Share Your World 2016 – Week 23

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks Cee for hosting Share Your World

What was one of your first moneymaking jobs (other than babysitting or newspaper delivery)?

It seems to me that I’ve answered this question before so I will keep my answer short. When I was 14 I worked in my parent’s milk store. I did this till I was 16. That job ended after the night I was robbed. My parents gave up the business soon after.

What is your favorite month of the year?

I think my favourite month is October. It is still warm but the nights are getting cooler, the leaves are changing colour and the markets are bursting with the harvest.

What three things in nature do you find most beautiful?

I love being near water, trees in the fall and the first big snowfall.

List at least five of your favorite spices? (excluding salt and pepper)

• cinnamon

• cloves

• nutmeg

• curry

• cumin

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 time spent with Winnie and her mom. On the weekend the two of them came to the house and stayed overnight while Dad drove to Sudbury on a business trip. They had also come over the weekend before but ended up going home Saturday night and coming back on Sunday. We’re trying to get Winnie used to sleeping away from home so that the the trip to Italy won’t be so traumatic. I thought she did really well but our daughter was a bit tired because she was up more often while she was here.

A trip to the mall with Oma and Mommy

Checking out the view from the Food Court

Enjoying pancakes for breakfast made by Papa

It looks like the plans for the wedding overseas are going well. The dress, wedding bands and the suit and tie are purchased. The registry office in London is arranged and the pub for close friends has been booked. In Italy the rooms at the villa have been assigned, reservations for dinner in the town of Assisi the night before the wedding have been made and the meal for the actual wedding sounds yummy. Three and a half weeks before we fly to Venice.

Share Your World 2016 – Week 20

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World

When do you feel most connected with others?

I feel most connected to people during those quiet one on one conversations over a cup of coffee or tea. I like that intimate personal time with people where you can really get to know them.

Tea and Panettone

What daily habit would you like to introduce to your life?

I would like to do one creative activity every day. I paint and read sporadically now but I’d like to be more consistent. I’d also like to do some volunteer work.

What one mini-little-adventure would you like to have in the coming week?

This week I’d like to visit the art gallery or the museum. It’s a long weekend here in Canada and sometimes it’s a good time to visit places in the city because so many people head north to open their cottages.

List things or events that changed your Life: It could be as simple as a book or meeting a certain person?

• meeting my husband 43 years ago

• the birth of my children

• graduating from university and becoming a teacher

• the death of my mother

• meeting my best friends AB in 1976 and LC in 1989

• learning to drive when I was in my 20s

• my first art class where I learned how to paint with watercolour

• building a cottage next to my good friend DM

• the birth of our first grandchild

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 being able to continue on my weight loss journey and for the support of my husband and my friends at work. My husband has lost 26 pounds and I’m down 18. My new passport arrived this week and I can check off one more thing from my to do list before I go to Italy in July. I’m also grateful that my photo isn’t the worst passport photo that I’ve ever taken. I have to live with it for the next 10 years.

For the rest of the week I’m looking forward to our girls’ soccer tournament on Friday, visiting our daughter and her family in Hamilton on Saturday and seeing my older daughter on Sunday or Monday. Since it’s the long weekend here I’m also looking forward to planting some things in the garden and firing up the barbecue for a meal or two. It’s also suppose to be a spectacular weekend, weather wise.

Here are a few photos from this past week.

Share Your World 2016 – Week 19

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….thank you Cee for some very unusual questions this week

You win a pet monkey but this isn’t just any old monkey. It can do one trick for you whenever you want from getting a pop out of the fridge to washing your hair. What would be the trick?

When I saw this question I couldn’t help but think about the Ikea monkey and all the grief the owner went through for owning a monkey. Washing my hair? Never! I’ll think I’ll pass on this question. I could never own a monkey regardless of the talent it may have.
What caring thing are you going to do for yourself today?

Today I went to see a chiropractor. In the last two weeks I’ve had chronic pain in my upper thigh and the side of my hip. It all started on the day that I walked 18 000 steps. I thought it would go away on it’s own but the pain persisted. I discovered that I have bursitis in my hip as a direct result of that long walk. I was tugged at, pushed and pulled. It hurt! The good news is that it felt better when I was done. My homework is to do some exercises, apply ice and not start any new exercise program. No running or long walks. With a few more visits my hip should be ‘all cleaned up’ before I go to Italy in July.
What color do you feel most comfortable wearing?

