….for the last week of the year I just had to participate in one of my favourite photo challenges
Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge allows us to post any photo that doesn’t really fit into any other category. This past weekend when I walked through the neighbourhood I noticed these bushes that had been cut back, leaving only the base of the the plant. Sometimes they literally grew from the rocks.
…this week’s WordPress Challenge is Now
This week we are encouraged to embrace the ‘now’ and share photos of the present moment. This afternoon I took a walk through the neighbourhood. It was getting late and the sky was cloudy. It was also very brisk and I was glad that I brought my gloves with me. Here are a few things that I saw on my journey to get more steps in today and to capture the things we take for granted.
….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
….every week Becca Givens posts beautiful photos of trees…check it out
The weather continues to be mild but the temperatures did drop in the last two days. Today was brisk but sunny. The forecast calls for more mild weather in the next week. No white Christmas this year.
….this week’s theme for WPC is Gathering
….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!
…..Aisla from Where’s My Backpack has challenged us to post photos of fabric
I’ve always loved fabrics. My parents opened their own fabric/wool store when I was 16 years old. They decided on this business partly due to the fact that as a family we sewed a lot of our own clothes and I already knew that I wanted to be a home economics/family studies teacher.
Recently my husband and I went to an exhibit at the ROM where they featured the traditional fabrics and clothes of Mexico.
….love those green carnations in bouquets
