I'm taking a short blogging break. Please continue to pray for my friend, Jo Ann while I'm gone. I'll be back soon.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my friends and readers. Hoping that all of your Christmas wishes come true. Please take time to reflect on the Reason for the Season.

Christmas Eve

I wish all my friends and readers a wonderful Christmas Eve. I will try to get over to all your blogs for a visit, but things have been hectic here lately with the roof, Christmas to prepare for and Jo Ann having her surgery.

Today we will go to see her and I will have a report on her later. In the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful day and evening.

Prayers Needed

My friend, Jo Ann, was diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in early November. Today at 8 am, she went into surgery. They had to operate on her jaw, which meant she had to have a tracheotomy and a feeding tube inserted. She also had a lump on her neck which was to be removed. They would take a blood vessel from her right wrist to complete the surgery on her jaw and then remove the lump on her neck. She was told she may need radiation but chemo was never mentioned. Jo Ann and I discussed this last week and I told her not to be surprised if she had to have chemo, as I believed the lump on her neck indicated the cancer was in the lymph nodes. Jo Ann told me the doctor had stated that it wasn't.

I phoned the hospital, which is out of town, at 7pm and Jo Ann had just came from recovery. The nurse said she was doing okay. About 8:30, her daughter called. The doctor said the surgery had been a success. However, there was a catch. The cancer is in the lymph nodes and Jo Ann will need both chemo and radiation.

Please keep Jo Ann in your prayers over the Christmas season. She will be in hospital for five to ten days.

Christmas Book Swap

At the end of November I hosted a Christmas book swap. Today, a parcel arrived in the mail.

It was beautifully decorated and was from Paula at On A Rainy Night, my partner.

Inside, I found a lovely handmade book bag.

Inside was Debbie Macober's Christmas Letters. Paula also sent along another great book Fall on Your Knees. It is the story of sisters in New Waterford, Nova Scotia, the mining town where my friend, Jo Ann, was born and raised. I'm looking forward to reading both books.

Thank you, Paula. You made great choices and I'm looking forward to reading both books. Special thanks for the beautiful handmade book bag with the dog paw button. Whoohoo!!!

Added Note: Please keep my friend, Jo Ann, in your prayers. She was diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in November and will be in surgery Tuesday December 22nd at 8am.

I've neglected to keep you updated on our roofing situation. Last Tuesday, this truck appeared in our driveway about 9:30 am. It was the roofers. I fired the company that we had initially agreed to go with because they didn't show up and didn't return my calls.

So, another young man that is just starting his company got the opportunity to do the job. Here he is on the roof.

There's no way the upstairs ceiling will be repaired before Christmas, but at least it's not leaking anymore. We are blessed for Tyler, a hard working young man who solved all of our roofing problems.

A Bit of This and That

Friday was the boys last day of school until January. Brandon's school had a dance and he asked me to pick him up at noon, as he didn't want to attend. In the afternoon, we finished a bit of Christmas shopping and wrapped presents. Then we picked up Jordan from school and I took them home.

Today, the boys came over and Jordan wrapped his presents and then we baked peanut butter cookies. We even made some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, which was Brandon's idea. I used Splen*da so I could have some and they turned out great.

Tonight, I wrapped most of the Christmas presents that I had to wrap and stuffed the boys' stockings. They've always had stockings here and that tradition will continue. Hubby and I don't do stockings.

Some have been asking how it's going with the insulin. It's going great. I have the insulin pen. You just put in a new needle each time and it's easy as pie. It doesn't hurt at all and you don't even know you're poking yourself. I was a bit upset when I found out I had to go on insulin, but believe it was a blessing in disguise. I already feel better but still have a ways to go to get my levels stable. They are fluctuating through the day, especially mid-afternoon. Other than that, things are going fine.

Well, not much else to talk about here. Shopping is done. Baking is almost done. Christmas wrapping is almost done. Tomorrow afternoon, hubby and I are going to visit new-found friends for an hour or two. It was nice of them to invite us and I think I'll take them a nice poinsetta.

21st Anniversary

Tonight, hubby and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 21st anniversary. The food was good and it was a rare treat, as we don't often eat out. We had beef ribs and all the trimmings. It was a nice outing and we both enjoyed it.