Believe it or not I love wearing bright colours like royal blue and red. I also like white, peach and periwinkle.
Complete this sentence: When I travel I love to….

….check out quaint little shops, markets and art galleries. I love outdoor cafes and restaurants that the locals eat at.
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 Mother’s Day weekend. I drove to the finish line for the Sporting Life 10k Run that my oldest daughter, her partner and her brother-in-law participated in. All three finished in great times.

We then drove to Hamilton where we met up with my husband and our youngest daughter and her little family. We had a great time playing with the baby and enjoyed a wonderful meal together.

It’s been a great week at school. The children did really well at the West Conference track and field meet and many of them are moving on to the city finals. All the plans for our Forest of Reading book club celebration are now in place and the silent auction contributions from the classes have been completed by the students and are ready to be fired. Here is the platter that my grade 3 class designed and painted. I did the black lines. I can’t wait to see what it looks like after it’s been fired.

The other thing that I’m grateful for was the amazing lunch that the parents put on for the staff for ‘Teacher Appreciation Day’. They really go all out. They used the library and came in the night before to set it up and decorate it. The food was over the top and there was so much left over that we had a second meal the next day. I also appreciated the fact that there were lots of things that I could eat and still stay on my ‘diet’.

I’m looking forward to a great day on Friday when the students who earned their 12 reading credits come to our Forest of Reading Celebration. We have an author coming to talk to the students, a drama workshop and a hands on journal making workshop plus a pizza lunch for the successful students and the staff who participated as expert readers.

I’m also looking forward to creating more paintings. I’ll write more about that in another post in the next few days.

Cheers!

Share Your World 2016 – Week 17

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for more great questions

When writing by hand do you prefer to use a pencil or pen?

As I was writing with a pencil today, I decided that I prefer to write with a pencil. I like how it flows smoothly over the paper and doesn’t smudge like ink does.

What’s your choice: jigsaw, word, maze or numeric puzzles?

I used to love jigsaw puzzles but now my puzzle of choice is numeric. I can’t pass up a Sudoku puzzle when I see them in the newspaper or magazines.

Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?

I definitely prefer medium length hair. I saw a photo taken about 10 years ago when my hair was very short and I instantly went ‘yuk’.

List five or more of your favourite blogs.

Cee’s Photography https://ceenphotography.com/2016/04/28/cees-black-white-photo-challenge-hiding-or-camouflaged/
Life In-between https://lifeinbetween.me/2016/04/28/the-rusty-old-bridge-in-watercolor/
Jill’s Art Journal https://artjillkuhn.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/creative-play/
My Guilty Pleasures https://mygulitypleasures.wordpress.com/2016/04/25/big-girl-trying-to-be-a-bit-smaller/#comment-41729
Curious to the Max https://judithwesterfield.com/2016/04/26/frankly-freddie-parenthetically-speaking-2/
My Life Lived Full https://mylifelivedfull.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/w-washington-dc/
The Year of Living Non-judgementally https://annkoplow.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/day-1214-relationship-managers/

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 time spent with my daughters. On Saturday my oldest daughter and her wife came to the house to sort out some financial issues with their financial planner (my husband) and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch together. My daughter also helped me put together a dresser that I bought months ago. Earlier in the day my husband and I went for a very long walk. With the nice weather we’ve been inundated with midges so K made us coverings for our mouths and noses so we wouldn’t breathe them in. Luckily it was a bit cooler when we headed out so we didn’t have to use them very often. My neighbours were right when they said we looked like a couple of bandits.

On Sunday we drove to Hamilton and watched our son-in-law race in his first go-cart race. The baby didn’t seem to mind the noise or the smelly fumes.

After the race we were treated to a wonderful dinner of BBQ steak and grilled vegetables back at the house. My husband and I are still on our weight loss journey together and a meal like that makes it very easy to stay on program. So far I’ve lost 13 pounds and my husband is down 17.

