Happy New Year!! and the Very Furry Christmas

First thing before the kids open their gifts, they present the animals with Santa`s surprises for them.
Elvis goes first...

He loved his sweet potatoe snacks, but had to make sure he wasn`t missing anything...

"Oh, for me? You shouldn`t have."

Isobell checks hers out. One year she actually opened her own gift. Sure wish I`d had a camera handy for that one! As you can see my herbs are looking rough but some are actually surviving!

Teddy has a sniff of his present....

The only one that liked their gift was Elvis. Dried fish, catnip treats and beef nibbles. Not one of those was cat tasty!They`ll all end up in Elvis`s tum tum eventually LOL
We then went to my Mum and Dad`s and the birds were having a food celebration of their own. I caught this woodpecker. The pic was close up so not the best...

We had a lovely family gathering and now Elvis and me would like to wish everyone the happiest and most prosperous New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

Snow Day

I`m back with a few pictures of what our day here is like in Ontario because we`re having a snow day. We were going to Oshawa for the hubbies yearly family re-union Christmas dinner that`s held in a pretty little church basement. Luckily I was the one bringing the jelly salad and a few cookies and not the turkey. They don`t expect many to make it this year though. There have been over 200 flights cancelled at the Toronto airport and I imagine a lot of disappointed people. Hope everyone is safe. Bad time for storms...this time of the year when there`s so many Christmas do`s.

Yesterday we went under my parents bird tree and it was really something to see the chickadees fluttering around to each house. They were almost tame compared to the giant sized blue jays and the woodpeckers, who stayed away. The chickadees wings gave a tiny wuurrrring sound as they flew about.

My dad gave me this cute little bird house so I could watch the birds. I took this about 7 am this morning when it was freezing rain outside....

And this was it two hours later...

The rest are from around 10 am and it`s still snowing. No bare feet in the driveway this Christmas sis!

The weather report is saying that this is the worst winter storm in decades so please don`t go out on the roads if you`re getting this one. It`s a doozey.


If you click on this picture you can see the tiny chickadee that stood still long enough for me to snap a picture. The best birds pics are the ones I didn`t take because of course I didn`t have my camera LOL

The back garden. It`s now about a foot of snow.

Last trip out the snow was up to Elvis` belly. Here,earlier, it`s on it`s way...

"Here I come!"

Being so time and energy challenged, when I couldn`t find the thingy that hooks over the top of the door to hang the wreath on, I stuck it on the grill...

I think I want to make Christmas cards for next year out of this picture of Elvis. He may not be centred, but it`s one of his prettiest. He`s such a sweet boy. A "hog dog"..... a "getting in the garbage dog"...an "I`m starving to death dog" but a sweet boy. If you click on it you can see his expression...

It`s all pretty out there if you`re safe at home, but it`s cozy inside......

Have a really nice and really safe weekend everyone. I think I`ll go curl up and continue reading Sylvia Brown`s "the Other Side and Back".

And Merry Christmas again!

Taking A Break...

I don`t know where I found this picture because I saved it from a couple of years ago. Wish I could give someone credit because it`s great.

I`ve decided to take a break from blogging for a bit. Nothing wrong...just busy and any free time here, I`d like to visit all my much missed favorite blogs and have a proper read instead of a rush :)
I want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas just in case I don`t make it back until after then.

Teddy in his favorite spot on the stool near the fire...

Angus is being naughty and grabbing the tablecloth while posing....

Elvis wants to wish everyone a Merry Christmas too!

This is off an old Christmas card I believe...

Bye for now :) I`ll be back!

Yarn Amount Correction

I mentioned that I bought 800 yards of yarn in the last post, but realized that I had actually bought 2 lots of it for 3.99 each so it ended up being $18.99 with shipping. Still a savings! Thought I`d better correct that :)

A Weekend of Extreme Opposites , Knit Throw Pattern and a Naughty Cat

It was hubby`s birthday on Friday and after going to Oshawa to pick up the boys, he came home to open his gift.

