Gag Gifts

Every Christmas I have to come up with a gag gift for two men on my list.......my brother in Smiths Falls and a long-time friend of the family. Whatever I come up with for the one, I can give to the other. I start looking for ideas right after New Year's and the pressure is on for most of the year to come up with something.  I was afraid that this past year was going to be a failure because I still hadn't come up with an idea that I liked until November of this year. But then, inspiration finally arrived. I bought each of them a package of 12 rolls of toilet paper, printed out labels for each one, then wrapped each roll in clear cellophane before repackaging them in a box to gift wrap. Here is what they got.

I substituted the s--- word for a poop emoji. I had to print out 4 sets of labels because once my friend learned what I was doing, she asked me if she could have some labels to make two gifts of her own. It was a total success, and now the pressure is on again to outdo myself for next year.

For a couple of people, I put a can of beans and a can of Root Bear in a box with a note that said, "Have a Rootin' Tootin' Christmas"

Others got a boxed tool kit with an engineering flowchart to explain in which situations you might require one of the two "tools" in the kit.

 In some of the stockings, people found a small flashlight with a tag that read "May your days be merry and bright".

Some unwrapped a box that contained the original i pad........

Still others found these decorated containers of hand sanitizer. It is always fun for me to include a few punny jokes or gag gifts in stockings. I am always on the lookout for something different. 

So there you have the gag gifts I included in stockings for 2018. I hope that all of your days were merry and bright.

My Christmas Project

Each year I consider for a long time what I can make as a well received gift to my family and friends. I usually struggle hard with this. Well, I noticed  a lot of gift shops over the summer and fall were selling tea towels with screen-printed quotations on them. I don't do screen printing, but I thought perhaps I could embroider on flour sack tea towels that I ordered from Amazon. So I went on-line to find the best of  "funny kitchen quotes", printed it out on printer paper using different fonts that I thought might be easy to trace onto the cotton fabric. This was the result....13 projects

 Today's Menu has two choices  Take it or Leave it  (terrible, terrible photo)

Life is SHORT Lick the BOWL

When I said "I DO" I didn't mean dishes

No longer CACTI Now it's CACTUS 

 My favourite thing to make for dinner, is reservations.

 If you don't like my cooking, lower your standards.

 homemade with love. In other words I licked the spoon and kept using it.

 Make yourself at home. Do the dishes.

 If I have to stir it, it's homemade.

 Kitchen closed due to illness. I'm sick of cooking.

How do I like my eggs? Umm...in a cake.

I made this one for my SIL in Smiths Falls, who is a great seamstress and quilter. I made it so she could hang it up on her craft room wall. Keep your sewing machine close, and your seam ripper closer. 

I missed taking a photo of this one, so I am showing you how I did the process. I printed out the quote the size and font that I wanted, then hunted down a simple embroidery picture or border to attach to the quotation. I put carbon paper down between the fabric and my "patterns" and traced over it. The lettering was done with two strands of black embroidery thread. The pictures and/or borders were done in mostly bright colours using two or three strands depending on the stitch I used. I did these flowers in bright blue lazy daisy stitch, deep yellow french knot centres, and green stem stitch for the  stems and the same green lazy daisy stitch for the leaves. Elsewhere I used chain stitch, running stitch, back stitch, cross stitch, herringbone and woven herringbone; but mostly I used stem stitch, so the work progressed very quickly.

With most of the towels I included a knit dishcloth I also made and some of the boxes contained a little poem that read,
"This Christmas you deserve the best....
....a present unlike all the rest.
I considered a new car or exotic cruise,
but decided on something you could really use.
Finally I found a gift to admire,
I hope you like your new washer and dryer.
Happy Holidays!"

Tomorrow I shall show you some pictures of some of the gag gifts I made. Maybe some of them will inspire you to use some of the ideas in your future gift making and giving.