This week I’m looking forward to do more painting. I’ve redone a couple of paintings I started two weeks ago and have started two more. I’m also looking forward to more success on the scales this week.

Share Your World 2016 – Week 16

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for another great set of questions

Unfortunately I’m more than a week late for this post but I wanted to answer the questions, so here goes.

If you had to have your vision corrected would you rather: glasses or contacts? Or what do you use if you need to have your vision corrected?

In my mid twenties I started wearing contact lenses. I loved them until I reached my 50s. I couldn’t read close-up so I tried wearing bifocal lenses but I couldn’t wear them at night because the lights would turn into star bursts. For the last 10 years I’ve worn glasses and I would take them off to read. In the last 2 years I’ve switched to progressive lenses. It took a bit of getting used to but I don’t need to constantly take my glasses off and on.

If you had to describe your day as a traffic sign, what would it be?

I think I’m a yield sign. I move cautiously forward and look out for the needs of other people. I get the job done but not at the expense of others.

Was school easy or difficult for you? How so?

School was pretty easy for me. There were periods where I struggled with language in elementary school but I found math very easy. In high school, after grade 10, there were units of math, like calculus that would frustrate me but I learned to love the mechanics of language.

Would you rather take a 1 or 2 week vaction with an organized tour or take a cruise of your choice?

I think if I were travelling alone I would take an organized tour but seeing that I wouldn’t travel alone I would choose to take a cruise of my choice. One thing I’d love to do is take a European river cruise.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Seeing that I’m late with this post I have to go back two weeks. I’m grateful for the coming of warm spring weather. For awhile anyway we had very warm temperatures and sunshine.

As always I look forward to spending time with my family, especially my granddaughter. My son-in-law is racing in his first go-cart race this weekend so I’m looking forward to another trip to Hamilton.

Now I’m off to answer the questions for week 17.

Share Your World 2016 -Week 14

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for some great questions this week

If you could hire someone to help you, would it be with cleaning, cooking, or yard work?

Hands down, I’d want someone to help me with the cleaning. I’d love to have someone clean the bathrooms, wash the floors, dust and vacuum. We already have a family of young boys who cut our grass once a week and we love to dabble in the garden. My husband is an excellent cook and he loves cooking for me and for family and friends. I don’t mind cooking either.

What makes you laugh the most?

A good joke, a funny movie and watching my granddaughter feeding herself.

What was your favorite food when you were a child?

I loved food and was definitely not a fussy eater. It may sound odd but I loved creamed spinach and my dad made a tasty spaghetti with ground beef and peas in a brown gravy. When I was about 11 or 12 my mom learned how to make a real spaghetti meat sauce with tomatoes and that quickly became a favourite meal for me. Truth be told I don’t think I had one favourite food. I loved cabbage rolls, chicken a la king, chicken pot pie, homemade burgers, fruit torts with whipped cream, ice cream and most cakes and cookies.

List at least five favorite flowers or plants.

I love the following flowers: sunflowers, tulips, Peruvian lilies, irises, carnations, roses, daisy mums and Gerber daisies.

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 some beautiful weather last week before winter returned. I enjoyed a wonderful day with the family in Hamilton on the weekend, despite the blizzard we had to drive home in. I’m grateful that I didn’t break any bones when I slipped on the ice when I was going down the concrete steps in front of my house on Monday. Earlier in the day all of the snow on the sidewalks and pathways had melted but there were a few wet patches that froze later in the evening and that’s what caught me by surprise when I took the dog out for one last walk that night. Thank goodness for strong bones and a good amount of padding.

I’m also grateful for the support from my husband on our weight loss journey. He’s lost 10 pounds and I’m down 8 1/2. There are 96 days left before the wedding. If I can lose 1 pound every four days I should be able to lose another 24 pounds but I can’t think that far ahead. One day at a time.

Cheers!

Share Your World 2016 – Week 13

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….lucky week 13

Are you left or right handed?

I’m left handed but I’m able to do a lot of things with my right hand. I write and draw with my left hand. With my right hand I knit, play ukelele, bowl, bat, golf, throw a ball, play tennis and control the mouse and scroll bar on my computer. With both hands I can iron, use scissors, brush and blow dry my hair and use a saw.