We were looking through some photo albums today and neither of us can believe how much we've changed in 21 years. The difference is astounding. We found some photos that we forgot we had. It was a pleasant day spent looking back.

A New Experience

I haven't been online much for a couple of days. My blood sugar levels were really high, so Tuesday afternoon, I went to the doctor. He told me that I needed to go on insulin. At first I was a bit upset, but knew that if that is what I needed to do, I had to get on with it. I had visions of taking needles like my paternal grandmother used to. She had shringes and had to fill them and give herself a shot in the thigh four times a day. That wasn't something I wanted to do.

When the doctor showed me the new insulin pen, I thought it would be much better. I was surprised how far technology has improved since those days. This morning I went to the drugstore for the pharmacist to teach me how to use the pen and the insulin.

Tonight just before dinner, I took my first insulin shot. It was a breeze. In fact the first time I inserted the needle, I took it out because I didn't feel it go in. Hubby asked me why I took it out. So, I inserted it again and still didn't feel anything. When I pushed the plunger, I knew the insulin was being injected.

The pharmacist had told me to take my blood sugar two hours after eating. At that time it was still high. He had told me to take it again a couple of hours later, so at 11pm, I took it and it was 4.5. Excellent!!!

The next few days will be experimental. I am keeping track of my blood sugar levels and writing them in a little notebook that I will take to the dr with me on Tuesday of next week. That way he can better determine what dosage is best for me. Currently I'm injecting 10 units before breakfast and dinner. The dose may have to be lowered or increased.

I think being put on insulin may just be a blessing. Several people I've talked to says it beats taking 9 pills a day and that insulin controls your blood sugar much better than the pills. So, this Christmas season is unique to me. I'm learning something new and I'm sure when my blood sugar levels are under control, I will feel much better.

If you have diabetes and take insulin, or if you have any experience with loved ones who have diabetes and take insulin, I'd love any tips or hints that might help me with this transition.

Making Candy and Cookies

On Saturday, the boys came to help make our traditional Christmas chocolates and to do a bit of baking. We made the centers for the chocolates, which takes the best part of the afternoon. They asked if we could leave the baking for another day, as they were tired. It does take a bit to make the chocolates. We were about three hours making one batch, which equalled 16 dozen. It is a large recipe. Grandma and her daughters and daughters-in-law used to make them together and then divide them between the families. I plan to share them and to give some away as gifts.

Today hubby and I dipped them. It doesn't take long once you have the semi-sweet and milk chocolate melted. Here is half of the total batch. They look so good, but not something I can have much of. I did treat myself to one chocolate and hubby also had one.

Now, back to Saturday. After the boys left at 6:30 pm, I decided to try a new recipe that my friend, Jo Ann, gave me. It was for Pineapple Snowballs, and this is the end result. Here is the recipe:

1 block of Philadelphia* cream cheese (250 grams or approximately 8 ounces)

1 can crushed pineapple, well drained

2 cups shredded cocoanut

*Soften cream cheese

*Place in mixing bowl

* Add drained pineapple

* Mix well

* Add 1 cup cocoanut

* Mix thoroughly

* Chill for 1 hour

* Form into balls

* Roll in remainder of cocoanut

* Chill for 6 hours

* Serve

These are very tasty and diabetics can partake of this treat. I used light cream cheese, but either that or regular is fine to use. Enjoy!

A Christmas Meme

I found this Christmas meme over at Mama Bear's.

About the TREE....
1.When do you put up the Christmas tree?
We always have had a live tree, so put it up the weekend before Christmas.
2. Real or fake?
This year, artificial. The first time in 25 years.
3. Lights? What color?
Multi-colored
4. Garland?
Not usually
5. Theme or no theme?
No theme. I have a lot of decorations that have been gifted to me and they all hold treasured memories. I usually let the boys put them wherever they like on the tree.
6. What kind of topper? An angel made by Mom. It has porcelain hands and head.
7. What's your favorite ornament?
So many are treasured gifts, as I said.
8. What does your tree skirt look like?
Red with Victorian Santas. Another gift from Mom.
9. Where do you put your tree?
Living room
10. Who decorates the tree? The boys and I.
11.What's "under" the tree?
Right now? Nothing except the tree skirt. Dakota (dog) is under a year old. He would have a heyday with presents.
12. Do you put candy canes on your tree?
Usually

About the FOODS....

