Happy Birthday, Brandon!

Brandon, I hope you have a very Happy 13th Birthday today. You are turning into a fine young man. Over the last few years I have seen you grow both physically and mentally. You're doing an awesome job. Keep up the good work and remember to be honest, respectful of others and to do your best at all times. I love you and am very proud of you. Love, Grandma.

On Sunday, some family members gathered to have a little party with Brandon for his birthday. We had it early since his birthday falls on a school day this year. Here are a few photos of his big day.
Here Brandon is showing everyone his PSP (Play Station Portable.) He had no idea he was getting this. When we went to Zellers on Friday night he told me he'd really like to have it. I said, "Sorry, Grandma already has your birthday gift." LOL I knew he was getting it but didn't let on. As it happened, his parents had bought him the exact one that he wanted. The graphics on this game are awesome. He can also watch movies on it. This is the big fad for kids right now.

He got money from his other grandparents and this is what he likes to get from them. Some other people also gave him money. Brandon likes to have his own money to spend, as all kids do.

This year Brandon read every card as he opened it. In the past he would lay them aside so he could get to the presents right away. He is maturing. However, he has entered his teens and is showing a bit of a tendency to talk back. I put him straight about that when he tried it with me and his mother did as well.

Brandon has always loved Lego and this year was no exception. He got two Lego sets. One was a robot and the other was Lego City which will go with all of his other Lego. He has tons of it from when he was very small. Grandpa and I gave him the robot.

Brandon likes to play cribbage and has been wanting his own crib board for a long time. I searched high and low for one that he would be able to have for a keepsake and I found the one in the photo above online. It has a picture of a cougar on it and it's very pretty. He told me he'd never seen a crib board like that one in his entire life. LOL

Brandon was more interested in the Lego that he was in eating his cake. He just couldn't wait to get that robot together.

He had a fantastic time and he was really happy that Melissa and Griffyn could come. Griffyn has been sick with a cold and we weren't sure if he was going to be well enough to attend. I will post some photos of Griffyn sometime this week.

If you have children or grandchildren, remember to give them words of encouragement. They need to build confidence and self-esteem. Have a great week. ~Blessings, Mary~

Support Earth Hour, Brandon and Green Thumb Sunday

I hope everyone supported Earth Hour tonight between 8 and 9 pm. It was only an hour and I'm sure many of the younger generation saw what it was like before electricity. My grandson asked me what they would do if they shut the lights out. LOL I told him to have a conversation with his family and talk about what was going on in their lives. It would give them a chance to talk without any interruptions.

When I was a child, Grandma didn't have electricity. I'm not sure what happened when Ontario Hydro came to string the lines, but whatever it was, Grandpa told them to get off his property and not come back. So Grandma didn't have any modern conveniences. After dark the oil lamps were lit or the kerosene lantern. She cooked on a woodstove and had a gingerbread clock that had to be wound daily. An icebox sat in the northwest corner of the kitchen. Water was brought in from the well.

We live much differently today than we did back then and it seems that when the power is off, we are not able to cope. In my house there is one clock that is not powered by electricity. Without power, we have only gravity heat from the oil furnace, we use candles or the oil lamp and there seems very little to do. The last time there was a power outage here, I tried reading by the light of the oil lamp and that definitely wasn't easy. Shadows flicker on the page and make the words difficult to follow. We were lucky. The power outage was only for a few hours. Others in Ontario were not so lucky and had to live without power it for a few days.

Today we are all definitely spoiled with the comforts of electricity and technology. What would we ever do if there was a power outage that lasted for weeks? I'm not sure we could survive. For me, there is no way to cook. Even my BBQ is electric. If I have to go 24 hours without my computer, I'm lost because my job depends on a computer. I write online web content and without a computer I can't work. Without work, there is no money. Without money, there is no shelter or food, which are needed for survival. And what would I do without all of my online friends here in blogland?

Earth Hour has made me think back to the days of my childhood when I definitely knew how to survive without power. It's provided me food for thought. Has Earth Hour given you food for thought as well? Please leave a comment and tell me how you coped with the one hour without power?

In other news, Brandon phoned last night and told me that Jordan was having his friend, Daniel, sleep over. He wanted to know if he could come and stay with me. I know this is his way of getting away from his brother for a while. I talked to hubby and he agreed that Brandon could come.

When I picked Brandon up, he was delighted. It's been a while since he stayed over by himself. I asked him what he'd like to do and he said nothing, just relax and enjoy some quiet time. What a darling. It is the end of the month and I have writing to get done before my deadline. I worked on it and he played his game and watched a bit of TV.

Usually Brandon is an early to bed, early to rise kind of boy. Last night he was still awake at 11 pm. I told him Grandma was going to bed and gave him a goodnight kiss. (Don't let him know I told you this. He will only kiss me when no one else is around. After all he's going to be 13 in May.)

Brandon came in this morning about 7am and asked what was for breakfast. I got up and once we were showered and dressed, we went to Tim Horton's, which is a coffee shop that was started by NHL hockey player Tim Horton many years ago. They have delicious coffee and I don't go there much, so it was an excuse to indulge and have a treat. Brandon had a bagel with cream cheese and I had their breakfast sandwich. The place was crowded so Brandon wanted to know if we could bring the food home. He likes eating out, but not if the place is crowded. So that is what we did and we brought Grandpa back a breakfast sandwich as well.

Barry and Michelle picked Brandon up around 1pm. They were taking the boys out for the day. It was nice having Brandon here for some one-on-one time. We didn't do much, just enjoyed each other's company. A great way to bond.

It's Green Thumb Sunday, hosted by Tricia at As the Garden Grows. If you'd like to participate, just click on the link to find out how.

I made a discovery in my garden this week. My snowdrops are blooming. Yay! A sure sign that spring is just around the corner.

Snowdrops are a tiny flower that blooms early in the spring in southern Ontario. They are delicate and about a tenth of the size of a crocus. Each year as spring approaches, I watch for my snowdrops to bloom. This year, spring officially arrived and there was no sign of them. On Thursday I took a look and lo and behold, there they were blooming, so I grabbed the camera and took a couple of shots. Once the snowdrops bloom, the crocus won't be far behind and then the tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. I see that my hyacinths are forming buds. Soon they will be blooming and the fragrance will fill the yard.

That's about all the news from my corner of the world today. Enjoy your weekend and remember to take some quality time to spend with your family. ~Blessings, Mary~