March Defrost ?

Can we expect to see less snow and ice soon? We have to get over this hump of eating “comfort foods” and hit the gym on a regular schedule. Hiding under wooly sweaters and cardigans will no longer be the solution. So get out there and try something new like snowshoeing.

My boyfriend bought each other snowshoes for each other and still haven’t used them. Today we were going to put on those snowshoes but the temperature was negitive 17 degrees celsius, and that is not including the wind chill. Yuks. We need snow and mild temperatures. There you have it!

Get out of your home and enjoy the snow even if this includes swimming in a indoor pool. Lol. Share what is your favourite thing to do in March even if the weather is snowy and cold.

Flue Season

Yes I have a really bad cold. Too much chocolate and late nights. Did i get my flue shot? No. Can I get it now? No. You can’t get the flue shot if you are sick. No way. So all you can do for the next 10 days is drink plenty of fluids and get a lot of rest.

Share your flue secrets for not getting the flue and, what do you do if your not so lucky, and happen to get the flue.

Middle of Winter

This is the season of cosy sweaters, mittens, scarfs, pompom hats and more, and ICE. Ice everywhere. Today I was lucky. I went to an offbeaten track and found ICE MELTER at an Canadian Tire store. Boy did i luck out! People were taking 2 or 4 containers at a time. I confess that I took 4 containers. I used a container and a half to salt the drive way and steps. I brought the 2 unused containers in the house so I didn’t have to worry about someone steeling them. The people in the neighbourhood are that desperate. Does anybody out there have an ice story to tell?

Get ready for Winter

It is definitely winter and Madeline is home from Barbados. Can we bring Barbados here. Maybe I should have a beach party in February. I know of somebody who had a Beach party in February and even had a shipment of sand to make it more real. I think they have beachy stuff at the Dollar Store. I will make hamburgers, corn on the cob, pasta salad, fruit salad and pick up a Lemon Meringue pie. Maybe I will pick up chips as well. For drinks I will make a fruit punch with vodka. It will be very intoxicating.

How would you like to celebrate Barbados, in the dead of winter?

It's Spring??

Toronto weather is crazy! One moment it’s snowing and then the next day warmer temperatures melts the evidence. David bought us snow shoes and we are wondering how far north do we have to go to find suitable snow. A lot can happen in the remaining 9 weeks left of winter. Snow is ok but ice is bad news. Two years ago, i slipped on the ice right in front of my house and dislocated my elbow in the left arm. It hurt like hell. Luckily i healed without any complications. Share your good and bad experiences with Winter.

It's Snowing!

Winter has finally arrived. It’s beautiful outside. Everything is covered in a blanket of snow. My new snow tires will come in handy. lol I live in a place on earth that has 4 dissimilar seasons and I have clothes for every season. Wow, can you imagine that. I have boxed all my clothes away for the other seasons. It’s a big operation managing our clothes for the right season. Winter is amazing. There are many fun activities that you can do like skiing, tobogganing, skating, and snow shoeing. I’m going show shoeing for the first time this year. I’m so excited. To keep warm and dry , you must layer and add more layers, to feel protected from the cold. What are your favourite things to do and eat! My favourite drink is hot apple cider. Yum Yum So tell me, how do you manage to stay warm and enjoy the season?

Happy New Year !

David and I had an amazing time at the Sherlock Holmes Mystery Game. There must have been close to 300 people there. They had about 7 characters dressed in period costumes and performing their rolls. Each character gave us clues to determine who committed the murder. It was a lot of fun.

The buffet was exceptional. I had chicken with veggies, salads and tortelli. Lets talk about the desert. Cheese cake, Carrot cake, vanilla strawberry cake, chocolate cake, and it goes on and on. Also there was also fresh fruit in large platters. It was like a wedding. Cheers!

Holiday Spirit

How was your Christmas? Did you eat too much of everything? I indulged in the turkey, roast beef, stuffing, and still more savory dishes. Dessert was amazing. My Aunt made the perfect rum cake. We all got some to bring home. The feasting never stops. My Mom’s perfect shortbreads vanished. She would have made more but her oven wasn’t operating to well. Thank goodness.