1. What's your favorite Christmas cookie?
Grandma's sugar cookies and shortbread.
2. Do you bake cookies and give them away?
Almost every year.
3. Any "special" foods or candy that you only have at Christmas time?
Homemade marschino cherry chocolates.
4. What do you eat Christmas EVE?
We usually just snack on cheese, crackers, pickles etc.
5. What do you eat on Christmas day?
Depends if we have Christmas here or if we are invited to my daughter's. Usually turkey and all the trimmings.
6. Do you like Eggnog??
Love it but can't have it anymore because of the sugar content.
7. Do you like candy canes?
No candy canes for this girl, but always have some on hand. Love 'em. Just can't have 'em. Have never found sugar free candy canes.

Decorations

1. Where do you hang your stockings?
Hubby and I don't do stockings. We have always done them for the boys and they hang outside the computer room door.
2. Do you put lights on your house?
Yes, used to be clear icicle lights but now is green LED.
3. Got any outside lawn decorations?
Yes, a reindeer that lights up, a blow up Christmas moose that was given to me by the boys.
4. Do you put up a nativity (creche)?
Always. Last year Baby Jesus and Mary went missing. This year they reappeared and Joseph is missing.
5. Do you hang mistletoe over the door?
No, used to have artificial mistletoe but haven't for a few years now.
6. Got a wreath on your front door?
Not this year so far.
7. How long does it take you to decorate?
The boys usually come the first weekend in December to put up the Christmas village. Hubby and I hand the garland around the doors and put up the decorations there. We put the Christmas tree up the weekend before Christmas, as we usually have a live tree. This year we put it up on December 5th, as we're using the old artificial tree.

About the movies/show
1 . Favorite Children's Xmas TV show/cartoon? ? Mickey's Christmas Carol.
2. Wonderful Life/Miracle on 34th St.
Neither so far this year. Watched White Christmas and Santa Claus 2
3.Favorite Christmas movie??
Like them all.
4. Have you ever seen the Nutcracker Suite Ballet live?
No
5. Ever been to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show??
No
6. Ever gone to the movies on Xmas Day?
Yes, once long ago in the early 70s. I thought the person who asked me to go was a little crazy. LOL To me, Christmas is family time.

Other Christmas things....
1. Favorite Christmas book or story?
And it came to pass that Ceasar Augustus...The Christmas Story.
2. Do you stuff your stockings with any types of food?
Yes, always candy for the boys...a chocolate orange for Jordan; a mint chocolate orange for Brandon.
3. Do you go to church on Christmas or Christmas Eve?
Not in the last few years.
4. Have you ever gone Caroling?
No
5. Favorite Christmas Carol?
O' Holy Night and Silent Night
6. Do you believe in Santa?
Of course. Don't you? He doesn't come if you don't believe.
7. Do you leave Santa cookies?
No, Santa needs to lose some weight.
8. What about Rudolph...
Used to make and put out reindeer food when the boys were small. Not any more.
9. What was your best Christmas gift?
When I was a child? A pair of brown boy's ice skates. My first pair. Other than that, I always looked forward to a book...still do.
10. What was the worst/most odd gift?
My MIL always gives me something that doesn't fit.
11. Do you go to a "work" Christmas party?
No
12. Do you hate going?
Always did. I'm not a social butterfly at parties. Never attend them.
13. Do you send Christmas cards?
Don't you? It's not Christmas without Christmas cards.
14. Do you make a "list"?
A Christmas card list...other than that, no.
15. Do you check it twice?
No
16.When do you start shopping?
I shop all year 'round. If I see something that I know someone on my Christmas list would like and it's a good deal, I buy it and put it away.
17.Do you shop on Black Friday?
We don't have Black Friday in Canada. Our Thanksgiving is in October and our big sales of the year is Boxing Day Sales.
18. ARE YOU READY FOR CHRISTMAS?
I have all my shopping done. Still have to wrap the gifts and do some baking.