He said that I`d never be able to top the gift I got him last year, so I figured why try and got him another one. Washburn this time. Found it at a really really good price and researched it at a guitar forum before because I don`t know anything about guitars. It`s brand new but had a small surface crack that was repaired and guaranteed to sound perfect. It has a rich sound!
We had a huge roast chicken for supper and chocolate birthday cake.

But sadly, Saturday morning I had to go to a funeral. My Aunt Lorna passed away on Thursday. She was 87 and had fluid on her lungs. She`s gone to that great place of mystery. The place no one lives to tell about. I was never frightened of death when I was younger. Maybe that came with age or that I got a taste of it awhile back when I had an ultrasound. It`s just such a mystery and such an "alone" journey. "Goodbye Aunt Lorna. I hope to see you again some day."

We woke up to this today. I guess we`re going to have a real winter this year and no bare feet on Christmas Day.
A few friends have asked about that easy knitting pattern. So here it is and if I can do it, anyone can. One row of pattern, one of purl and then one of knitting. 3 rows repeated. Pattern is under this picture...

I used 6mm needles but the pattern calls for 4mm. It geets bigger faster with the 6 haha...

Cast on 36 stiches. WO means to bring the yarn in front which will make an extra stitch.

1st ROW: K1, K2 together, K 6, WO, K1, WO, K6, K2 together TWICE, K6, WO, K1, WO, K6, K2 together, K1

2nd ROW: PURL

3rd ROW: KNIT

These three rows form the pattern.
Make 60 patterns long and 5 panels wide.
15 50 gram balls
*** Note
I`ve read many times from knitters that the best yarn bargains are on E-Bay. I would have loved to buy some real wool but for now I settled on 1 pound of 4 ply acrylic yarn equaling approx. 800 yards and it looks like I`ll still have extra. It cost me a few cents under $14 with shipping included!

I`m making a smaller one so am doing 27 pattern long and maybe 6 or 7 panels wide.
Then I might pick up all the stitches again and make some sort of edging on it.
It really is easy and memorizable after awhile. I have had to undo a few times though from not paying attention LOL
"Angus! What are you doing?!"

"You naughty boy!"

If anyone has been reading this blog lately, you`ll notice that my posts have become fewer each month. I`ve somehow lost my inspiration I`m afraid. So I`m not sure when my next post will be. Maybe again next weekend, but maybe not. Need to go on a journey and search. I hope I find it again. But for now, it seems to have faded away... gone off into the sunset, leaving me behind to deal with it missing.
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend and prayers to all the scared or lonely or desperate in this mad mad world.

Winter Things

We have a bit of snow here and I sure would like winter if this was all that stayed.

My Mum gave me this handmade vintage tablecloth. It looks nice for a bit of change on the table along with some paper mache peonies from a thrift shop. They were originally pink and I dipped them in acrylics and water to darken them.

I threw together an easy crustless breakfast quiche. Mixed 7 eggs with about a cup of milk, some salt and pepper.......

Then poured it over copped onion, red peppers, broccoli and ham. Then sprinkled mozzarella and cheddar on top. Baked it at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product...

Angus seems to match this chair. I`m only this far with my knitted throw. It`s such an easy pattern though. Only 3 rows repeated and knit in strips and sewn together. If anyone would like the pattern, I don`t mind posting it :)

Off to finish polishing the floors with Mop and Glo....love that stuff!
Hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

Pets...Gotta Love Them Anyway....

The toes are much much better and thanks for the well wishes and great tips. In the future I`m going to attempt to knit some wool socks. Stayed tuned for that one. LOL
This girl here.... "Yes you, Isobell".....

Got into her favorite mischief making last night.....

Angus thinks it hilarious....

He loves mischief....

I`m trying to knit a throw....

And I never seem to get much elbow room around here...

"Ah, we are ennuis adorables, oui! But you love us anyway Mum."

