….nothing demonstrates the passage of time more vividly than watching how quickly a baby grows and develops
It seems like only yesterday when we anxiously awaited the arrival of our first grandchild. Now, a mere four months later, we are stunned at her rapid development. What happened to that helpless infant back in October?
…..a cave or glass dome, focusing on today or tomorrow?….just two of the things that Cee has me thinking about today
What one thing are you really glad you did yesterday?
When this post first came out and I started to think about this question I was really glad that I made the effort to get in my 10 000 steps. Unfortunately I wasn’t as diligent yesterday and today isn’t looking much better.
Are you generally focused on today or tomorrow?
I like to be in the moment but I have to admit that I can’t help but think about tomorrow.
Would you want to have as a guardian angel/mentor? What would they tell you right now?
I believe that I have a guardian angel that looks out for me. Years ago I had a nasty fall from a 10 foot drop and came away with barely a scratch. Someone was definitely looking out over me that day. I think that today they would tell me to enjoy my family, take care of my health and don’t put off till tomorrow what I can do today.
Would you rather live in a cave house or a dome house made out of glass? (photos of the houses found on google search)
I think I would like both if they had the following:
Cave House
• enough natural light so that I wouldn’t feel claustrophobic
• dry smooth walls
• in a warm climate – the cave would be nice and cool
• a deck or porch where I could sit outside
Glass Dome House
• a room where I could get away for some privacy
• situated high up in the trees for privacy from the outside world
• window coverings to keep out the hot noon day sun or a canopy of leaves
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful that I was able to finish my report cards last Friday during the PD day. It was nice and quiet at school. I don’t like taking home my work if I don’t have to. I was also able to spend an hour at the Olympian pool and watch a former student compete in a synchronized swimming routine. I had never been to one before and I found it quite interesting.
I was also happy to spend some more time with my daughter’s family and I was very grateful for the time my son-in-law spent with me to help me with some of my issues with the new camera. I also got all my Christmas decorations put away and I did a thorough cleaning around the main floor of the house. I always feel so good when my house is company ready.
I’m also grateful for all the photos my daughter sends me of Miss Winnie. She’s growing so quickly.
….where was I and would I have preferred to be somewhere else?
That is the question posed by the Daily Post today. First of all I have to admit that I have not been out for New Year’s celebrations for several years, preferring to stay at home and watch the ball drop from the comfort of my living room.
This New Year’s Eve I definitely would have preferred to be somewhere else. I wasn’t at home cuddled up on the couch. I was sitting in a dark waiting room at the hospital with my husband, watching a preselected channel on the television. At least it was the coverage of Times Square and the view from the room allowed us to see some of the fireworks that went off at the stroke of midnight.
For the last three days, I’ve been back and forth to the hospital waiting for our adult son to be wheeled down to surgery to repair a broken arm. It finally happened at 8:45 last night. The surgery was successful and at 1:15 when he was returned to his hospital room he was wide awake and chatty. Once I was assured that he was comfortable and had everything he needed at his fingertips I said my goodbyes and made my way home.
Definitely an unforgettable New Year’s Eve but one I’d prefer not to repeat.
Happy 2016 to the blogging world. Wishing everyone good health, happiness and peace in the world.
Carol
….the weather continues to hover above freezing and it’s almost the end of December
Today was our last official Christmas party with the extended family. I woke up early to put the turkey roll in the oven and then I started to clean up from the previous two days. Presents had to be put away, the table needed to be reset, the bathroom needed a touch up and a few more presents needed to be wrapped.
I don’t know why I always find more things to clean when I have a short time line to get things done. I think because people were arriving in the afternoon I felt that any grime I had missed would show up more in the day light. So I started to wash the glass ware and wipe down the shelves in the kitchen.
The weather has been so warm that the spiders have been unusually active and I noticed more webs between the windows and the window screens. I took down the screens in the kitchen and bathroom and started to clean them and I knocked the spiders onto the deck outside. I also took down the patio door screen to clean it but because it is so large I took it outside and leaned it up against the deck rail to wipe it down. As I was doing this I realized that I was outside in my nightgown with a sweater and bare feet. It was so mild that I wasn’t the least bit cold. I can honestly say that I’ve never gone barefoot outside on the 26th of December in Toronto before today.