Hanging Our Stockings

Do you remember hanging your stocking on Christmas Eve when you were a child. I certainly do.

Once we were in our warm flannel pajamas and ready to retire where we would toss and turn for a while in anticipation of a visit from Santa, Mom would bring out our stockings for us to hang. These weren't fancy stockings like the children have today. My sister's and mine were a long white stocking that we wore. Mom would take them out of our drawer and we would hang them from our bedpost. My brother would hang one of Dad's wool socks...the grey ones with the white and red ring at the top...the kind they make sock monkeys out of today.

We weren't allowed to open any presents or our stockings on Christmas morning until our parents were up. We could enjoy playing with any gift that was from Santa, as they were never wrapped, just placed with loving care under the tree. There was never much. Just a present or two...nothing like the bundles of gifts that children of today find beneath the tree.

But back to the stockings. Once Mom and Dad were up, we would open our stockings. Inside we would find an apple, an orange, nuts and some hard candy, which Dad called "hard tack." They came in a variety of colors but the center was always white with a little flower in it. There might also be a candy cane. There were never toys or games in our stockings; only treats.

Today's children miss out on so much. Christmas was special to me and my siblings. That was the time of year we enjoyed things that we didn't get the rest of the year.

What did you get in your Christmas stocking when you were young? I'd be interested in how many others miss the simple treats that our stockings held when we were kids.

Saturday with the Boys

The boys came over on Saturday morning about 11am. We had lunch and then we put up a little artificial tree that's been in the basement for years. It isn't anything fancy. Just a basic tree that I bought many years ago. We decided to just do a small tree this year instead of the usual large live tree.

Both boys helped decorate the tree for a while and then Brandon wanted to bake chocolate chip cookies by himself. He did a great job. I had one while it was still warm and the boys had a couple each. Very tasty.

While Brandon baked cookies, Jordan wanted to know if he could finish decorating the tree by himself. I let him. After all, these boys are getting older and want to be independent. That allows me to keep an eye on them, yet let them spread their wings. Jordan really enjoyed decorating and the tree doesn't look half bad considering. I will post a photo in a day or two.

Around 4pm, it was time to take the boys home. I packed up some of Brandon's cookies and some candy that my friend JoAnn had sent over for them. They will have treats for the entire week.

It was cold here today with a biting wind, but we still don't have any snow. Many areas all around us do and snow is predicted in this area for tomorrow.

Wishing everyone a great week. If you have winter storms in your area, remember to be careful on the roads and be safe.

Thrift Shop Santa

I had one winter and one fall coat here that had been gifted to me and neither of them fit, so I thought I would donate them to Missions* for Bib*les. They were glad to have them and while I was there, I decided to browse a bit. On a shelf near the door I found a beautiful Santa. I haven't seen one like it for many years.

Santa has his list of children, as he talks to a little girl about what she'd like for Christmas.

Here is a different view and the price was right at just $5.00, so I decided to give him a good home while donating to a worthy cause. He looks fantastic sitting on a shelf in the entertainment unit where I can see him each time I enter the living room.

The Holiday* Trai*n

On Wednesday afternoon about 4:30, hubby and I picked up Brandon and Jordan, then drove across the city to pick up Mom. We drove about 40 minutes to the northwest to see the Holiday* Train, better know by this gal as the Christmas Train. LOL It has been running since 1999, but I'd never heard of it until last year when Pea from Pea's Corner posted photos.

The Christmas train pulled in right on schedule at 6pm. I had just bought the boys a hotdog and everyone hot chocolate. It was delicious.

The doors opened and Santa entertained the crowd by singing. Everyone loved it. I didn't get good photos because it was raining and there were hundreds of people there.

The kids were loving this and the boys enjoyed seeing the train all decorated for Christmas.

I got a photo of Santa himself and just after I took this, he gave me a handful of candy canes and a CD of last year's show. It all lasted about a half hour. When the rain began to pour down, we headed to the van where we could still hear the entire program. Many other people went to their cars as well.

If you would like to see better photos of the Christmas Train and enjoy a video of the show, drop by Pea's Corner. She went to meet the Christmas Train when it arrived in her community.

