Share Your World – Week 47

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….a new challenge for me

Share Your World-Wk-47

How do you like to spend a rainy day?

I probably do everything but what I need to do. Here is a list of things I like to do:

Write a post or two for my blog, read a good book, watch a marathon of TV shows that I’ve missed or catch up on a series that’s new to me but is about to go into its second or third season, clean out the refrigerator or organize one or two kitchen cupboards (not my most favourite activity but gives me a lot of satisfaction when it’s done) and do something creative, like paint, knit or sew (something I don’t do often enough)

What is the weirdest or strangest thing you saw or heard or did this week?

It’s been a really a really busy week with family so nothing weird or strange stands out.

I’m appalled that after 10 days there are still 200 families without power in the city of Toronto because of last weeks ice storm. I think the weird part of this whole story is that the mayor didn’t think it was necessary to declare a state of emergency when 300 000 customers went without power and thousands sat in the dark and cold for days, not hours, DAYS.

What item, that you don’t have already, would you most like to own?

I would like to have (maybe not own) a housekeeper and a handyman to help me around the house. I tend to let things go until I know company is coming and then I’m a mad woman trying to get everything done before people arrive or I stay up late like I did last night pulling things off shelves and washing down everything. I would love to have a handyman to do the little things that my husband promises to do and then never gets to, especially things electrical and plumbing related.

How many times you have moved in the last ten years?

Homes – zero times. I’ve lived in the same house for over 35 years.

Work – zero times. I’ve been at the same school for over 14 years but I have moved classrooms in the last two years and that is a huge job, especially when you’ve accumulated 12 years of stuff for one grade. When I moved to the library I couldn’t give a lot of my stuff away because people just didn’t have room and I didn’t have space to store it. The teacher in my old room has kindly allowed to keep a lot of my ‘stuff’ in one of the cupboards and slowly I’m removing things as I find new owners or a use for it myself.

SYW commences on Mondays-Week 47

Things I’m Grateful for in 2013

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….despite a few ups and downs we’ve been blessed this year

Health

My husband continues to be ‘cancer’ free. His scans have been positive and for the most part is blood work is good. He’s suffered from shingles again but he’s on the mend and we’re waiting hear about surgery for his thyroid in the New Year.

I’ve been healthy this year. My weight goes up and down but I’m still more down than up and all my tests have come back with good news. Even my eyesight has improved to the point where I don’t need to wear glasses for driving anymore. I ran another 5k this year and I improved on my time from the year before.

My father has fully recovered from his fall this summer and is back to his daily walks with the dog.

Family

We visited with my husband’s family in Ireland this summer and met up with our son who we hadn’t seen in a year and a half. We also met his girlfriend for the first time.

This Christmas all my children and their significant others, including our son and his girlfriend spent Christmas Eve with us. On Christmas Day it snowed some more so Az truly experienced a white Christmas.

My sister in Chatham has been preparing for her wedding in January and we convinced my father to attend the wedding. We booked and paid for his train ticket and we will be going with him the day before the big event.

My brother-in-law surprised my sister in Calgary, on her birthday (Christmas Day) with a visit from her two sisters (me and C from Chatham) this coming March. He’s paid for our plane fares and is planning some more surprises when we get there. This is as much a surprise and treat for the two of us as well.

: G, B and Lucy

: B and Az

: My oldest daughter A and her partner J.

The biggest surprise happened Christmas night when my son announced that he proposed to his girlfriend, Az. My husband and I were the first to be told the joyous news but the phone calls to Iran, the U.S. and the sisters in Toronto soon followed.

Avoiding Disaster

This summer Toronto experienced an overwhelming amount of rain and thousands of homes were flooded. We, luckily, stayed dry and weren’t inconvenienced. This past week we were hammered with ice and again we were safe and warm and not in the dark. Thousands of homes around us (literally over 250 000) were affected with power outages and temperatures well below freezing. For many families the power still hadn’t come back on for Christmas. As of today there are still over 35 000 families without power (one whole week).

Doing a Job That I Love

Even though I could have retired almost two years ago, I continue to teach because I love it. I love the kids, I love what I teach and I love the people I work with. My colleagues and many members of the community have been so supportive and caring. They are like a second family. Thank you all for making coming to work a joy.

: Teaching Art

: Art on display

: My number one helper!