The fun is not over yet. The biggest celebration is among us. New Years Eve is just around the corner. Last year I had family and friends over for some Holiday Cheer. This year I’m going out with my Boyfriend to an evening of mystery and plot solving action. We both don’t know what to expect and are very excited. I ruffled thought my closet deciding what to wear. There was no escaping my black dress. It’s a classic. Takes me everywhere. And I have a package of black fishnet stocking with new heals. I am all set. Tell me where are you going and what are you going to wear? Most importantly, have fun.

Brace relief

Yesterday i got my remaining braces off. When I looked in the mirror I couldn’t believe what I saw. My teeth are perfect!! It took 2 years and it was worth it. There was a period when my teeth went straight out and I was dribbling from the corners of my mouth. When I talked to people they stepped back and they look scared. I don’t think that they understood a word i said. Even more creepy was when I had elastics in my mouth. Without anybody noticing I would play Hot Cross Buns on the elastics. This is how i had fun. Yes I can be dull and pathetic. Just nod your head and read on. My Mom used to tell me that I looked worse. She didn’t understand why I would put myself through this expensive . Mom would look at me and questioned why i was doing this!. When I see her tomorrow it will be interesting to hear what she has to say.

I would like to hear your stories, so feel free to share your experiences.

Santa Claus

Do you believe in Santa Claus? I hope so. Whether you are young or old you should believe in Santa Claus. It’s a magical time of year. In mid November Toronto close off the roads for the Santa Claus parade. There are at least 10 floats and numerous marching bands playing Christmas songs. The streets are lined with people young and old. The last float, with all of his reindeer, is Santa Claus himself wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

Secret Santa is another way to enjoy the season. A group of friends or family put all their names in a hat and the group of people pick names and buy a gift for this person. The group decides the budget for the gift. It can be as low as 20$ to 100$. Aside from the price of the gift, it’s the thought that goes into the present that counts. This is particularly common in office situations.

Caroling with new and old friends and family is an old tradition that dates back to the Renaissance. Singing Christmas songs, both new and old songs is an exhilarating experience. Christmas CD’s are very popular to have around. Famous singers like; Andrea Bocelli, Mary J Blige and Justin Bieber are just of few artists that bring the magic of song through the Christmas season.

Yes, so now you believe in Santa Claus. Enjoy the Christmas season everybody.

more student concerts...

I had 2 concerts and different schools. It was cutting it close. Lets just say I made it in time to conduct the second school and I am glad that it is over. The kids are amazing! They made it worthwhile. This is a moment in their lives that they will always remember.

It’s time to go to sleep. Sweet dreams to social media friends.

Student Concerts

It’s a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. My students are performing at all 8 schools. It’s crazy fun. Tonight everything was going well until the last song; Can-Can and my best players had no music. What was I to do? I suggested that they play from Memory. It didn’t work out. Ohh well and everyone went away smiling. That’s the best part.

Other than that everything is going smoothly. I found a solution regarding the Christmas tree. I’m going to put the tree on the front porch. No mess!! My decorations are made of plastic from the early days when my kids were young. My colour scheme is red and green which I consider to be quite boring. I have only a few precious decorations which will not be going on the tree outside. That’s all from now.

Bye for now my friends

The rising price of fruit and vegetables

Expect a 400.00 dollar increase in your grocery bill over the year due to the rising price of fruits and vegetables. Would you pay 7$ for a head of cauliflower? Does this mean that lower income families will fill up on junk food and pasta and rice for comfort. The consequence of this outcome is horrendous. It will put a strain on health care, since more people will get sick and require hospitalization and it will increase the number of people on sick leave which will put a strain on small and large companies. Consequently the price of services will increase. The rising price of fruits and vegetables will create a negative change reaction on the quality of life.