Winner of Pea's Giveaway

Pea over at Pea's Corner had a giveaway a week or so ago. She announced the winner and I couldn't believe that I had won. I haven't won many things in my life and this giveaway included one of my favourite things...lots and lots of snowmen.

Today the package arrived in the mail. Hubby brought it in and said it's from Sudbury. I was off to the kitchen in a flash.

I opened the box and was in snowman heaven. Snowman tissue paper and a nice handwritten note on snowman stationary.

These are all the beautiful things that were included in the box. A beautiful large roly poly snowman, a snowman soap dispenser, a snowman Christmas countdown, a snowman toothpick holder, square snowman paper plates and a snowman candle. They are all beautiful and so nice to put out display during the Christmas season.

This beautiful snowman looks right at home, perched atop hubby's replica radio and CD player. The soap dispenser is in the bathroom, waiting to be filled with soap. The candle and the Christmas countdown are in the living room where I can enjoy them while watching a bit of tv.

Thank you, dear Pea. You definitely made my day. Everything is gorgeous. If you haven't met Pea, be sure to stop by for a visit. Her blog is absolutely delightful and she is such a sweet lady.

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

When I was a young girl, I was always invited to Grandma's to help her make sugar cookies in a kitchen much like the one in this graphic. It would be later in the season, probably around December 20th.

Grandma and I would spend the entire day making sugar cookies together. She had every kind of Christmas cookie cutter you could imagine...star, holly, Christmas tree, an angel, wreath, snowman, Santa and probably ones that I've long forgotten. The cookies were baked in the oven of the old wood stove. We would add wood as needed and Grandma was very good at keeping that oven at a constant heat so the cookies would be perfect.

Once the cookies were golden at the edges, Grandma would use her apron to remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Then she would put them on newspaper to cool. Once cool, we would use coloured sugar, icing and winterberry candies to decorate them. What fun we had spending the day making at least five dozen cookies and sometimes more for the family to enjoy on Christmas Day.

Always, Grandma would make sure that I received a couple of cookies still warm from the oven and a big glass of cold milk from the ice box. Mmm! I can still taste them when I close my eyes and travel back to Grandma's kitchen. It was a real treat for me and Grandma and I always had fun together.

What memories do you have of a childhood Christmas. I challenge you to post one of your favourite Christmas memories.

Here is the recipe:


Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Modern Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Use rolling pin to roll out the dough, cut with Christmas cookie cutters and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

What a Day!

What a day it's been around here. First of all, hubby went to the bank with my bank card to withdraw the mortgage money. He used the machine and it released the card and the receipt, but no money. He knew he absolutely had to report it before he left the bank, so went inside to do so. The customer service lady looked at the card and saw my name on it. That's when the problems took a turn for the worst.

The woman phoned me and she is someone that I happen to know. I have dealt at that bank for years and when I first went there, she was a teller. She told me that she would have to start an investigation and that it would take eight to ten days. Sorry, not acceptable. I told her that I needed the money today, as the mortgage payment was due. She emailed someone and he happen to be able to check on the computer to find out what happened. I got a call from the bank manager just after lunch saying it was an ABM error. However, he said that he would mail me out a new card and we could then withdraw the funds. Nope! I told him I was sending hubby to the bank with a note, signed by me, and he needed to give him both the mortgage money and the debit card. He accepted this only because the note had my signature on it and he could compare it. A sigh of relief went up when he agreed to it and all things financial were able to be put in order.

In my previous post, I mentioned that the roof was leaking and water was coming through the ceiling. I called the roofing company first thing this morning. I got voice mail. They didn't return my call, so I phoned them again just after lunch. The secretary answered and said she would text the owner. By 4pm, I hadn't heard anything from her. In the meantime a big piece of the ceiling came crashing down. I phoned back and left a message saying she had until 10am Tuesday to respond or I was hiring another company and sending them the bill. We'll see what happens.

Hubby took the van in last Wed to have the hinges on the driver's door replaced. The van was there two days and on Thursday afternoon he phoned to see when it would be done. The man told him that the part hadn't come in and that it would be there Friday. Since we had some work that needed to be done on it at a service station instead of a body shop, we picked it up. We were told to return it Monday morning at 8am.