: My Boss

: Community Event

: Running Buddies

: What a good sport!

: Working together to make it a success.

Friends, Old and New

This year I’ve continued to stay connected to old friends from high school and I’m ever grateful for all of my friends. It takes effort to stay in touch when you move or change jobs but it’s worth it. Thank you for all the dinners, movies, canoe trips, concerts, walks, yoga classes and long talks. I don’t know what I’d do without you.

: My girls and AB.

: Enjoying first breakfast at the cottage

My Blogging Friends

I couldn’t possibly mention all the people that follow me but I am most appreciative of those that take the time to write to me on a regular basis. I love hearing from you and the encouragement you give me to keep doing what I’m doing. When I started on this journey I had no idea where it would take me or how long it would last. It’s been almost two years and I don’t see stopping anytime soon. Thank you Mark, Viveka, Leanne, Mary, Beth, Dorothy, Rosemarie, Paul, Ann, Anne, Lee and Baz. I’m sure I’ve one or two of you but please be assured that your comments are always appreciated.

Happy New Year everyone! All the best in 2014.

My Favourite Decorations

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..homemade are always the best and then those that have been lovingly gifted by a special friend

As I decorated my tree this year, I discovered that I was more particular as to what went on the tree. One of the reasons for cutting back on the decorations had to do with the size of the tree. Every year for the last few years I’ve been down sizing when it comes to choosing my tree. I used to look for one that was tall and full but in my little house that really didn’t make much sense and as the family has grown to include significant others space has become an issue. This Christmas Eve we had 11 adults over and when it came time to open presents the living room was jam packed with bodies.

I digress, however, so back to the topic that I started with. Decorations. As a child I used to love the glass ornaments that my mother brought with us from Germany. They were brightly painted and very delicate and more than once I remember breaking one or two because I chose to play with them when they should have been left undisturbed on the tree. Some of them were in the shape of instruments and actually played a tuned when you blew into them. Oh how tempting for a six year old to remove them from the tree and try them out. Sadly all these beautiful ornaments have disappeared over the years.

When I married I started to collect ornaments for my own tree. Over the years my friend AB gifted us unusual and beautiful ornaments to adorn our tree and in my crafty days I made numerous objects to hang on the tree. One of the simplest ornaments that I made was a walnut sprayed with gold paint and adorned with a red bow. I’ve had a box of these for over 20 years. When my oldest daughter left the nest she also started to make ornaments for the tree. Her choice of medium is felt and she has created some very unusual pieces, including a human heart (she’s a medical illustrator by profession). One of the first ornaments that she gave us was a cute felt squirrel because she knows how much my husband loves (NOT) those pesky little rodents.

Over the years my collection has grown partly because of my friend, AB who I have known for over 35 years. She has made it a tradition to give me ornaments every year. I’ve received little fans, wooden angels, apples, and numerous other glittery and mostly red ornaments.

I’ve met some very talented people over the years. One of them is a neighbour who used to paint beautiful characters onto fabric and then sew around the painting and stuff them. They were small enough to be hung on a tree and I have saved and cherished her work for many years. Another neighbour and good friend has a sister who also used to sell her handiwork and one of her Santas has become one of my favourites.

As my collection grew I started to give away some of my ornaments to my children, especially ones that I made. It’s nice to know that they have good homes and maybe some day will be passed on to other generations. One can only hope.

Hope all of you had as happy a Christmas as I did. The celebrations continue at our house. Boxing Day with my father, a trip to Niagara Falls, and a birthday celebration for our twins (going on 32). New Year’s Eve will probably be quiet but you never know.

Cheers!

Ice Storm in Toronto

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..for days we’ve been hearing about the arrival of this ice storm

Yesterday I was hesitant to venture out of the house because of the ‘ice storm’. Well, yesterday, in the city we really only experienced rain, especially down by the lake. In the end I decided to venture out as long as it was raining water and not ice. I had my hair cut, went to the eye doctor to have my eye exam, did a little shopping to take advantage of some coupons and gift certificates that were about to expire and went to our friends, D and D, for dinner.

Early this morning, at 4:00 a.m., our dog Frances insisted that she needed to go outside. Ughhh! The temperature had dropped and the ice started to form on the trees. At 7:00, she woke me again to go outside so I decided to take some pictures. It was still dark so most of them didn’t turn out but you can see some of the ice on the yew and the ornamental cabbage is nice and frosty.

