violets…

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when I got back to work yesterday, after two weeks away, one of my African Violets was blooming its little heart out… was a bit surprised because it had lots of blooms on it when I left, so I thought it would be just about done…

violets...

violets…

 

it was lovely…

violets close up...

violets close up…

one of the ways I cope with winter is by having lots of flowering plants or cut flowers around to help keep me grounded… usually George would bring home orchids for me on a regular basis… I can’t get them re-bloom, but they last a long time and are so beautiful… the weather has been quite cold and miserable so I haven’t gone over to Rona to get any but think I will see if a friend will come with me so that the car will be warm and I can bring a couple home…

my grandma...

my grandma…

my maternal grandmother’s name was Violet… Violet May… she was an amazing woman… she had a rare calcium deficiency and had to take numerous pills to stay mobile, but she worked until she was well into her sixties… she was a very snappy dresser and had the most interesting hair… it was very short and she brushed it up from the sides… among other things she was a great pianist and I can remember sitting around in her living room singing songs with my family…

amazing what memories come up when looking at a flower, lol…

gratitude…

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as I sit here watching the fish swim happily about in their clean aquarium (thanks to my son-in-law) I looked over and saw my daughter and grandson on the electronic picture frame…

reminded me of just a few of things that I have to be grateful for… one was the amazing experience of visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle this summer… and getting to meet Dale Chihuly in person…

January from my Chihuly 2014 calendar

January from my Chihuly 2014 calendar that I found just last week…

for many years George and I would make gifts to give to family and friends… this year I decided to do that again…

I spent time thinking of some of the things I am grateful for, as well as the people who fill my life… made a list of all those and put them in alphabetical order and produced a bookmark with the word gratitude and all of the things/people…

front of bookmark...

front of bookmark…

then I went through the pictures I took at Chihuly Garden and Glass and chose some for the back side of the bookmarks… I chose enough so that every bookmark had a different picture on it, making it unique, like the people who would receive it…

back side of bookmark...

back side of one of the bookmarks I still have…

took the pictures and list to Staples where I had an exceptional customer service experience… the young woman helped me get three of the gratitude pieces onto a single 8 1/2 by 11 sheet and then printed the pictures on the back… she also cut each one, laminated it and cut that as well… she took great care as she worked and I was very impressed with the final product…

today I was touched to see that two of my colleagues have them in a place where they can be seen all the time as they work at their desks… one has hers right on her screen so it reminds her of gratitude every time she looks at her computer… the other is on a ledge at eye level where another can see it whenever she looks up…

gratitude is such a simple thing that we tend to forget, or rush past…

wishing you the opportunity to remember the things you are grateful for, and take a moment to savour them…

 

another new year…

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tonight, I have a glass of Baileys and a fiddle diddle cookie by my bed… if I am awake at midnight I will toast a new year…

no hot tub as it is bitterly cold and I don’t have the energy to go out…

the kids are off at a sleepover party just outside of the city and I won’t see them until some time later tomorrow…

it has been a full year…two wonderful trips and time with all my kids… some down times missing my beloved, but also lots of great opportunities to reminisce with others…

I truly have been blessed… looking forward to 2014 with a goal to enjoy each moment…

to the new year...

to the new year…

quiet…

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was busy today… dropped Cyndi off to meet a friend for breakfast and we went to Best Buy to pick up a new printer because mine called it quits yesterday… perfect timing as Ron was here to help pick one out and get it all set up…

sun dogs this morning...

sun dogs this morning…

got a few great pictures of the sun dogs which were spectacular in the crisp morning air…

now I can print from the desktop, the laptop and even my phone… woo hoo…

we went for one last breakfast at “the A” before I went to pick up Cyndi… after a few errands we got home, made cookies, had a short nap and they packed up all their stuff…

stuffing the bags with all their goodies...

stuffing the bags with all their goodies…

also got a few photos of their Jets gear, lol…

front and back of their jackets...

front and back of their jackets…

a quick early supper and some final visiting, and then off to drop them for their trip home…

came home to a very quiet house, tidied up and visited with two friends…

now off to bed… looking forward to a couple of quiet days before heading back to work…

Happy New Year…

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celebrated New Year’s Eve tonight as Cyndi and Ron head home to Ottawa tomorrow…

there is a fairly set menu for New Year’s Eve… escargot in mushroom caps followed by steak and lobster… this year we also had Caesar salad and twice stuffed potatoes…

twice stuffed potatoes, ready for the oven...

twice stuffed potatoes, ready for the oven…

nearly forgot to put the potatoes in this afternoon but Cyndi was quick to remind me, lol… had to make a few that didn’t have onions for some special people…

escargot in mushroom caps...