This morning hubby got up and took the van in, feeling confident that it would have new hinges by the afternoon. At 5:30 pm, I called to see if we could pick it up. The man told me that the parts hadn't come in. I had to bite my tongue to keep from erupting. He told me it might be done tomorrow IF the hinges came in.

I wonder where the hinges are coming from. I told hubby maybe they were waiting for them to get here from China.

What a day! I have full confidence that tomorrow will be better. I hope all of my friends and readers had a better day than I did.

A Pleasant Weekend

On Saturday, the boys came over about noon to stay the weekend. We put up the Christmas village, played Uno, chess and video games and then after dinner, we watched Santa Buddies. They liked it well enough but hubby and I found that it was pretty much a repeat of all the other Christmas movies that have come out in recent years. However, the puppies give it a nice touch and it is a nice family movie. You know, no cussing, no sex and of course, good wins out over evil.

In other news, the roof is leaking and it is coming through the ceiling. Grrr! Just what we didn't need. That particular spot in the roof has been a sore spot for years. We get it repaired and it lasts about five years and then it starts leaking again. So tomorrow I will call the roofer to see if the 20 year warranty covers it. Please keep positive thoughts coming our way. It's not a great time of year to have something like this happen, but it is probably a blessing in disguise because I wouldn't want snow to melt and freeze and then have all that water running into the kitchen in the spring. So I'll bite the bullet and see what has to be done.

Other than that, it was a very pleasant weekend just having fun with the boys. We even went out for an hour of looking around the stores. Then we came back here, had lunch and played more games until 4 pm when it was time for them to head home.

Wishing all my friends and readers a great week.

Book Swap Partners

The book swap is now closed. I placed all the names in a bowl and then drew names. Every two names I drew were partners. They are as follows:

Peggy and Carole
Kathleen and Deena
Sammi and Jackie
Michele and Helena
Stacey and Denise
Paula and Mary

I will send out the addresses of your partners to you tomorrow. Please correspond with each other to find out what type of books or magazines your partner enjoys. All parcels should be mailed by December 5th. If for some reason you are unable to meet the deadline, be sure to let both your partner and myself know.

When your parcel arrives, please post about it on your blog. This will allow all the participants to see how much everyone enjoyed their book.

Note: I believe everyone has been notified of who their partner is. If not, please let me know by posting here. Thanks each of you once again for participating. If you have questions or concerns, please let me know.

2nd Annual Christmas Book Swap

*This is a sticky post and will remain at the top until November 28th. Please scroll down to read my regular posts. *


Last year I hosted a Christmas book swap. It was so successful that I'm going to host it again this year.

This will be loads of fun, just as it was last year. We must get the books in the mail by December 7th to be sure that everyone receives their book before Christmas. So I'm going to make the deadline to sign up November 28th. This will give me time to partner everyone, gather the addresses and let everyone know who their partner is.

Now for the rules. The books have to be Christmas books, either fiction or non-fiction. Christmas decor and cooking magazines are fine if your partner agrees. Talk to your partner and find out the type of books they like and then send them a book or magazine that they can enjoy. Please do not send books that are not Christmas oriented unless it is included as an extra surprise.

Please, if you sign up, be sure that you send a book. What a disappointment to sign up for a swap and receive nothing after you have done your best to send your partner a book that they will enjoy.

This was a LOT of fun last year and I hope you will join in. Everyone is welcome. Just leave a comment saying you'd like to take part. You must either have a blog or leave an email address where I can contact you.

Prayer Request

I have an unspoken prayer request. I would appreciate your prayers at this time for a situation that is out of my control. This has been going on for some time. Thanks in advance.

My Beef for Today

Canadian Confederation took place on July 1, 1867 under the rule of Britain and remained so until 1931. At that time, the Statute of Westminister gave each British dominion, including Canada, the opportunity for almost complete independence from the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This meant that Canada had become independent of Britain.

Why then, I ask, did we pay 2.6 million dollars last month for Prince Charles and Camilla to visit Canada, partly because she wanted to visit Dundurn Castle where one of her relatives, Lord Dundurn lived? Why are we going to pay 3.64 million for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to visit Canada next year? If we are independent of British rule, why must we pay the wages of the Royal Family and their security when they visit our country?