If you had only one TV, would you prefer the TV in the living room or another room?

We only have one TV and it’s in our TV room in the basement. We didn’t want it in the living room because we didn’t want it to be a distraction when we have company. Too often we’ve seen people go straight for the TV instead of sitting down and having a conversation. They might as well stay home. I also don’t like having a TV in the bedroom. When we were younger, we’d fall asleep and wake up to the white noise of the test pattern on the TV. I guess I’m aging myself. Today’s generation doesn’t even know what a test pattern is.

Have you ever participated in a distance walking, swimming, running, or biking event? Tell your story.

When I was younger long distance walks for charity were all the rage. In high school I walked 32 miles around the city to raise money for a charity I don’t recall. I do remember collecting pledges for every mile walked and stopping at check points to verify that I’d walked that leg of the walk. We started early in the morning and I finished at city hall, and it was already dark. I remember there being hundreds of people waiting at the finish line and when I arrived the first thing my father did was hug me and step on feet. Ouch!

Four years ago I ran my first 5k run. I worked with a group of young girls at school and we participated in Girls on the Run. The first year I did this I had just started to lose weight and was down about 18 pounds but by the end of the run I thought I was going to die. I think I had a bit of a panic attack and couldn’t stop crying. The following year I did it again but this time I was down 30 pounds and I had been running more consistently. It felt great.

I’ve done one other running event after that, two years in a row. The Railpath Run in the Junction raises money for The Stop to increase access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds health and community, and challenges inequality. This particular run I’ve done with my oldest daughter who lives in the community. It’s a lot of fun and both times I’ve done the community walk/run portion. This year I was only going to walk the course but once I started I couldn’t stop running. I’m not very fast but I’m consistent.

Complete this sentence: Love is…

• a smile from my granddaughter

• flowers waiting for me when I arrive home from work for no special occasion

• when the whole family gets together

• the dog greeting me at the dog, her whole body gyrating… she’s so happy to see me

• my husband hugging me and playfully teasing me

• my husband’s home cooked meals

• my husband’s complete acceptance of all my flaws and imperfections

• my father’s weekly phone calls

• the pride I feel when I speak of my children’s accomplishments

• continuing to worry about your children’s well being even when they’re adults

• is get togethers with close cherished friends

• is supporting family and friends in good and bad times and in sickness and health

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 short work week and a very long weekend. I was grateful for two days of beautiful weather and being able to get out for a long hike with my husband through High Park.

Our dog, Frances, was very ill ten days ago so I’m very grateful that she’s on the mend and pretty much back to her old self. I know she getting better because she actually wants to go outside and walk but the vet told us to not exercise her too much. That’s a hard thing to convey to a dog, especially one as active as Frances.

I’m also very grateful for time together with the whole family (not including our son in London) during the Easter weekend. We had a wonderful dinner here and our granddaughter provided us with a lot of laughter as she fed herself sweet potatoes and cauliflower.

This week I’m looking forward to another short week at school (4 days) and more success on the scale. I’ve lost 6 1/2 pounds this past week and look forward to more healthy eating and walking. My husband is doing this with me so it makes it so much easier. I’m starting to look at clothes for the wedding this summer and I’m hoping to lose another 20 pounds. I think that’s pretty doable in the next 13 weeks.

For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s blog.

Share Your World 2016 – Week 12

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Mama Cormier

…..sorry to be so late this week for Cee’s Share Your World

Wanting something to quench your thirst, what would you drink?

The best thing to quench my thirst is plain old water but if the weather is cold I might take that water and brew up a cup of tea.

What made you feel good this past week?

I made a drawing and painting this week that made me feel very good.

When you’re alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?

In the winter I like to wear socks and in the summer I go barefoot.

Would you rather live where it is always hot or always cold?

I don’t think I’d like to live in an area that is always cold but I do enjoy brisk cool days. On the other hand I’d enjoy hot weather occasionally but I would find it boring after awhile. I like the changing seasons and the variable weather that goes with it here in the northern hemisphere.

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 short work week this week and that everyone at school arrived safely during the ice storm. Last week I was able to do a fair bit of drawing and some painting and I am grateful for that.

