, and wheee

1 I loved the morning's agenda;  rise and shine, turn on the tree lights and fireplace, make coffee, call Gaile, enjoy.

2 It's feeling very Christmasy at home. I love how the two different types of lights make for a two toned tree.

3 We had a mini impromptu Christmas party in our office sharing treats that Sam made, some peanut butter bars, nacho chips, salt and vinegar nuts and lots of laughs.

Not so Silent Sunday

BCGEU Children's Christmas Party

Friday & Saturday

1 The roads are slick this morning and we see many cars unable to make it up various hills and exits along the route. Still we take time to drop off little chocolate advent calendars for the grandkidlets.
2 One last day of work then the weekend off. I am the only support staff in the office so it makes for a long but productive day. My final bit of work is arts and crafts. I make a lovely sign for the kidlets Christmas party.
3 Heading home the roads aren't much better. It was a night of freezing rain and very slick roads. Mr P likes to play in the snow so I bite my tongue when he uses the emergency brake to turn a corner here or there.
4 Breakfast with Santa

5 Izzy says to Santa, "I love you Santa," and he replies, "I love you too Isabelle, from the minute you were born." She suddenly is quiet and unsure of what to say next, but he quickly gives her a colouring book and chocolate and all is well again.
6 There was a magic show and she says her favourite part was when he put some ripped up paper into his mouth and pulled out this very long coloured paper. Kes liked the silver rings trick.

warm, warmer, crafty and craftier

1 It was cold at work yesterday so today I brought a big thick sweater. I wore it most of the day and felt grateful that I was toasty.
2 A big bowl of hot and sour soup. I love making this one. It's quick, easy and has just enough heat to make the upper lip sweat.
3 Making Christmas gifts is what I've wanted to do for some time now. Today, I got my supplies for a couple of the projects and got started. Woo hoo! Once again I'm out of my comfort zone.
4 Sending big hugs and warm wishes for a great, successful craft fair this weekend Sam!

work, rub it in, what's for dinner, time, phones, surprise me, and G

1 Work, work, work. Between the three casual jobs there just isn't enough down time. I'm determined to make some.
2 We had massage appointments tonight. Me first, then Mr P. Her hands touched my back and instantly I knew she was the perfect fit for me. My upper back has been giving me grief for a while now, so this is a start to healing.
3 P made me some pies. Apple, pumpkin and two lemon meringue. OMG, what a baker! We had pie for dinner!
4 We enjoy our time driving to and from work together. With only one car at the moment we have to be creative and so he drives me, does his errands, heads home to help the neighbour cut a tree or two and then picks me up.
5 We get our phones at Costco because we really like their return policy. I've had my phone sent in three times so they said they would be replacing it but when we get there the replacement is malfunctioning. I'm starting to freak out in my head, when all of a sudden the clerk says to me, "Come with me. Pick out any phone you like and we'll replace this one." Awesome!
6 Mr P has a wonderful surprise for me when we get home. He really likes having a shop and the move to this home has left him with only our double garage for a shop. Needless to say he's cleaned out half of it for me to park my car! Yay, no more sweeping and scraping, no more hauling kids and groceries in the cold and wind. I'm so blessed. Thankful for this special man.
6a G, I sure hope we can catch up soon. I received a lovely card from my best friend and yes, it was perfect, perfect timing and yes, I had a big smile.

Sunday, Monday

1 Izzy was really concerned that Grampa wouldn't be able to land at the airport. As we drove there she made up an amazing story about getting a little red and white plane and rescuing Grampa if his plane was in trouble. I asked her if she knew how to fly and plane and she responded with, "I have my license but I could use a little practice!"
2 Mr P is happy but tired and cold after a long flight in a very cold plane. He cranks the heat up to 28C and we break out in a sweat much sooner than I would have thought.
3 Peanut butter bars for Grampa!
4 Grampa takes the grandkidlets to a preschool program called Strong Start today. He says they both loved it and that Izzy was a real leader, Kes was happy playing in the rice table and with the marbles.
5 Baby it's cold out there. -15 C Yesterday the sun worked very hard to push through the clouds...here is what it looked like from our bedroom window.
6 The grand kids have gone home and the house is cleaned, and there is a strange quiet.