Christmas Week

I am stopping to catch my breath by writing a blog post today. Christmas Eve was busy as I prepared for my annual Christmas Eve dinner by referring to a rather long to-do list. I made a roast beef dinner with gravy, boiled turnip, roasted broccoli and cauliflower with grated cheese on top, brussel sprouts with bacon, mashed sweet potato and a cheese and cracker tray.  My son and DIL took care of the mashed potatoes for me. I had a red wine, white wine, soft drinks and V-8 vegetable cocktail during the meal and tea or coffee afterwards.  I had baked an apple pie for dessert earlier in the day and had a few Christmas treats on offer.  After dinner we had a gift exchange in the living-room  with all the lighted decorations on, soft Christmas music and lighted scented candles. I love my candles in the Fall and Winter season. It was a very lovely evening. We sent the mashed potatoes home with my friends, along with some Jewel cookies and "Nuts and Bolts". Then my son and DIL stayed longer while we did our gift exchange together. They were unable to stay the night, so we decided to do our Christmas this year on Christmas Eve. I also sent them home with the leftover apple pie and bottle of white wine.

Christmas morning found me opening up the rest of my presents sent by other family members and friends. In between times I was face messaging family members to share Christmas messages and thanks for the wonderful gifts. By the time I loaded up the van with parcels and my overnight bag, it was just after 12 o'clock noon. It was a beautiful sunny day and the roads were clear and dry. It was perfect for traveling to Smiths Falls where I got to spend the day and evening with my brother and his family. I had another wonderful day.

Yesterday I left Smith Falls late morning and drove to Charleston Lake for another great meal mid day. I got to meet the new baby (my friend's first grand child). When I realized I could leave and drive home before it got dark, I decided that I would drive home instead of staying overnight, since the weather was still good.  So last night I ate leftovers from the Christmas Eve meal and relaxed for a bit in front of the TV.  I was feeling very tired. I have photos I want to show you this week of gifts I made for Christmas, but not today. Today I left the house to hit some Boxing Day sales. Boxing Day was actually yesterday, but I was on the highway traveling, so I went today. I took some gift cards with me and went to Michael's, No-Frills, and Shopper's Drug Mart. Even though most of the deals had already been snatched up, I did manage to do well with my shopping.

I spent $54.05 on groceries (frozen berries, frozen veggies, cabbage, yoghurt, cottage cheese, and 5 chicken breasts)  I used a $25 gift card and spent $29.05 oop.

There were $3 off Manager coupons on both containers of milk and both cartons of large eggs, so that I only paid 83 cents on each container of milk and only 19 cents for each dozen eggs. My favourite Monterrey Jack cheese with jalapenos was only $4.99, so I picked up a package.

Besides those few groceries, I got some really good bargains on things I can use next year. The Christmas stocking is one where the sequins can be brushed to change colour from red to green.
I spent $42, but saved $48 on my total SDM bill. I paid with 2 gift cards and only $2.35 oop.

At Michael's, I could have spent my gift cards with abandon, but I am so pleased with myself. I took advantage of only  two sale items. The iris cases  (plastic 12"x12"  storage cases for scrapbook papers) were only $5 each, but if you bought 2, the 3rd one was free. So I got the three storage cases for only $10, and they have been "on my list" for a year now. Whoopie!  I also have been wanting to buy dark navy cardstock. If I bought one package at regular price of $6, then the second package was free. So I got the package of 25 sheets of gold cardstock (for next years cards) for FREE. I love free.   I used my Boxing Day 55% off coupon to buy the regular priced owl for my mom's birthday in February (so only $8.55) . It also has the sequins on it that change colour from silver to purple by brushing against the grain. I think she will love brushing it,  as it is very sensory.  The total spent was $27.74 and I used gift cards to pay for them. I think I had a very successful shopping day. Tomorrow I will post some photos of my Christmas projects.

'Twas the Night Before the Night Before...

It is Sunday night to be exact. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. When I make up my To-Do list, I will stretch it over two days because I will be leaving here on Christmas Day (weather allowing) to drive to Smiths Falls to stay over at my brother's house. I announced today that I will be bringing my overnight bag to stay over so that I can partake in a glass of red wine at Christmas dinner. Also, I have not  liked driving at night recently. If I stay over, we will be able to play a game of cards or a board game which I have not been able to do in the past because I have had to get home for the dog. My plan is then to drive on Boxing Day from there to my friend's place in Charleston Lake. Her son and DIL and the NEW BABY will have arrived on Christmas Day. I will present their gifts to them at that time, have dinner and I will get to hold the new little one. After all of that excitement I will come home to decide the rest of Christmas Week.

