Share Your World 2015 – Week 25

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….. thanks Cee for four more thought provoking questions

What did you or did not like about the first apartment you ever rented?

Our first apartment was a basement apartment in uptown Toronto. We were close to the subway and great shopping and restaurants. I didn’t like being in the basement. Our windows faced the parking lot and driveway so we had to contend with cars rolling past our windows.

What kind of art is your favorite? Why?

My favourite art includes abstract paintings, watercolour or acrylic and collage and mixed media art. I don’t like things that are hyper realistic. I’d rather take a beautiful photograph.

A Ray Cattell painting.

A Ray Cattell painting.

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

I’m the oldest of three girls. When my son was born he was the first male born on my father’s side of the family in 50 years.

The three Winkler sisters.

The three Winkler sisters.

Complete this sentence: I’m dreaming of a white …. (and no you can’t use Christmas as your answer)

This one stumped me for a few minutes. In fact, I went for a walk and really thought about this question. I’ve already owned a white car and my husband has one now. It wasn’t by choice for either of us but at the time they were our only options. I’ve really learned to appreciate white flowers and one of my favourite bouquets this year was all white. IMG_4682 IMG_4868 IMG_5073

I’m not very fussy about white weddings or white clothes. I don’t like white food, unless it’s vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream and white walls leave me cold. I do, however, like bright white trim.  Therefore, I’m dreaming of painting all the trim in the house white. I also love crisp white sheets and big soft white towels.

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 weekend with the family. We did a double Father’s Day celebration. On Saturday my husband and I hosted a BBQ at our place and our girls and their significant others and two of our best friends joined us. My husband did most of the cooking because it’s what he loves to do. I did all the running around and picked up things that we needed. We also went across the street for a bit to congratulate our neighbour on her retirement.

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Our daughter and son-in-law couldn’t keep the gender of their baby secret any longer and they shared the news with us. Unfortunately I promised to keep it a secret for a little bit longer and not share it with the world right now.

On Sunday, we drove to my Dad’s place in Oshawa and celebrated Father’s Day with him. My sister took the train in from Chatham and we all shared a meal at their new apartment. I brought a salad made from the lettuce in our garden and Dad picked up his special treat, KFC.

One other thing that I’m grateful for was a very enjoyable Tea that my friend L and I hosted for four students from school. It really was fun and the kids learned a lot about ‘tea etiquette’ and a little bit more about their teachers.

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This week I’m looking forward to the staff party and to the last day of school and the start of our summer break.

Sunday Trees – 188

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….just when I said I was done with flowering trees this happened in my neighbourhood

These trees are everywhere in Toronto. I thought they were simply called white lilacs but they are actually Japanese Lilac trees. They bloom from early to mid June but everything is a week or two behind. Thanks Becca for hosting Sunday Trees.

Winding Down but Still So Very Busy

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…..even though there are only 5 days left with students there is no slowing down

Yesterday we had our big annual outdoor extravaganza. Every class sang, danced and/or played musical instruments on an outdoor stage that the parent council rented for the day. We had a dress rehearsal in the afternoon and every class sat on the hill and watched the performances as they waited for their turn to go on stage.

In the evening the students stayed in classrooms and waited to be called to go on stage. It was very well organized and all 14 classes and two choirs completed their presentations in one hour and fifteen minutes. The weather this year cooperated. We couldn’t have asked for a better evening. The parents loved it and the students wished that it had gone on longer.

Today we started rehearsals for next week’s farewell assembly for the grade 5s. After school my friend L and I ran around to get the food organized for tomorrow’s tea with the students who bid on “High Tea with Mrs. C and Ms. C” at the silent auction a few weeks ago. I offered Tea with Mrs. C last year and it was so successful that my friend L wanted to go in on it with me. We decided to make it extra special and have the tea at L’s house where her very British mom could help us with the table setting. I just had these two photos sent to me. The table is ready for tea.

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On the weekend we’re celebrating Father’s Day at our house. The ‘kids’ (my children, not the students) are coming over on Saturday for a BBQ. My husband is anxious to try out his new charcoal and propane combination grill. We’re also invited to a retirement party on the same day but it is just across the road so hopefully we can find time to drop in for a bit. On Sunday I’m hoping we can find time to visit my Dad in Oshawa.

Next week there will be more rehearsals for the farewell, the assembly itself that I’m emceeing, the grade 5 fun day and the school’s play day. On Wednesday evening we’re having our staff party (yeah!) and then on the last day of school there’s one more assembly. Somewhere in between all that we have to clean our rooms, order supplies for next year and store our computers and electronics in a safe place for the summer.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 24

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….here is the new format for Cee’s Share Your World

It’s pretty much the same but instead of 4 random questions there are now 3 and one list question.

What’s your favorite charitable cause and why?

I think my favourite charity has to be the Heart and Stroke’s Jump Rope for Heart event. I’m probably a little biased because I’ve been running this event for the last 16 years at our school and we’ve raised well over $100 000.00. This year alone we took in almost $10,000.00. I like this charity because it makes children aware of heart healthy activities and how the money they raise is used for research. The best part is the day that the whole school comes outside and jumps rope for an hour. We have music, games and prizes and everyone, including the teachers get involved.

What color do you feel most comfortable wearing?

I love wearing red and royal blue and white.

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If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be? (guest can be dead, alive, famous or someone you just know)

My first three guests would be Pablo Picasso, my father, and Jon Stewart.

List: What are at least five places you’ve enjoyed visiting?

• Amsterdam and Rotterdam

• Dublin, Westport and Howth

• Munich and Oberaudorf

• San Francisco

• Stowe, Vermont

• Hawaii

• Banff, Alberta

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 resolving some of my iPhone and computer issues on Sunday and for a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon with our daughter and son-in-law in Hamilton. IMG_5225Even though my husband’s test results are still inconclusive I’m grateful for the wonderful doctors and technicians who we’ve dealt with in the last few weeks and hopefully we’ll have a better idea which option to choose this coming week.

This week I’m looking forward to our school production which we do on an outdoor stage in front of the school. We’re all hoping for good weather. Last year it started to rain part way through but the parents wanted us to continue. The stage helped keep the children dry but the audience sat under umbrellas and tarps.

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I’m also looking forward to getting together with both my daughters and their significant others on Father’s Day. We’re hoping that our friends A and W can also join us and with any luck we may be able to visit with my Dad as well.