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada

May we never forget the soldiers who fought for our freedom and the ones still fighting deadly wars at this very moment.
Julie Marie over at http://celticanamcara.blogspot.com/
has an amazing picture! The two British WWI soldiers in the card are her Scottish great uncles.

"Winter Toes"

First off, thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Pakistan and the worry the families here in the West must be going through. As well as all the other countries in turmoil, which there are many..
Really boring sorry, but this made up my week.....

I`ve been off on holidays since Tuesday and have had a broken computer and something bizzarre happening to my two toes in that time.
Hubby cracked the computer problems today and last night I finally found out what was wrong with my baby toe and the pal beside him. I was able to use the hub`s computer but it seemed strange, foreign territory. Mounded up the roses, tidied shelves and cupboards and started an afghan. But these stupid toes were always there, thumping and sore.

I`d thought that because of my breaking my baby toe by dropping a very large heavy dinner plate on it`s bareness, while in Exeter staying with my cousins and drying dishes in '77, that it was just acting up on me. It`s always been a chubby little thing since. It began getting red and sore and itchy last week. I soaked it in Epson Salts and made the dry mustard plaster I successfully used for the rose thorn last year. But it wouldn`t go away. Then lo and behold, the next toe began reacting the same way. How ridiculous is that?
I`d soak it in hot, pack it with ice, slathered witch hazel on it. All to no avail. They were getting worse instead of better and becoming a bit worrisome.
What the heck was happening to my toes? They itched, they burned, they ached. Two silly toes, spoiling the whole holiday show.
Not an attractive picture with dried Epson and mustard plasters, but I was getting desperate.

Then I gave up searching toe problems last night and typed in "sore, swollen, itchy toe" in Google.
I got at the top of the list a forum where literally hundreds of people were talking about the same thing!
I wasn`t crazy...I didn`t need to chop off my toes....
Extreme temperature changes are not good and what I was doing was making it worse.

Chilblains. Thought that was something from the Victorian age, but obviously, alive and well during the colder months especially it seems.
If you`ve ever had this problem, go here
http://www.aippg.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28407&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
You won`t believe all the people and different ages complaining of this.

At least now I can do what I can to cope with "Winter Toes" as they`re sometimes called. Wool socks for one thing. Keep feet warm and dry. I have one pair of wollies and will be getting more.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend, I know mine will be better now :)

Goofing with Elvis and a Cheap Meal

It was frosty this morning! Brrrrrrrr. Look at the poor Delphinium. I think it`s done.
Each day when we get home from work Elvis and Teddy are urging us into the kitchen for feed. Elvis prances around while I prepare his supper and the other day Hubby decided to get in the game, so of course, I just had to grab the camera......

Teddy has had enough and sits patiently waiting for his drop of soft mushy dog food that he has aquired a taste for. 1 or 2 tablespoons go on top of Elvis` diet vet food LOL
Hubby has been so busy with our RateBistros.com web site that he hasn`t been reading my blog lately. Do you think he`ll mind these pictures? lolololol!!

If this gives you a chuckle, be a sweetheart and pop over and sign up, just to help us get our member count higher :)
I`m trying to persuade him to add a "Haunted Restaurants" feature. What do you think?
Now for that Cheap Meal recipe that I forgot to take the finished results picture of. I call it Swiss Steak although it`s not at all like a Swiss Steak recipe.
All you need is some rice, canned tomatoes, brown sugar, onions and hamburg patties or beef steakettes...

Place the beef in the bottom of a casserole dish. Throw some chopped onions on top. Dump the canned tomatoes over and spoon about a 1/4 cup of brown sugar on top. Cover and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Serve over rice. Cheap and easy.

The cats liked it too. And no worries...Elvis got a lick as well...

And as you can see Angus does definately still have his tail thankfully...

Have a great weekend everyone. I`m on the rest of my holidays next week except Monday so am hoping to visit some blogs :)