It hindsight it might not have been a very wise thing to do. You see I’ve been suffering with a head cold and laryngitis for the last three days and I may have made it worse. As I write this I’m drinking my Neo Citran and I hope that it will relieve me of my headache and stuffy nose. I’m sure a good night’s sleep and no more pressure to entertain for a few days will help. Oh did I mention that on the 30th my twins will be celebrating their birthday? My son is here from London, England so we’ll probably have another family get together on Wednesday.
As much as I love Christmas and having family get togethers I’m glad for a few days of rest. The temperature also looks likes it’s dropping a bit so there won’t be anymore trips outside in bare feet.
Cheers!
…while many of you are busy preparing for Christmas dinner I’m having a little down time
Our big Christmas celebration took place last night on Christmas Eve. My husband has long enjoyed the German tradition of opening gifts on the 24th since we first met 42 years ago. Now that our children are grown and have significant others we only prepare Christmas dinner every other year and this is that year. Later today we will be driving to Hamilton to enjoy a dinner prepared my daughter and her husband.
I thought I would take this time to share some of the highlights of this years Christmas season. As many of you know I’m a teacher librarian/art teacher. I essentially teach every student in the school for library and I have four classes that I do art with.
The week before Christmas I started receiving gifts from students and their families. There’s always one gift that stands out for me and this one brought a huge smile to my face and I couldn’t wait to share it with my colleagues and friends.
One of my grade one students brought me a small box that he had clearly wrapped himself and very proudly handed it to me. When I unwrapped the paper I discovered that the box was from Juicy Couture. 
When I read the name out loud, T very quickly declared that the box had nothing to do with what was inside. When I opened the lid I couldn’t help but smile for inside the box lay an angel that he had clearly made himself.
He used masking tape, paper and marker to create this little gem. Today it sits prominently on my Christmas tree, just below our angel tree topper. Aren’t kids wonderful?
Hopefully I’ll have more stories to share throughout the week.
Merry Christmas to all and happy holidays.
Carol
….thanks to Becca Givens for hosting Sunday Trees
I’m a week behind. Last weekend we drove to a Christmas Tree farm because our daughter wanted to cut down a tree for their first Christmas in their new home. It became a family affair.
Our daughter’s house is an old Victorian style home with very high ceilings so they wanted a nice tall tree.
….thanks Cee for 50 weeks of great questions
Favourite thing to photograph? Write? Or Cook?
I love photographing nature. When I discovered the macro feature on my camera I’m became somewhat obsessed with taking close-ups of flowers and seed pods and when an insect appears on the subject, I’m in heaven.
I like to write about my daily life. It’s like keeping a personal diary that I share with the world. I’ve dabbled in Haiku which I quite enjoy.
I like baking but I don’t do very much of it because I would eat it and be even heavier than I am. I’ll probably do some Christmas baking because I like to give it to my neighbours and friends.
Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing?
I’m not sure that I really liked it as a young child but when I got older (preteen) we used to hang around the swings and challenge each other to go as high as possible. I can’t say that I get excited when I see the swing sets in my neighbourhood. The thought of going on one actually makes me a bit nauseated.
What has surprised you about blogging?
The biggest surprise about blogging is that I’m still here, almost four years since I started. I’m also surprised how my focus has changed and how many photo challenges that I take part in.
List at least five favorite desserts.
I have to admit that desserts are a weakness. When I’m good I can go without for a long time but once I start eating sweets it’s a slippery slope. Here are some of my favourite desserts:
Anything with fruit – apple strudel (authentic is the best)
– apple or fruit crisp
– fresh fruit torte with whipped cream
Poppy seed cake
Creme Brule
Key lime tarts
Bread pudding
Ice Cream with fruit and whipped cream
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful for a wonderful dinner and time spent with a group of friends last Friday. On Saturday I got out for a long walk with my husband and dog and I managed to log over 15 000 steps for the entire day. On Sunday my family and I drove out into the country to a Christmas tree farm and cut down three trees for each of our homes. It was a cold and dreary day and the first time that I’ve done this when there was no snow on the ground. Afterwards we went back to my youngest daughter’s place in Hamilton and warmed up with coffee, gluehwein, hot home-made soup and grilled sandwiches.