Today I vacuumed the whole of the downstairs. I also made a loaf of keto bread for the first time ever AND I made another batch of those keto Amaretti cookies because they are just so darn good. I have been eating them directly from the freezer over the past few days, so I needed to make more for Christmas. I will take my bread and cookies with me on my travels. I have also been requested to bring a dish of sweet potatoes to share with my SIL (because my brother will not make them) *laugh*

 I was very pleased with my first attempt at bread. I love that this loaf bakes up nice and high. That's because this recipe asks for 6 eggs, separated. The whites are beaten until soft peaks form and then gently folded in at the last to produce that height. I can even toast this bread. Yum. 

I have all my food gifts wrapped and tagged and ready to be delivered. But I will still be busy tomorrow getting the Christmas Eve dinner prepared. I don't think I will be back on the computer until after Boxing Day, so I trust that everyone will have a good time with family and friends and I will talk to you again later in the week. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Day Twenty

Only four more days to get everything done that you are hoping to accomplish. It seems to me that the busier I am, the more likely I am to write posts on my blog. I virtually had nothing to do this month, but I am not staying accountable to my readers. I can only hope that YOU are all too busy to notice.

I drove over to Amerstview to pick up a prescription on Tuesday and decided to get my free flu shot while I was there. I had to stay in the drug store for 10 minutes afterwards, so I walked up and down the aisles just "looking". I found some Christmas wrapping at "Boxing Day" prices, so I grabbed them up. I paid for them by cashing in a winning scratch ticket for $6 that was sent to me in one of my Christmas cards this year. So no OOP  at this store. I next went over to the LCBO again and bought another 2 bottles of wine.

I bought 4 (11x8 1/2) gift boxes,  a wine gift bag, 25 cellophane bags, a 3 coloured pack of tissue paper, and 6 DVD boxes which I can use for small wrappings....ALL for under dollar store prices.  I filled my gas tank with gas on the way home.

Yesterday morning I called ahead and went over to see my friend to check on her. She has been busy filling out the paper work and visiting the government offices that she needs to go to after the death of her husband. She seems to be managing things well enough, but reportedly not sleeping very well. I took over a box of hot chocolate packets because I knew that both of her girls love these. When I came home I made up another roasting pan full of the "Nuts and Bolts" mixture and packaged it all up in the cellophane bags I bought on Tuesday.

After his shift, my son and my DIL came over for a visit. They are not able to stay over on Christmas Eve after all. I was very disappointed until I learned that he has picked up  an extra shift for double the wage; and with her in school, they could not turn this extra money down. So we will open our presents together on Christmas Eve, and I am fine with that. While my son did laundry and my DIL wrapped her presents at the dining table, I cleared all the cans and packages of food in my food storage that I can no longer eat, and packed it up into 2 large reusable grocery bags for them to take home and use up. I was thinking of giving them to my friend after the New Year, but I think my son can use them more right now. His hours have dropped down significantly.

Today I got some news of my Dad. The doctor's office called to ask them to come right down to the hospital to receive 2 units of blood. The results of the blood test he had done yesterday  were available this morning. His hemoglobin, which was so high only 3 months ago that his doctor had decided to take him off of his iron supplements, was now so low it was alarming. It doesn't sound good, but on the other hand,  his sister (my aunt) had a similar medical history where she needed to go in every few months to receive a transfusion. On the bright side, when it is finished, he will feel so much better. It takes several hours, so he won't be ready to come home until about 9 tonight.

So I haven't been doing much these days, but it seems busy nonetheless. I made my moussaka this afternoon and can't wait to dig in. It is a very time consuming meal to prepare but well worth it. I felt such an urgency in October and November to get ready for Christmas early, and I am so glad I listened to my inner voice. Hope you are all on track for the holiday season.

Daybook: Monday, Dec. 17/18

Outside my window.....it is dusk. The outdoor Christmas lights have turned themselves on and a light snow is falling. It looks very "Christmas"-y.

I am thinking.....that one week from today is Christmas Eve. I will  be busy making a meal and waiting for my guests to arrive.

I am thankful for.....all the preparations I did in October and November. This month was mainly for enjoying the season with little stress.

From the kitchen.....I finished all the  baking  I am going to do,  except for an apple pie and a keto bread loaf that I will make on the weekend, closer to Christmas Eve.

I am wearing.....a pair of blue jeans, a 3/4 length sleeve blue print blouse, an ivory coloured cardigan  and navy blue socks.

I am creating.....2 winter themed note cards. I sent one off today as a "Thinking of You" card, along with a sympathy card for my friend. The second one I will mail to my mom in a few days time., to arrive after Christmas Day.  I printed out some dog gift tags to attach to the little bags of treats I packaged a few days ago.