This week I’m looking forward to spending Easter weekend with my family. I’m cooking a big meal later today so I’d better get to bed so that I can get up early enough to put the turkey in the oven.

Cheers! Happy Easter everyone!

Share Your World 2016 – Week 11

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World

How many siblings do you have? What’s your birth order?

I have two younger sisters. I am the oldest child in the family.

The three Winkler sisters.

In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?

I like to drive but I also like being a passenger. I guess it depends largely on who the other driver is. If I’m with my father I prefer to drive and if I’m in an unfamiliar city than my host can drive.

When you lose electricity in a storm, do you light the candles or turn on the flashlight? How many of each do you own?

We are well prepared for a blackout. We don’t have electricity at the cottage so we are well versed when it comes to using candles, oil lanterns, kerosene lamps and battery operated lights. We have flashlights that we use initially to light the candles. I couldn’t tell you how many candles we have, probably dozens because I buy the big packages of tea lights. At home we have two oil lamps and at the cottage we have at least twelve.

List at least five of your favorite types of animals? (any animal to domestic to wild to marine life)

My favourite animals are:

dogs

chipmunks

elephants

rabbits

panda bears

Our Prime Minister with the Panda cubs at the Toronto Zoo

photo courtesy of: http://www.flynewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/667.jpg

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 cold didn’t last very long. Lots of vitamin C, liquids and cold medicine and one day off work seemed to help. I’m also grateful for the week off, March Break, and being able to spend more time with my family. I’ve seen my granddaughter twice since Friday and all my daughters were over on Sunday.

My father had another fall last week and he didn’t tell me about it until Saturday. Luckily nothing is broken and he’s just bruised and sore. At least this time he seems to be in a much better mood and isn’t depressed like he was two years ago when he fell down a ravine. He turns 90 this year and is in remarkable good health. For that I am grateful as well.

This week I’m looking forward to lots of rest and relaxation. I’m hoping to visit my father and try to meet my oldest daughter for lunch one day this week. Last week was not a good walking week, partially due to my cold, so I’m aiming to get back to my daily goal of 10 000 steps. If the weather cooperates I’m hoping to get some good photographs on my walks.

Share Your World 2016 – Week 10

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Mama Cormier

…..it’s Thursday and I’m home trying to get over a cold

I don’t like waiting so long to get to Cee’s challenge but it seems like I’ve taken on more than I can manage at the moment so something had to be put aside temporarily. That something just happened to be writing for my blog. I’m trying to rest today so that I’m not sick over my March Break. Plans include drawing, reading and answering the following questions.

What would you ask for if a genie granted you three wishes?

I would ask for good health for me and my family. My second wish would be enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life and take two or three trips a year. My last wish would be for on going happiness for my children. If they’re happy and I’m healthy what more could I ask for?

What experiences are most meaningful to you?

The experiences that are most meaningful to me are those that involve my husband and my family. They would include getting married, buying a house, having my children, going on vacation, having a great job and watching my children grow up and sharing their happy moments.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was very young I wanted to be a nurse. At the age of 12 I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and not just any teacher but a family studies teacher. I held on to that dream all through school, occasionally contemplating about going into medicine but my first choice was teaching. Well I did become a family studies teacher and did that for 15 years and then switched to become a guidance counsellor for two years and then a grade 5 homeroom teacher for 14 years and for the last 4 years I’ve been the librarian and art teacher.

Complete this sentence: The best day of my life was….

I can’t pick just one. My wedding day, the days my children were born, the day we bought our house, the day I got my first teaching job, the days when my daughters got married, the day my son got engaged and the day my granddaughter was born.

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 spending the day babysitting my granddaughter last Sunday. My husband had a lot of medical tests done this week and I’m grateful that everything looks good and that his cancers are still in remission. We have the green light to proceed making plans for our trip to Italy this summer. We’ve had warming temperatures all week and the rain that we were suppose to get didn’t arrive until today so we’ve experienced very pleasant days.

After tomorrow our March Break begins and I’m looking forward to a week of rest and relaxation. We haven’t made any plans other than seeing our children. Maybe we’ll take in the museum or the art gallery and I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of walking.