Later this morning our daughter, A, stepped into her backyard and took the following pictures:

All morning the news has been nothing but ‘ice storm’, ‘ice storm’, and more ‘ice storm’. My father lives east of Toronto in Oshawa and he was without power overnight and my friend L, who lives 15 minutes north of me has been without power since 3:00 a.m.. There are so many trees and power lines down that some experts are calculating that some areas may not get power back for 72 hours. That means Christmas morning without lights, heat, television, computers and anything that runs on electricity. So far 450 000 homes are without power. Oh, boy!

I guess I should worry about my tree in the backyard that is dying. Fingers crossed. Not much I can do about it now. I think I’ll just hunker down and wrap some Christmas gifts.

Weekly Photo Challenge – One

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…… one pig, one honey bee and a one-man show

For more photographs of ‘One’ or how to post your own photos check out Weekly Photo Challenge: One

Can Barely Keep My Eyes Open

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Mama Cormier

……last day of school before the holidays

Today, Thursday, was our last day of school. Normally we go till Friday but the government wants to save some money so they made Friday an unpaid PD day. Now most teachers were happy to be off one day early but today when our pay checks arrived we received an unwelcome surprise. Our net pay reflected the day off that we haven’t even taken yet. Ughhhh!!!!!!! Why our board couldn’t spread it out over the year is beyond me. The difference was significant. The timing couldn’t be worse.

That aside, the atmosphere at school was electric today. The kids were crazy and the teachers were barely hanging in there. Last night we had our staff party and even though most of us didn’t stay late some of us went out shopping after we left the party. The party by the way was one of the best in all my years at this school. It was exceptionally well attended and everyone had a great time. Lots of laughter, fun and games, good food and great company.

When I got home, after doing last minute shopping for my library helpers and the support staff at school, I stayed up to wrap the gifts. I think I went to bed after 1:00 am. This morning we had an assembly, where we recognized outstanding students for the month of December, listened and watched some outstanding student talent and sang a few Carols. There wasn’t a lot of teaching going on in the morning or in the afternoon for that matter. I did have an art class in the afternoon and one library class.

At the end of the day, I stayed in the library for awhile to clean-up and organize some of my art supplies and my library office. I didn’t leave till after 4:30 but it felt good to leave my space tidy and organized. When I got home I checked my emails and my husband heated up some soup for dinner. It’s not even 8:30 and I’m already falling asleep at the computer. I have a feeling it’s going to be an early night for me. I’ll need all the rest I can get. Even though I’ve done a lot of my shopping, I now need to spend some time on my house to get it ready for my son and his girlfriend and for family and friends who will be here for Christmas Eve.

Good night!

Cheers!

Simple Christmas Cards and Tags

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….using fabric crayons and cotton swatches

During the last week of school before the Christmas holidays I needed a quick and easy project for the boys and girls to work on when they finished their art projects. For years I had fabric crayons sitting in my cupboard with no plans on how to use them. Last year I experimented with them and loved how they worked.

I gave each child a piece of photocopy paper and instructed them to fold it into four rectangles. On each rectangle the students had free reign to create any design they wanted. Many chose Christmas symbols, winter scenes or their names (the mirror image). The only thing they needed to do was fill in their design with lots of fabric crayon and sometimes they could get two or three prints from the same picture. They loved it when I ironed their designs onto a piece of cotton fabric. It was like magic.

Dinner With Life Long Friends

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..not my oldest friends but friends for the rest of my life

Many years ago, a group of us worked together at the same school. After eight years, one by one, members of our group started to venture out and took positions at other schools. Our friendship, however, was so special that we never let separation from the work place interfere with our special bond. Eventually all of us left the school where we first met each other. We decided that we needed to get together on a regular basis so for the last 17 years we’ve come together for dinner several times a year. We’ve also made trips to Bala for the Cranberry festival, attended gala fundraising dinners and gone to concerts.

One of our favourite evenings happens just before Christmas when our good friend L hosts our special Christmas dinner where she does all the cooking. Such a lovely treat. Our friend K, also celebrates her birthday at the same time so we have two reasons to get together.