I am going.....nowhere else today. I went into Kingston mid day to No-Frills to pick up a few more groceries for this week and for the holiday dinners coming up. I stopped at the Post Office and picked up 3 more Christmas cards. I called my friend who just lost her husband to see if I could pick up any groceries for her while I was out, but she assured me she was fine.

I am hoping.....for world peace, but won't hold my breath.

I am hearing.....only traffic on wet roadways.

Around the house.....I need to vacuum once more and clean the powder room again.

One of my favourite things.....is my tablet where I can see photos and movies of my grand kids enjoying all of their Christmas activities the day they happen. I have watched them watching the Santa Claus parade, the antics of the "Elf on the Shelf", stage presentations and even a ballet performance by my youngest. Sometimes technology is the greatest.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....include picking up  a prescription tomorrow and perhaps going  over to visit my friend if she is up for it.

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

My "new to me" 7 foot long red leather couch. Each half is a recliner. You may recognize my cushion covers that I bought this past summer at Value Village (thrift store). Aren't they just the perfect match? 

Thursday

Shortly after writing Tuesday's post, my friend in Palliative Care passed away. I didn't find out until much later in the day, so while I was "waiting" to hear any news at all, I busied myself by working in the kitchen. I made a second batch of rice krispie squares, cut and wrapped individually in saran. I also made TWO keto recipes for cookies...one was a nutmeg cookie made with ground walnuts, and the other was an amaretto thumbprint cookie made with almond flour. Of course I had to test one of each to see if they tasted anything like a cookie, AND THEY DO.

You can taste the erythritol sweetener in the walnut nutmeg cookies (it has a cooling sensation in the mouth), but I think anyone would find the thumbprint cookie to be really good.  The no sugar strawberry jam adds a lovely flavour.  They may not be the most delicious cookies in the world, but I found them to be mouth watering. I will be able to partake in the "sweets" during the holidays. 

Yesterday morning I drove over to my friend's house with the lunch items I bought them on Saturday. I only intended to drop them off but stayed for two cups of tea.  We talked, and cried, and laughed a lot. She didn't want me to leave, so I stayed as long as I could. I had a doctor's appointment in Kingston that I had to get to, and some errands to run.  As a result, I was out most of the day yesterday and didn't get anything done at home.  I will try to stay in close contact with the family and help out any way I can, but I have told her to call at any time she wants.

Today I started the day by washing a load of laundry and hanging it upstairs to dry. My SIL phoned to announce they are arriving this weekend with their leather couch which they are gifting me to replace my green sofa that is looking quite worn. They just received a new living room suite delivered yesterday that is their Christmas gift to each other. I am excited to receive this couch but it is winter. I won't be able to get rid of the green sofa until Springtime, so I needed to move some furniture pieces around to accommodate everything.  I also packaged up all the doggie biscuits into cellophane bags so they are ready to deliver to my doggie friends. I have 11 ready to go.

I can't believe the weekend will be upon us again tomorrow. The days are flying by.

Daybook: Tuesday, Dec. 11/18

Outside my window.....it looks cold and overcast with light snow flurries.

I am thinking.....about all the people I know who are sick and frail. When I wake in the mornings, I don't know if I will hear of someone's passing. That sounds very depressing, but it is a fact of life right now.

I am thankful for.....my many blessings, including my own good health.

From the kitchen.....I have been making food gifts for Christmas. I have already made a double batch of doggie biscuits and a double batch of "nuts and bolts". I made one batch of rice krispie squares and wrapped each square separately in saran. Today I am going to attempt my first baked keto recipe for cookies.

I am wearing.....blue jeans, a pink button down long sleeved shirt over a white knit camisole, and gray socks.

I am creating.....the beginning of a birthday gift for my mother. I won't share it yet because I haven't figured out how it will eventually look. I also sent off another homemade "winter" card for her in the mail. Apparently the residents are helping themselves to each other's cards, but not to worry....my mother is also "stealing" theirs. *laugh*

I am going.....nowhere today, I don't think. I haven't made any plans so far. I have started to receive Christmas cards at the Post Office. I went out yesterday to No-Frills to pick up some more missing ingredients for my nuts and bolts mixture. I have everything I need to make a second batch of rice krispie squares and my keto cookies.

