I’m Still in the City

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….I woke up with every intention on leaving for the cottage today

I woke up fairly early and started to gather up the things I need for the trip to the cottage. My husband left with the dog to visit our daughter in Hamilton. He has an appointment tomorrow so he wasn’t able to join me on this trip. After he left I started looking for the cooler to pack my food. I couldn’t find it. There was an old one here but it needed a good cleaning. Then I couldn’t find the drill. Without it I won’t be able to get into the cottage.

I texted, emailed and phoned my husband. It took awhile before I heard back from him. The drill was at our daughter’s place and the cooler was in the back of his car. He said he’d hurry back after lunch but I told him to take his time. The drill needed to be charged anyway.

So I packed my clothes, wrote a letter to a friend in the U.S., cleaned the kitchen, did more laundry, put away some clothes, and cooked dinner. I then walked up the street to mail the letter and pick up some fresh berries and vegetables to take with me tomorrow. I also ordered tickets for the Pan Am Games. We’re going to see three women’s soccer games with our daughters. The last one will be the finals. There has been so much pessimism about these games that we felt we really had to support them. Maybe we’ll pick up a couple more events when the Para Pam Am games start in August.

I also found the time to upload three new books to my e-reader. In the past I’ve had issues getting the books from my computer onto the Kobo but today I added wifi to the devise and the transition was seamless. Ahhhh, technology. I love it when it works. Now I also have my summer reading at my fingertips.

So I thought I had used up all my excuses for not getting up to the cottage. Hopefully there won’t be anything else keeping me here in the city.

Share Your World – Week 28

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Mama Cormier

Have you ever been a participant in a parade? What did you do?

I’ve watched numerous parades in my lifetime but I can’t remember being in a parade as a child and I know that I’ve never participated in a parade as an adult.

If you were handed free opera tickets, would you go or sell them? Why?

I would go to the opera. I don’t have a lot of exposure with operas but I’d like to change that and if it’s free even better.

Why did you start your blog?

I started my blog to record some of my family memories to share with my children and friends but it quickly became a venue to plot my weight loss and an incentive to stay on track. It worked and I lost 32 pounds.

I also wrote up recipes and started taking photographs of my travels, cottage and experiences around Toronto. Over the last two years I’ve included my own personal art and art that my students produced. I’ve also dabbled in poetry and I love taking part in blogging challenges.

What is your favorite tradition? (family tradition, church tradition, whatever)

My favourite family tradition is celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. Being German, I’ve always opened presents on Christmas Eve and when I got married my husband embraced that tradition. It worked out well for us because we would celebrate with my family on the 24th and then go to my husband’s family on the 25th.

Even when my husband’s parents passed away we continued to celebrate on Christmas Eve and the kids loved waiting up and then hiding when Santa arrived. It was always magical when we walked into the living room after Santa left and we were made to wait and take in the lit tree and the newly arrived presents under it.

Now that the kids have all grown up some of the traditions have changed slightly and the focus is on the food, drink and good company that we all share on that special night. It has become my husband’s favourite tradition as well.

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 Germany won over Argentina in the World Cup and I’m grateful that I was able to share the day with my husband, and my daughter and her husband. Thanks to technology we were also able to communicate with our other daughter and our son in the Netherlands during and after the game.

This week I’m looking forward to spending some time at the cottage. I’ve been in the city helping my cousins deal with their very ill mother (my aunt) and I’ve been in and out of the hospital for the last six days. She’s still there but I’m only a phone call away.

For more Share Your World posts check out http://ceenphotography.com/2014/07/14/share-your-world-2014-week-28/

Soccer, Soccer, Soccer

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..I’ve become a huge fan of international soccer and the World Cup

I can’t believe how much soccer I’ve been watching. I chose five teams to support because of my family ties to some of these nations. My fifth choice was Iran because my future daughter-in-law is from there. In fourth place I supported Italy because my other daughter-in-law is half Italian and her other half is Argentinian so my third choice is obviously Argentina. My second favourite team is the Netherlands because that is where my son presently lives and my number one choice is Germany because that is where I was born.

Now on Canada Day you would think that I would be doing something ‘Canadian’ to celebrate our 147th birthday but I found myself with my husband at a bar watching the Belgium vs U.S.A. game. I have to admit that I was cheering for Belgium and only because of its proximity to the Netherlands. The Americans played a fantastic game and if you’re not a soccer fan after that game I’m afraid there’s no hope for you. It was very exciting, right down to the last few seconds.

On Saturday we went to my daughter’s place to watch the Germany vs Algeria game and it was a nail biter as well but in the end, in overtime, Germany won 2 to 1. Algeria surprised everyone with how well they played and the game almost went to a shoot out.

Before we went to the pub my husband watched the Argentina vs Switzerland game and Argentina also won in overtime. Now that leaves me with three teams to cheer for but if it comes down to Germany and one of my other teams I have to go with Germany. Sorry kids that’s just how it has to be.