escargot in mushroom caps…

at our house Christmas was always for the kids, but New Year’s was for the adults… for a number of years we went to friends and brought the little kids with us and put them to bed before we began to organize the dinner… not sure that a year has gone by that we didn’t barbecue our dinner… many years later the girls would come by for dinner on their way out to their New Year’s Eve parties…

the obligatory picture...

the obligatory picture…

now we tend to include the little boys in the celebration… tonight, adults had champagne and there was sparkling cider for the rest…

stars of the dinner...

stars of the dinner…

so far only one of the kids doesn’t want lobster, sigh… but it is wonderful to see them test new foods… we had some fun with the butter warmers as no matter where Crystal sits her warmer is always the coolest…

an evening with family while we are still all together…

blizzard…

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was surprised this morning when I woke up… heard a truck and jumped up to put out the garbage and recycling thinking the trucks were already in the lane… was shocked when I saw how much snow was on the ground… probably  was stepping through 5 inches as I dragged out the bins… it would have looked lovely, if I hadn’t needed to go out in it, lol…

 

snow coming down first thing...

snow coming down first thing…

 

the sleepover party was still sleeping but then Ron got up and went out to shovel, even through it was still snowing… could barely see my footprints as they had filled in with fresh snow…

kids got up and we had cake and milk for breakfast… Crystal and Jeff came over and we girls headed over to a local Spa for Christmas pedicures… thank goodness Crystal was driving with snow tires, because the roads were pretty bad… when we got there the plow was cleaning out the parking lot and we hoped that we wouldn’t be snowed in when we left…

the Spa was empty, very strange as it is usually very busy… we were some of their last clients as most people decided to stay home rather than go out in the bad weather…

happy pedicured toes...

happy pedicured toes…

driving home the wind was blowing the snow and we could barely see where we were going… good thing we live so close, lol… we were not going to miss our pedicures…

beautifully cleaned fish tank...

beautifully cleaned fish tank…

arrived home to a beautifully cleaned fish tank… I think the fish were even happier than I was…

had various leftovers for lunch and the sleepover crowd left… naps were had all around… Ron went out to do some more shovelling and tested my warm jacket…

the shoveller trying out my Canada Goose cold temperature jacket...

the shoveller trying out my Canada Goose cold temperature jacket…

finally the sun came out and the wind died down in the backyard and I got this picture…

the sun came out...

the sun came out, there is a lot of snow out there…

made some turkey soup and finally had my leftover turkey dinner… then watched some TV… one child is out, the other playing games…

what a memory-filled day…

 

 

sleepover…

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got up early and had a hot tub… then we went to the “A” for breakfast… after that we headed downtown to the Jets Gear store where we spent over an hour choosing just the right pieces for Cyndi and Ron… they are attending a Jets/Senators game once they get home and were wanting just the right outfits, lol…

by the waterfall in the Hydro Building with a bag of goodies...

by the waterfall in the Hydro Building with a bag of goodies…

next to SuperValu for a few groceries and gift certificates… apparently Sobeys are few and far between in Ottawa…

home for a rest and then the kids arrived for their sleepover… we had a supper of various leftovers from the last few days and they all went out bowling and to Sugar Mountain while I watched some TV…

cheers with apple cider...

cheers with apple cider…

when they got home they made a little nest in the basement, watched a movie and ate popcorn and then had a hot tub…

hot tub fun in the snow...

hot tub fun in the snow…

now they are cuddled up in front of the TV getting ready for a few hours (hopefully) of sleep…

sleepover party...

sleepover party…

glad that I am two floors up, lol…

relaxing day…

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got to sleep in this morning… on my way downstairs I spotted the bunny whose paw prints I’ve been seeing in the garden for weeks… even got a photo, that was fun…

 

bunny whose been visiting the garden...

bunny who has been visiting the garden…

 

relaxed and visited… did some work on the computer, downloading pictures that we’ve taken over the last few days…

a few upset tummies that got a bit worse and then began to improve as the day went on…

headed out for dim sum with the family… seven of us at one table and the four out-of-town boys at another with their dad… we were all very full when we left…

tried to stop at the Jets Gear store, but it was closed… home for naps and then made macaroni and cheese for supper for some of us, while another had leftover turkey…

quiet time as she starts to feel a bit better...

quiet time as she starts to feel a bit better…

watched a bit of TV, including some programs filled with Christmas music… very relaxing day…

 

Christmas Day…

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lovely day…

cake for breakfast, followed by a drive across town for presents… and there were lots and lots of them…

return trip home, and a short nap… then we prepared for our dinner and the kids arrived… took a picture of the table all set and ready…

games played while dinner cooked… Jeff arrived after working a 12 hour shift and we had our dinner…

with full tummies we watched as he opened his gifts… then it was home to bed for them and a quiet night of
movies here…

the big kids are already fast asleep… so dark that I couldn’t find the laptop to write this, lol…

made it through another Christmas without my beloved…

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