I am hoping.....for a good week for my DIL who is finishing up her last week of classes. She has a full week of presentations, assignments due, and finished projects to hand in. Finally she will be able to relax a little bit and prepare for the holidays before the second semester starts after New Year's.

I am hearing.....the sounds of tires on wet pavement outside and the blower on the furnace when it comes on.

Around the house.....I have remnants of materials out from several projects I had on the go last week, on the kitchen counters, on the dining room table, and around my chair near the living room window. I should spend some time today cleaning up those areas.

One of my favourite things.....this week are the little cellophane bags and Xmas tins I already have to package up my treats for gifting.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....include a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon. I have no other plans, but most of my activities lately have been spontaneous.

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

My recipe calls for 7 c. of  cereal, so I use 2 c. of Shreddies, two c.  of Cheerios, 2 c.  of Rice Chex, and 1 c. of Cheez Sticks. Then add  2 c. of pretzels, and 2 c. of peanuts (but I use 1 c. of peanuts and 1 c. of mixed nuts). I like this recipe because you can use what you like as the 7 cups of cereal to suit your own tastes. You can use small crackers or bagel bites as part of your mixture. Chex mix in the States is comprised of a combination of wheat, rice and corn chex, but we don't have all of those in Canada. I LOVE this version; however, had I been able to find Crispix cereal yesterday, I would have used that instead of the rice chex. Melt 1/4 c. of butter (or margarine) with 1 tsp. of onion powder, 1 tsp. of garlic powder, 1/4 tsp of ground cayenne, and 2 tbsp. of Worchestershire. Pour over the top and roast in a slow oven(225 degrees) for 45 minutes stirring the mixture every 15 minutes.  I find that the Worchestershire, salted butter, cheez sticks, pretzels and nuts add enough salt that I do not need to add any to this mixture.  This is a very yummy savoury treat.

End of Another Week-end

I have come to the close of another week-end, but this time I am not feeling like I have accomplished much this past week. I am still in my "reflective mood". I don't recall having done anything from my cleaning list. I know I have made a few crafts, but mainly I have been thinking about my next projects. To sum up the week in a few words, I have been shopping and I have been taking naps on the couch in the afternoons (specifically Friday and Saturday). My friend in Palliative Care has had his family around him 24/7 over the weekend, and I expect a call at any time. I took out some groceries to the house yesterday but found their place completely empty. I now have the food in my fridge....waiting. I would normally make a casserole, but I don't have the ingredients in the house. So I went out yesterday to buy bread, milk, margarine, lunch meat, cheese, grapes and other things I could think of to make a quick lunch. When I am feeling anxious, I don't get much done.

Yesterday morning, when I went out to buy those few things, I also went to the Bulk Barn. I haven't been there in a very long time. I was able to pick up some ingredients to bake a few things this week. I have already made two batches of dog treats. (I only needed to buy a small bag of flour to use up ingredients I already had in my pantry) I also made my first batch of rice krispie squares. These will make up a gift for someone on my list, as he expects to receive them every Christmas. I am also going to attempt a batch of keto Christmas cookies to share, and maybe enjoy one or two of them myself. I also plan to make a batch of savoury bits and bites (or nuts and bolts) for gifting.

This afternoon I am colouring my own hair. I have watered the downstairs plants again. I started working on my mother's birthday present which I will not be sharing yet. And I have been looking on Pinterest for "elf on the shelf" ideas to share with my daughter. I have been doing a lot of on-line searching lately....maybe too much. Anyways, hope your weekend has been grand.

In lieu of a casserole, I will bring some lunch over to the house.

Thrifty Thursday?? Hardly.

I did it again. I posted without any content. I have discovered that after I write in my title post, I need to tab down to the main body. Sometimes, I forget myself and hit the enter key instead. My bad.

I went shopping today. I left the house early to drive into Kingston to the Giant Tiger store to purchase their weekly specials (they were that good). When I got there I discovered that others thought the deals were good as well, because I had to wait in line for a parking space to become available. So in one way I was able to be thrifty by taking advantage of some sales, but GT is a favourite store of mine. It entices me to buy more than I need. It was a struggle to only buy what was on my list but I think I did pretty well.

From there I went to Freshco which is another grocery store on the way home that begins its weekly specials on Thursday. Their large tubs of yoghurt were still only $1, so I bought 3 more. I also bought some ingredients that I do not keep in the house because of my diet, but I bought them to make food gifts and for entertaining. Whatever is left that I don't use, I can give to my son and DIL.