Hey

So how are you? How was your day, cyber friends. It’s feeling more like winter every day. By 5pm the sky is pitch black which it great for holiday lights on houses, trees and other creative places. Go on a tour to see holiday lights. I’m taking my Mom for a drive though quiet neighborhoods to get into the holiday spirit. Any suggestions for getting into the holiday spirit? You may have a routine that you do every year. Care to share? Keep warm with a cup of hot chocolate and snuggle up with your loved ones and friends. If you find yourself alone this year, there are social gatherings at most Church’s and community centres. Do what is best for you and be happy on this social day. :)

Apple-Cheddar Dog Biscuits

2 C barley flour

1/3 shredded cheddar

1/3 unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/4 parmesan cheese

2Tbs olive oil

Set oven at 350, and cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients plus 3 Tbs water to form dough. Roll into 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters and bake 30 minutes. Cookies will store for 2 weeks.

Nowhere Land

High in the sky she ran through the forest in a dream like state. What is right and imaginary holds the truth of the music. “Come with me Bella”, he desperately yells out to her. Bella, with her long dark hair, floating behind her as she races to Nowhere Land. Nowhere Land is a place for lost souls. These people walk mindlessly around in tattered clothes chanting quietly to themselves. Chanting is all they have left to give. If the music stopped, all would be lost and time would linger.

In the forest it is very dark, and shadows appear and disappear. Sharp branches tears at her arms and leg as she runs and runs. Not much is left of her dress either. Bella can see a clearing of a meadow. The ground is soft and gentle grasses brushes her thighs with joy. The sky is a vivid blue with fluffy white clouds.

Beyond there is a tunnel to another world where she gets the comfort of peace and friendship away from Nowhere Land. Clutching her soul, she rushes through the tunnel into a new world. Laughing with joy she has found what she was looking for. Love surrounds her and the feeling is warm, light, and free. Enjoy Bella.

Student Winter Concert

Last night was my first winter concert with my students. It was amazing concert even though we were missing a few players. The kids that showed up did a perfect performance and they played as loud as they could. I am very proud of them. And I have 5 more concerts to go. Hope they played as well as last night. (I teach in 8 schools and so there are eight concert nights for each school. That is why i have so many winter concerts. I have one concert in January and at one school I teach a few students at a time so I don’t get involved with their their concerts).

Enough of this concert business! Should I buy a Christmas tree or not. It looks beautiful, smells beautiful and gives the house the Christmas Spirit. I will comprise and get a small tree and decorate it with bright lights. My colour scheme is gold with traditional red and green decorations. I do have some very unique decorations for the tree. When the kids were young my Mom brought tickets for the family to see the ballet; The Nutcracker. It meant a lot to her to have the family together. We must have gone 5 times. It was a great expense for her but she felt it was worth it. For her, it meant the beginning of the Christmas Holidays. Maybe when I get a tree it will feel more like Christmas. At the moment it feels like the beginning of winter.

Share with me you thoughts and rituals that bring you into the Christmas Spirit. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thursday

It’s Thursday, so what does that mean to you? For me it has boundless energy going nowhere. Change is redundant. Like bread that is stale. Our particular stale bread was the shape of a football and Robert and I had an amazing time playing catch in the living room. But that happened on Tuesday or Sunday and it’s all in the past.

Thursday is boring. If Thursday was Friday then it would be a great time. What do you do? You really can’t wish someone a good weekend , on a Thursday. It’s a terrible way to live and furthermore there are no sales on Thursday. That’s bad luck.

We really need to make Thursday special. Don’t look at me, I’m only one person. I can only do so much to rescue Thursday. I will need your help. Big time. We need to adjust special events on Thursday. Thursday is positive and powerful! I know that it is hard and it’s not easy but it is life. Didn’t your Mother tell you that life is not easy and it is hard work. Yet life is good. Figure that one out!!.

So I will leave you to think about Thursday, and how to make it amazing, a day that you were looking forward to happen. I can’t wait till Thursday :)