spent time with old photos today as I was searching for some particular pictures…
a neighbour was having a party and had signs on the lawn which made me think of the business we had for a number of years…
we designed and produced (well my beloved did the making, lol) different signs and words and snuck into yards to set them up for special occasions…
it was fun and at the time no one else was doing that…
going through photos to find a few of the ones we’d set up was enjoyable and a reminder of some amazing times in our lives;-)… some of those albums were kind of dusty…
Friday was a delightful day… the sun shone and the temperature rose to 25°C…
throughout the day, I prepped for a dinner party… between organizing and setting the table on the deck, there were plenty of opportunities to sit, read, and relax…
preparing a space or food for special people is always enjoyable for me as I think about those who I am doing this work for and how important they are to me…
for this gathering, it was mainly about making the space comfortable and considering what dishes we would need as the food was being picked up from a Charleswood Rotary fundraiser…
they provided a whole lobster, baked potato, fresh bun, coleslaw, brownie, small bottle of wine, with a bib and a lobster fork;-)… each person received a shopping bag with all of the goodies in it… I added a few fixings for the potatoes, warm facecloths with lemon for our fingers, and garlic butter in warmers…
once the food was warmed up, we had a lesson in how to eat the whole crustacean… I was a bit slow, lol, so had to keep having information repeated…
the weather was perfect, well, except that the wind kept blowing out some of the butter warmers… lots of conversation and story telling kept us busy throughout the meal…
my housemate took the requisite group photo which he was happy to do (and not be in) before we spent time around the pond…
happily, the fish came out for a short visit before returning to their favourite spot under the bridge…
and before you knew it, everyone headed off into the sunset;-)…
yesterday we moved the table on the deck to the middle of the space and this morning I put on the tablecloth and runner that I picked up on Saturday…
then my housemate put the umbrella back in its hole and we opened it up…
I folded silverware into napkins and brought out pretty, but unmatched, plates to put around… glasses and mugs followed… everything was upside down so they wouldn’t get dirty…
found bowls, covers, and spoons for the two salads – ham and German potato, as well as the coleslaw…
crackers went onto a wooden tray and the salt and pepper shaker made it onto the table, alongside some lily of the valley flowers from under the deck…
chair covers and cushions went out and umbrellas went up…
friends arrived with other food offerings… there were fresh veggies and hummus, devilled eggs, fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate, and custard…
there were flowers for the birthday woman…
we gathered at the table and enjoyed everyone’s delicious offerings… of course there was our usual coffee and tea to go with the fruit, custard and whipped cream, topped with a piece of chocolate and a pistachio, lol…
the bubble machine came out and was on until bubbles started to land on plates… the weather was beautiful as the sun shone with a slight breeze every now and then… conversations were free flowing and stories made us laugh…
we took a group photo, as we always do when we gather for special times;-)…
as everyone began to leave the clouds filled the sky and the temperature went down, but no rain fell…
I had a relaxing time as I cleaned up, filled the dishwasher, put away the cushions, and got the table back into its original location…
read my book as the last of the bubbles flew around the deck…
tonight after work I met up with my kids downtown and we had dinner together before they attended the #wpgwhiteout party and I headed home…
on the way there they had stopped in at the Jets store to pick up some white Jets t-shirts and I think a hoodie or two, lol…
I did feel conspicuous walking to the restaurant without wearing some piece of Jets clothing, lol… good thing I had white capris on and a black and white top…
the youngest asked his mom if I’d be going to the #whiteoutparty as well and she advised there were “way too many people for grandma to go” and she was absolutely correct…
just getting from the restaurant back to the office and the car had me sweating and people were just starting to arrive… thankfully my son-in-law walked with me…
my daughter sent me this shot of the crowd around them…
happy that my grandson made it over on Sunday to shovel…
he drove his brother to a birthday party and then came to get the job done…
it was really cold out… it was -27 when I wrote this but quite a bit colder while he was here…
a few days ago it snowed for most of the morning, but lightly, so there wasn’t too much to remove… I was very happy because it is always nice to have the sidewalks and driveway clean for everyone…
after he finished, we had lunch, he studied and I read, until he had to go back and pick up the little guy…
two tiny babies turned up at the birthday party today…
I patiently waited my turn and then held this little bundle of snuggles for about an hour;-)… can still put any baby to sleep… it’s a gift… thanks to my son-in-law for taking these pictures as I was busy…
always fun when everyone gathers and it’s time to open presents…
it is different these days… at this age all they want, and get, is money… apparently he is wanting a game system… amazed that there is one they don’t have…
the gift from Aunty and Grandma was money for the big brother to drive all the boys to Baked Expectations for dessert… chocolate cake for breakfast is one of Aunty’s specialties;-)… can’t believe they are so grown up…
he is looking forward to a Paintball party, so really loved his paintball cake…
what a lovely time tonight… a group of sixteen gathered to celebrate the coming birth of a baby… pretty cool timing, eh… had a cup of tea and looked over the space before everyone arrived…
we had lots of fun, conversation, good food and there were some great gifts as well…
this was the first big party that I’ve hosted since my beloved left me…
it might have been here, but there were many others who helped make it a success… from the planning team who decided on each step of preparation, to the friends who came and helped with Christmas decorating, to the ones who set up the planter, to the ones who made the centrepieces, to the ones who came at noon and helped with salad prep, to the ones who picked up the pasta and organized the kitchen… to the ones who brought various bits and pieces of yummy treats and gifts, to the ones who cleaned up and left the house the same as it was before anyone arrived…
flew across the country to Toronto… where we met up with the last member of our party…
had some breakfast, waited a bit and then got on a flight to New York City…
arrived to a sunny, warm day… there was a sea of cabs waiting to take people into the city… after a hair raising ride over bridges and through tunnels we arrived at our hotel….
the view from the top floor is lovely and we hope to see the sun rise in the morning…
very late lunch, a change of clothes and it was off to Time Square, via the subway… there were wayyyyyyy too many people there…
stopped in at the M&M store and then off to our first Broadway Show…
Kinky Boots… very cute… had great seats and enjoyed the show…
having trouble with the internet so there will be no photos…
herbiggirlpants 