The last time Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited, the citizens of Canada had to pay an atrocious price to buy her a new gold-plated toilet seat because the one she brought with her broke. Can the Royal Hinny not sit on anything but a gold-plated toilet seat? And why wasn't she and her entourage responsible for that themselves. Why were the people of Canada made to foot the bill?

Yes, she is our figurehead and her likeness is on our currency, but I for one, would prefer we put some historical Canadian figure on our currency and use the money we pay for the Queen to visit to feed the 1.5 million people in Canada who are going hungry.

Now don't get me wrong, I do respect the Royal Family, but if they want to come to Canada, let them come as tourists instead of our government spending millions of dollars on their visits. This money could go to help those who are disabled or in need of food or clothing through no fault of their own. These people are living far below the poverty level and their own country spends money on gold-plated toilet seats for visiting dignitaries while they struggle. It just doesn't seem right to me. Our government certainly has its priorities wrong. And that is my beef for today.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of my American friends and readers a Happy Thanksgiving.

The Simple Things

Recently both Mari and Hootin' Anni have posted about the simple things in life. Isn't that what life is all about? I am one that loves the simple things. I don't like the hustle and bustle of today's world. When I was young, we lived in rural area and things were much slower paced.

Since I enjoy the simple things in life, I decided to copy Mari and Anni and do a post about some of my favourite things.

* Wet kisses from a toddler

* The sound of children's laughter

* Spending time with my grandsons, whether it be for a walk in the park or playing Uno or some other game.

* Flowers in the spring and summer

* Watching lambs frolic in the pasture

* Birds, raccoons and squirrels in the yard, the fragrance of fallen leaves, blossoms in spring and all things from the natural world.

* The smell of wood burning in a fireplace or wood stove.

* The smell of cookies and bread baking

* The love of family

* Playing with Dakota

* Watching a good movie at home with a bag of popcorn

* Reading a good book

These are just a few of the simple things in life that I enjoy. What are some of your favourites?

Will's Christmas Store and Tree Farm

Today I picked up the boys around noon, then picked up Mom and we headed to Lynden, Ontario to Will's Christmas Store and Tree Farm. We visited there a couple years ago and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Today was a sunny day and not cold, so it was a perfect day to visit. Be sure to click to enlarge the photos for a better viewing experience.
This is the driveway. There are, according to Will's pamphet, over a hundred thousand Christmas trees on the farm.

This is the entrance to the store. They had it nicely decorated. Jordan is peeking out to see where I am.
Besides the store, they have the Pine Loft, where they sell all types of fresh evergreen wreaths and other decorations.
Inside, the store is filled with every Christmas ornament you could imagine.
Santa, a reindeer and a Christmas bear sits above the door of one of the rooms, along with a couple of Christmas polar bears.
Santa's and gingerbread men can be found against one wall.
More Santas, a Christmas train and some snowmen.
An entire section of snow people and some beautiful Christmas stockings.
This one is for Anni. Hundreds of Santas are grouped into this display.
And more Santas. They are all unique and children of all ages are delighted with the Jolly Old Elf.

Jordan, leaning back so he won't be in the photo. I guess I fooled him.
Strings of cranberries, more Santas and a variety of other decorations.
Ah, stacking dolls. I remember playing with one of these as a child.
Another grouping for Anni. Western Santas. I looked for a stagecoach but alas, there wasn't one.
Blue Santas and snowmen. This display seemed to draw lots of attention.
Bears and snowmen and I love the ice skates hanging on the frame of this display. Brings back memories.
It wouldn't be Christmas without the Nativity. These were beautiful. I love the Christmas angel standing in the door of the church.
In the Pine Loft, Santa and some snowmen stand guard.

Pea, I talked to the woman in the store and she remembers you well. She hopes you come back again next year.

Will's Christmas Store and Tree Farm is located at 1974 Concession 2 W. RR# 1, Lynden, Ontario.

For more information, visit their website: Will's Christmas Store and Tree Farm

We had a great time looking around. The boys bought Great-Grandma a cardinal and a blue jay Christmas tree ornament and their mother a couple of little decorations for her village. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.