Today the girls played in the West Conference Finals for basketball. They won their first two games and in the final game they lost in a very good game, 16 to 14. It was a difficult loss for them because it was so close and they missed out going to the city championships because of one basket. On the plus side they earned a second place banner for the school.
This week I’m looking forward to hearing the choir sing at the Holiday Concert. We’re having our staff party on Wednesday and on Saturday I’m attending another Christmas dinner with another group of friends. Friday is the last day of school and I have about a week to finish my Christmas shopping and get the house ready for family get togethers. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is seeing my son on Monday. He’ll be flying in from London, England and spending about two weeks with us.
….this week WordPress is encouraging us to share our less than perfect photos
Some of my long time followers may remember these photos from my birthday in 2014. My husband loves to ride his bike everywhere; however, on that day he learned that not everything transports well over the handle bars of a bicycle. Case in point….my birthday cake….a large, specially made Black Forest Cake, made with real whipped cream and loads of cherry filling.
None the less, it was delicious!
….thanks to Cee for coming up with four more interesting questions
What would be your ideal birthday present, and why?
I love birthdays and I love to be surrounded by family and friends on my birthday. My ideal present would be a big party with all the important people in my life present
What colour would you like your bedroom to be?
I’ve had grey in my bedroom for years and I’ve hated it. I recently bought a neutral cream colour which I think I’ll much prefer.
Would you prefer snowy winters, or not, and why?
I like snow but I also like it when it melts away in March. Last winter it hung around way too long.
Would you rather go a week without bathing, but be able to change your clothes, or a week without a change of clothes, but be able to bathe?
I think I would prefer to bath every day and wear the same clothes. At least the clothes won’t get as dirty if I start out clean every day. I would probably hand wash my underwear every night.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
Last week I was grateful for a very mild weekend. I managed to get out on Saturday for a walk with the dog and then meet up with my daughters and their families at the Junction Christmas Market. All in all I walked 16 000 steps that day. I also got to spend some time with Miss Winnie. She’s starting to smile more and when I changed her diaper she gave me a huge smile. She makes my heart melt.
Last week, the girls’ basketball team played in their first tournament. They won all three games and have moved on to the West Conference Finals.
Yesterday we hosted our annual Craft Night at the school. We invite the students to bring their parents back to school in the evening and go from room to room and make whatever craft is being featured. This year we had numerous crafts that included golf ball snowmen, melted snowman ornaments, Minion ornaments, cookie decorating and paper crafts. I usually don’t have time to go around and take photos of the different activities but this year I did manage to go to a few rooms close to the library before we became busy. Here are a few of the great things that the children made. It was all over in an hour. It’s almost like preparing a big Christmas dinner where you spend hours and hours cooking and making preparations and then it’s all over in 20 minutes.
For the rest of the week I’m looking forward to having dinner with a group of friends. On the weekend my husband and I are planning on driving to the countryside with our daughters to cut down a Christmas tree. This will be my youngest daughter’s first Christmas tree in her new home. Ideally it would be nice to have some fresh snow but the temperatures are suppose to remain well above freezing so that’s very unlikely.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. Till next time.
Carol
…..it feels strange to have missed a week so I’m glad to be back to answer Cee’s questions for Share Your World
Are you a hugger or a non-hugger?
I’m definitely a hugger. I like bear hugs from family members and close friends. I’ve read recently that hugs can reduce your stress and the longer the hug the more effective it is for calming you down.
What is your favorite toppings on pizza?
I love kale and sausage (no tomato sauce) and mushrooms, bacon, caramelized onions and cheese (with tomato sauce). My husband makes fantastic pizza.
If you were the original designer of one existing corporate logo, which one would you select?
I love the Volkswagen logo.It is so recognizable.
Complete this sentence: Where I can seek my solace is…
….anywhere where I can paint and/or read. The place that comes to mind first is my cottage.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful that my father finally got to meet his first great grandchild. My daughter and her husband made the two hour trip to my Dad’s place. My husband and I picked up lunch and joined them and we enjoyed a simple meal together. I think that this photo says it all.
I’m also grateful for perfect walking weather. I’ve averaged about 12 000 steps a day. My principal was gifted a Fit Bit for her birthday and she has made it very easy to get in my steps for the day. Every spare minute in our day she asks me and anyone who will join her to walk around the school. It really helps. Thanks M!
Mama Cormier 