L and her mom spend days setting the table, decorating the living room and prepping the food for this special dinner. L does most of the cooking but her mom makes the desserts, usually a traditional English trifle made completely from scratch. Everything is fresh and beautifully made and healthy.

Dinner consisted of grilled tomatoes, roasted beets, green beans, steamed spinach, and roasted chicken. Colourful and delicious!

Of course the best part of dinner was spending time with good friends and getting caught up on the news in everyone’s life. Our friend C was given a cute fascinator from the the One of a Kind Show that she showed off at dinner and L insisted that we wear the paper hats from our Christmas crackers.

Before the evening ended we arranged to meet again in a week for dessert at C’s place so that we could see her new renovation. The parties never seem to end.

Cheers!

First Big Snowfall of the Season

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..the cold and blowing winds and treacherous driving conditions has kept us in most of the day

Early this morning I woke to a light dusting of snow on the ground and once again I thought the weatherman had gotten it wrong. For several days the weather station had been forecasting the season’s first big snow storm, starting Friday night. Later in the morning, however, the snow started to come down heavily and the winds picked up. We had to drive to a friends house to pick up my purse that I had left behind the night before and there was no way that my husband wanted to stop for tea or make a side trip to a store to do a little shopping. The driving was difficult and the radio was reporting on a 50 car pile-up on the highway.

Tonight I took a few shots from the front door. The snow seemed to be slowing down and our dog, Frances, was whining to go outside, despite the fact that my husband had taken her out 15 minutes earlier. I put on my parka, mittens and boots, grabbed my camera, put on her leash and braved the elements.

It was evident, early on, that Frances wanted more than a quick pee. She pulled and jumped into the deep snow and headed for the park. Seeing that I was warmly dressed, I obliged her and trudged through the snow laden sidewalks towards the park. There have been some sitings of coyotes in the neighbourhood (yes, we have coyotes in Toronto) so I wasn’t comfortable letting her off the leash. She was having so much fun that we continued our walk for several blocks before heading home. It looks like we’re not quite finished with the snow as it came down even heavier during our walk.

I did manage to take a few more pictures…..not an easy task with one hand on a leash and a very playful dog on the end of it.

I love these lights. If I ever see the owners I’ll have to ask them where they got them.

Daily Prompt: Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Mama Cormier

Imagine, in great detail, an invention that could help reverse pollution — describe for us how your invention works and how it will help save the planet.

The inventions are already out there and the technology to make them happen also exists. Pollution is reversible. We can see it in our own backyards.

Twenty years ago, one could not swim in Lake Ontario because of the pollution. Today more and more beaches are once again open to the public for safe swimming in the summer. I think the beaches are probably even cleaner now than they were when I was a little girl in the 1950s. I remember the water being brown and filled with algae and seaweed.

Twenty years ago you couldn’t eat the fish from Lake Ontario because of the high mercury levels in the fish. Today fish from the lake is once again edible.

Twenty years ago air pollution from coal burning plants choked many European cities. Today harmful emissions have been greatly reduced and air quality has improved.

Twenty years ago many lakes in northern Ontario and other communities across Canada were suffering the affects of acid rain. Today these same lakes and bodies of water are coming back to life and supporting new growth of plants and fish populations are returning.

Does all of this mean that all is well on this Earth and that no more can be done? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. The good fight needs to continue. Many developing countries in the world continue to produce unacceptable levels of pollution that ultimately affects the entire world. Even the super powers need to do a better job.

So is there an invention that can put a stop to pollution or reverse it significantly? Like I said earlier, the inventions are already there. What we need now is the will and financing to make those changes and implement the technology that already exists. What we need are politicians and bureaucrats that are willing to take a leap of faith and make these things happen. It requires money to get these things off the ground. Fossil fuels are cheap but they won’t last forever and renewable energy is costly to start but once it’s in place and running the benefits will far outweigh the initial cost.

Wind Power-courtesy of Twin Wind Power. com

What we need is a machine that can reverse ‘conservative’ thinking and thinkers. A machine that will make each and everyone of us to see the benefits of reducing carbon emissions into our atmosphere. A machine that convinces our politicians and naysayers that developing renewable energy sources is the way to go to producing a cleaner and healthier world.

In the meantime we can continue to do what we’ve started and build on our individual efforts. Recycle, reuse and reduce. It sounds so simple but it’s a start and it’s something that each and everyone of us can do to make a difference.