Four pounds of lean ground beef were selling for $7.99 a bag (normally $12) Yogurt was still only $1 a  tub this week. Everything but the sugar free Jello was on sale. I will save the kielbasa for entertaining.

I bought these items for entertaining (Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas morning breakfast)  or to make things with. I will use the marshmallows to make rice krispie squares. I will use the Tenderflake  and flour to make pies. I also plan to make some savoury snacks like Bits and Bites to gift others.  Besides making pies,  I had to spend money on flour so I can use up the oatmeal, cornmeal, peanut butter and canola oil that is still in my cupboards, (but that I cannot have) to make up doggy treats for all of my canine friends.

I also bought some items I have not photographed. The final damage came to $93.96, but I had a total of $32.81 in discounts and savings.  Looking back, I guess I didn't do too badly. I certainly have spent more than that on groceries at Christmas. I also have been able to spread out the purchases over several weeks this year. I guess I am just troubled by spending any money at all. Oh no. I am turning into Scrooge.

Mid-Week Report

I cleaned my bedroom yesterday. It wasn't a " move the furniture  and dust underneath and behind kind of clean", but thorough enough to last the rest of this year. *laugh* I used a damp rag to clean the tops of my dressers and bedside tables after clearing everything off the surface. I purged some items into bags and boxes to take to the Thrift store. I vacuumed the floor and the corners of the room. I did not wash the Roman Blinds because I have decided I want to replace those with curtains in January. They won't be new ones but perhaps I can find something I like from the Thrift store. I must have tired myself out because I fell asleep last night while watching a program and didn't crawl out of bed until almost 9:30 this morning.

Today was a much slower kind of day. Breakfast was late and lunch was later. In fact, after speaking with my BIL from Tampa (he called me), I warmed up some leftovers from dinner last night and it was already 3:30 in the afternoon. I feel I have done nothing today; but I did vacuum some in the laundry room before the phone call.  I have been making lists......lists of goals for the New Year, lists of supplies I need to buy to do small DIY jobs around the house, and  lists of ideas for future make your own kind of gifts to share.  I have been in a quiet and reflective mood lately.  I didn't leave the house today, so therefore did not spend any money.

I have been racking my brain trying to come up with 5 frugal and fabulous ideas that I have done this past week, but I cannot think of much. Some things I do are second nature now, so I don't consider them as frugal. I guess they are, though.

• I repaired a set of bedroom drapes before hanging them. When I washed them, they split along some of the seams where the trim was attached.

• I sewed on a button that was becoming loose from a blouse I wore last week. I wanted to fix it before I lost the button.

• I cleaned using my DIY Mircle spray. I also use it on stains in the laundry.

• I save all my coffee grounds in an old coffee tin. When it is full, I apply it directly to my flower beds. I refill my reusable plastic coffee pods every morning for the Keurig machine. 

• I did a load of wash last night before going to bed and hung the clothes to dry this morning instead of using my dryer. 

There, I made it through my Fab and Frugal Five. 

Daybook: Monday, Dec. 3/18

Outside my window.....there are a few snowflakes falling at the moment; but again, there is no snow on the ground. It has been raining and very mild out, but in the last few hours the temperature has plummeted.

I am thinking.....of all I got accomplished last week, and though there are quite a few items on my mile long to-do list, I decided to give myself a little break today by not doing anything on the deep-cleaning list.

I am thankful for.....a quiet weekend in which to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas.

From the kitchen.....I strained off the broth I made from the ham bone and put it in the freezer until I can determine what to make with it. I finished off the moussaka last night and will have a sausage veggie casserole tonight.

I am wearing.....blue jeans, red striped socks  and a long sleeved red t-shirt.

I am creating.....more packaging today for a few more stocking stuffers I picked up. I added two more thank-you cards to each gift set of all-occasion cards. Each pack now has 10 cards each, with envelopes and stamps.  I also wrapped a couple of things that I had forgotten about. I used today just to tidy up a few ends.

I am going.....nowhere else today. I have been out twice already. I drove into Amerstview to Shopper's Drug Mart, the LCBO (liquor control board) Foodland and the Dollar Store. Don't worry! I went into each store with a list. I picked up two bottles of red wine for upcoming dinner meals. My second trip out of the house was to the Post Office. I walked over to pick up a parcel delivery and also received a "Happy Winter" card in the mail from my young grand son.

