A BETTER (?) HAPPY NEW YEAR

Here we all are...Dec. 31/08 and looking to start another year. My hope for the world is that we all learn to share, stand up and be the hero we are capable of. Give a little in each relationship, follow the Golden Rule, share what we have, be less judgemental, less hard on ourselves, reach out and touch someone in a loving way....e.g. a compliment to a stranger, a friend, a relative. I don't want to get political as there are waaay to many warring factions around the world, so I will say to everyone....

'Please be a Hero and allow others to be one too."

WISHES

I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's almost heeeere!!!

So it's almost here (Christmas) and everything is in order....I think..hmmm, have I forgotten anything? Gifts are wrapped, some given out, some to give and the house looks clean and tidy. Oh, yes, make some bread to give to my excellent new neighbours. They moved in last April, had a little baby boy, Carter, a brother for 12 year old Cole and have been great. Sonia and Jeff, the parents have been busy spruceing up the house and garden and their efforts have been apparent. My other next door neighours, Collette and Gerry, have received their home baked loaf of bread and I hope they enjoyed it. They have been my neighbours since I moved in here in 1992 and they are the best! Collette looks so cute in the Poncho I knit for her 2 years ago and it comes in handy as she is a Crossing Guard. Well, back to the rest of the daily routine....laundry, cooking, cleaning....knitting. I really want to finish the pullover, in Marble Yarn, for myself. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

It's Baaaaack!

It's Baaaack!!!! It's a snowstorm here! I'm going to a Christmas Party today and I hope I can get there. It's really looking like we will have a White Christmas this year for sure. I have a few presents to wrap so I'd better get to them.

Ok, I just got a call from my friend and she is going to pick me up and take me home! Yay for good friends! Now I have to get ready a bit early, but that's fine by me. I don't have to clean off the car now, but tomorrow I will have to and shovel the drive as I'm off to my Mom's for the weekend.

Yep, it's already at 3" of snow, in the last hour!

Getting Closer

Yep, it's getting closer...."Christmas is acomin' and the goose is getting fat, Please to put a penny in the old man's hat! If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do; if you haven't got a ha'penny, then God Bless You!"
It snowed to about 7" here in the 'Shwa and it was nice and light, so it wasn't too hard to clean up. Got me some exercise, I did.
If y'all are running out of ideas for presents, then take a look at the post pic. They are slippers that can be made out of what you have on hand. Look closely and you will find out what those materials are! The embellishments are inexpensive and you may have some left from last year. I have only 2 people to buy for and I know what I will be getting for them, so, for all intents and purposes I AM DONE!

Family Christmas

Family Christmas...we had ours yesterday at baby girl and bg's husbest home. It lived up to all expectations. There was hugs, kisses,( the xband even got a surprise one..I'm such a Baaaad Girl...if only the n.w. was there...oh, well, half a laf is better than none!) laughter,tears, fights (little disagreements really), making up, drinking, eating (good eats by the way), exchanging gifts, drunken difference of opinion...all there! It was aaaallll there and I enjoyed every second of it! Yep, Christmas gatherings, never fail to meet my expectations of comedy and drama. I wish there were more than one Christmas just for the entertainment value. Only down side is the little ones are getting outnumbered by the big ones! The cute factor is still there, but the passing of time makes me realize how much I enjoy my brood of kids, inlaw kids and grandkids. Now, I can look forward to Christmas Day at my nephew's house...there will be much of the same C & D and I can hardly wait for the 25th. I suppose in my advancing years I've realized that I'm not responsible for the happiness of everyone, so it frees me up to just enjoy and store the memories in my heart. Stay tuned for the next bulletin!

IT'S REALLY WINTER

Yes I love Coffee, I love Coffee, I love Coffee......

It really is winter now! Shovelling snow, salting the steps, scraping the car down, putting the treads on my boots...yep all the signs of winter! The gifts are all taken care of for this weekend's Family Christmas at the baby girl's house. One thing I would like to know is...where in the heck did all my ambition go? I could cheerfully sit and knit while watching the 'Judge Shows' and that is not good....sounds ok but it is a downward spiral...the less I do, the less I want to do...so...today I will get my cute butt off the couch and get BUSY!!!! Oh, maybe it's the winter blahs or maybe it's the ageing blues, or maybe it's....LAZINESS....isn't Sloth one of the 7 deadly sins? Yep, I'm getting downright lazy! I'm going to get going RIGHT NOW!!!!