I am hoping.....things go as smoothly in December as they did last month. *touch wood*

I am hearing.....busy rush hour traffic coming home from work.

Around the house.....I washed the bedding from my overnight guests last weekend and put it back on the spare room beds. The deep cleaning is going along on schedule, but I haven't done as much in the kitchen as I had hoped. However, it all needs to be done.

One of my favourite things.....is my new keyboard from my daughter and son-in-law. I rely on my computer so much. I also appreciate that he was able to hook up my new router.

A few plans for the rest of this week.....well, I haven't made any plans. There are no appointments, no birthday parties and no expected visitors. I will continue the deep clean and perhaps consider doing some baking.

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

Some more groceries I went in for included milk, eggs, cheese and toilet paper. I bought more cottage cheese, cream cheese, butter, sausage and coffee pods for my Keurig  because they were on sale and because they are always on my list to buy. I love getting ANY meat that is below $2 /lb.  The toilet paper was also on sale for less than half price, fortunately for me. (so I bought two)

Feeling Tired and Dragging

By the time I had my breakfast and coffee, and face-timed with all my family members, it was almost noon when I was free to check my to-do list.  I chose to wash my bathroom upstairs off my bedroom. I cleaned the sink, bath tub and toilet and washed the floor on my way out of the room. The tub surround and the sliding glass doors weren't too bad, so I left that for next time.  I filled the bottom of the bath tub with hot water and a splash of chlorine bleach to disinfect while the floor dried.  I took out the rubber bath mat and the floor mat to throw in the washer with some towels and washing rags, and while that was washing, I folded yesterday's load and put away.

Lunch was two smaller pieces of moussaka. I sliced up that very large ham and froze into portions, saving all the tiny bits and pieces to add to future omelets. The ham bone is in the crock pot right now with some water to make a soup stock. Normally, I would make a pea soup or Boston beans, but now I am not sure what I will do with it. I had intended to go out today for eggs and milk, but I felt drained. I didn't go out, so I didn't spend any money (except for the e-transfers I made to my grand children). Instead I have been relaxing with hot tea and a scented candle.

Yes, I take my tea sweetened and with milk. How has your weekend shaped up?

Advent Calendars

A friend of mine sent me an Advent calendar on-line through Jackie Lawson (a e-card delivery service). It is lovely. Today I got to open my first activity. I am going to have a lot of fun with this. My two grand kids in Bradford got to open a gift today from their bag of Advent gifts and were each thrilled with what they received. My daughter helped me out immensely this year by letting me in on what their interests were (since they change quite often) Unfortunately, my youngest grand daughter has not received her parcel yet and I am unable to track it. The postal workers were legislated back to work last week and postal service has become much worse since. The government had appointed a mediator to help each side come to an agreement, but those talks broke down. I am sure that this strike is going to be very prolonged now. The postal workers have "lost" their strong bargaining position now that we have advanced into December.  I don't know what this will mean for my Christmas parcel or my 50 cards I just mailed out.

Today I did a dark load of laundry and hung the clothes upstairs to dry. My deep cleaning activity was vacuuming and washing the floors downstairs (kitchen, dining room, living room and computer room) I wash the bathroom floors when I clean the fixtures. I printed out two sets of labels for a friend of mine to use, and I made my moussaka. It is a big job but well worth it. It was another good day of accomplishing much.

I had my friends from Lansdowne drop in for a visit. They came into Odessa to attend a wake for an old friend of theirs, so they didn't stay long.  They will be back on Christmas Eve for dinner and to exchange gifts. My son and DIL will be here that evening as well. I did not go out today so I never spent any money. Yay me.  I hope your weekend is going well.

O Tannenbaum

I looked at my list this morning and I chose to get the tree up and decorate it. It isn't what I consider to be part of my deep cleaning this week, but it was on my list so I won't be too upset about it. It is still a big job and I did it myself. It took most of the morning to do.

I have the Christmas tree lights and the ones on my mantel plugged into the power bar along with the television, so I will be able to enjoy the lights in my living room while watching TV in the evenings.
And since I brought down the tree decorations this morning, I finished up decorating the garland around the French doors leading from the dining room. I had the lights up for the grand kids but I didn't have time to hang the gold ornaments and beads until today.

Touches of gold.

I also clipped my red and green feathered birds to the Norfolk Pine in the computer room.
I watered the plants upstairs today....all my succulents and all the geraniums I brought inside to over-winter.

On my way out of town this afternoon, I mailed off my 50 Christmas cards that were stamped and ready to go. I dropped into my bank to do some banking before visiting one grocery store....No Frills.

Frozen produce cost $26.00 even....oriental vegetables, spinach, the last 5 bags again of winter veggies and a 2 kg package of frozen blueberries.

Fresh produce cost $13.01 (cabbage, 2 eggplant, 4 zucchini and walnuts)

I paid $11.76 for this ham  (only  $1.27 a lb)

Dairy cost $12.71  for a total expenditure of $63.48 on groceries today. I will make a moussaka with the eggplant and half the feta cheese, and I will slice up the whole ham and freeze in portions. I still need to pick up eggs, milk and cheese, but I will buy them at another store for a better price.

It is another weekend. Hope you have a good one.

The Fridge

I did in fact choose cleaning the fridge from my mile long to-do list of deep cleaning chores I had written out. Yesterday morning I finished up washing the banister and railings that surround the top of the staircase that I refer to as the loft. The nice thing about having a list of chores that I would like to get finished by Christmas, is that I feel like I have a choice about what I feel like doing on any given day. I MUST tackle one of the items but I can choose which one. Cleaning the fridge is not one of my favourite cleaning chores, but I felt I had the energy and motivation to get it done. On a day where I might not be in the mood for deep cleaning, I might choose to wipe fingerprints from the light switches, or dust my bedroom furniture. I am feeling quite proud of my clean fridge. Not only did I clean the fridge, but I also cleaned the freezer above. That was a huge job and I ended up throwing a lot of unused items into the garbage. It is never a good thing to feel fine about tossing food, but these items were left from before I went on my current diet. I cannot eat them and they are too old to offer to someone else.

Yesterday I also watered my indoor plants that are downstairs, and I made card boxes for the three sets of cards I am gifting at Christmas. I stamped the backs of my homemade Christmas cards and signed my name, and I printed out inserts with Christmas sentiments for the insides of the cards. I started signing and addressing the cards last night and finished them all today. I have spares for if I need them.

Fifty cards ready to put in the mail tomorrow.

Because I needed a bigger table for my company last weekend (and for my dinner on Christmas Eve), I moved my smaller table against the wall seen in the top photo and I brought out my craft table from my crafting room in the back, and covered it with  a Christmas tablecloth and the quilted table runner that my SIL gifted me last year.  I brought my tree indoors but have not set it up yet. I feel like I may be on schedule this year, and it feels pretty good.

A Day of Socializing

I slept until 8:15 this morning before crawling out of bed. I dressed and came downstairs instead of taking a shower. I checked over my To-Do list to pick out the deep-cleaning activity for today while having my two cups of coffee, face-timing with "Dee", and unloading the dishwasher while making my 2 egg omelet. Then I went upstairs to throw a load of laundry in the washer and have my shower and wash my hair.

Yesterday my job was washing the inside and outside of each pane of glass in all SIX French doors downstairs. That was a lot of washing. I was going to use Windex and paper toweling on them afterwards, but I think I picked too big a job for one day, and because the windows look so great already, I decided that if I have time later on, I will clean them again. So today I decided to wash the stairs, banister and railings. Again, it was a huge job, so I decided early that I would just wash the railings and banister going downstairs, and save the banister and railings around the top of the loft for tomorrow. I was just finishing up when I got a call from my son and my DIL. She had a break between classes and wanted to come out for a visit. We had lunch together and had a couple of hours visiting before they had to go back into town. Soon after I got ready to leave for Kingston myself. We were meeting at a restaurant to celebrate another friend's birthday. I should have brought Christmas cards with me but didn't think of it. The next birthday celebration isn't until February.

It snowed today and is supposed to continue all through the night. This snow is sticking and the trees look very pretty. I forgot to turn off my outside Christmas lights yesterday before going into town to help move a cedar chest for a friend of mine. So they were on to greet my arrival last night and also tonight. With snow, they look especially festive. 

 Some simple decorating inside my house. Old Christmas baubles in a hurricane glass with fake snow (from the Dollar Store) poured over top.

Different kinds of snowflakes gathered over the years are strung up with fishing line against one wall from the ceiling.