*****SNOW DAY*****

Today has been a snow day....for me....it's too cold out and it's snowing and I'm too lazy to go out, soooo...it's a stay at home, play at home, knit at home, clean the home, snow day for me. I cleaned up the Christmas wrapping stuff aaaand even sorted out the paper and ribbon, etc. for next year! I will soooo love my self (and not in a bad way!) next year when I get out the cards and paper for the Christmas wrapfest! I wanted to start the new sweater with the marble yarn, but, being a good girl, I did all my chores first....laundry, tidy up the house.....how does it get sooo untidy when there's no one here but me? Oh, one more hat to knit before this weekend...and then the SWEATER! with MARBLE!!! :::happy dance here:::

Brrrrrr!!!! Baby it's coooold outside! Blowing and snowing here in Oshawa and I have to go outside today. EEEEEK!!! Yesterday I got 95% of my Christmas gifts wrapped. Yipeee! The other 5% is cash gifts to be put in cards for those people that I think will want to buy the things they really want. Ok by me, money is always the right size and colour! Well, that's it for now, gotta get going. Pitter patter, let's get at her!

Gifts...For Me!

Yes, the Christmas Giving Bug bit me yesterday, and I bought something for..... Myself! I went to Bowmanville to the new yarn shop, Soper Creek Yarn and treated myself to yarn and a book. The store has a great selection with more yarn to come. Barb, the owner, tells us that classes will probably start in the new year. Possibly a knit and kvetch will happen too! I bought some yarn I had never seen before. It's from Britain, called Marble, it's 100% acrylic, (don't turn up your nose you wool yarn purists!) soft, soft, soft to the hand and it has the most delicious colouring. Apparently the manufacturer, James C. Brett, can hardly keep up with the demand....exclusivity...I love to have something that is in short supply...it's the beeotch in me! The book is a cute little, almost like a kids reader, item called "Cables, Mittens, Hats & Scarves". It also has fingerless, and wrist warmer patterns. Perfect to carry around in the Knitting Bag. Of course I couldn't resist the "Cable" part of the title...after all, I am Ann of Green Cables! So today is going to be an indoor one, looking for a pattern to suit the yarn, picking out a pattern from the new book, and ..oh yeah, some Christmas gift wrapping. As Superman says..."Up, up, and away!!!!" to the jobs/fun to be done!

TIRED

Oh I'm tired today! Yesterday I went to the One of a Kind Show in Toronto, at Exhibition Place, with my friend Sher. This is our 3rd year going to the show. Last year we bought an advance ticket and it was a good idea, because we got to sit in the Club One Lounge with a coffee (she had tea) until the show started at 11. We also got a free shopping bag which was very keepable as it was a classy looking bag. We bought an advance ticket for next year. We actually got through every aisle from Z to A! I bought a few things and was dazzled by a lot of the goods offered. Man, there are some hugely talented people out there from across Canada. I would highly recommend the show to anyone. It's definately worth the time, admissions cost and the drive to get there. We got back to Whitby at about 5 and I got home to Oshawa at 5:30. All the walking and shopping effort hit me this am. I'm not exhausted, just not too ambitious. Made bread, tidied up, and now just chillin'. Tomorrow afternoon I'm going to check out the newly opened Soper Creek Yarn shop in Bowmanville. I planned on going today, but I'm really too whacked to drive. Anyway something to look forward to for tomorrow!

Oh, oh....DECEMBER!!??

Oh, oh, it's the first of December...time to get all the Christmas items taken care of. Cards to be mailed today, gifts to finish and wrap (I have typed 'warped' three times) , decorations to put up or put away...not a lot on first sight, but....it's all the other 'stuff' that has to be done too. Well, no time like the present (ha, ha, 'present' as in gift) to get going and get it done! Pitter, patter, let's get at 'er!