Happy Valentine`s Day

I have spent the entire weekend in bed………..hot, sweaty, runny nose…………..suffering with a cold.   Hope your V day is a lot happier and healthier!

Another good blue day

The nurse visited to change Sarah`s dressing and will do so every day until she is well again.  Andrea sees a huge improvement  in Sarah since yesterday so my granddaughter  is on the mend.   Sarah was on Facebook and twitter today, which is a sure sign life is getting back to normal.

Keeping with the blue theme of my blog this week, my lovely daughter gave me these blue vintage treasures  as a Christmas gift.

Mind you only after I emailed her and begged her to put these lovely on her PayPal account as I could not remember by password.

I had been searching for turquoise beads for awhile so when I found these glass beads  in Whitebird Design Esty shop, I was very happy.  The lot consisted of a35″ continuous strand of small faux pearls in a pretty light blue.
a vintage 16″ strand of turquoise blue round glass beads.
a dainty 15″ sterling and blue bead necklace with a small 5/8″ matching pendant.
a little 1″ long scotty dog pin; goldtone with light blue enamel and a tiny blue rhinestone eye,
and an assortment of buttons and bead.

Having such lovely blues makes me happy!

Up your nose

On Thursday and Friday I had medical appointments in Moncton.  My DH took the time off to drive me there each day.  The four hour daily trip was tiring but we made the best of it and the weather was perfect.

Due to my von Willebrand  disorder I have to undergo extensive pre-op testing.  So for two days I was pricked, bleed, probed, underwent a M.R.I. and had a camera shoved up my nose.   The worst part of the whole procedure was when my E.N.T. physician provided my DH with an 5×7 glossy of the inside of my nose.  There are some things a couple should not share!

I have one more pre-op appointment in a month`s time to review the blood work result, but the surgery has been tentatively scheduled for the last week in February. If all goes well I will only spend the day in the hospital.  The surgery will probably cause  two black eyes. But after a couple of  weeks of sick leave, all should be well.  The operation will result in a better quality of life, despite the risks.  I will be able to breathe through my nose, taste food,  have better control of asthma and sleep more soundly at night.

Never Trust a Skinny Cook

We have a family recipe blog, Never Trust A Skinny Cook, which my granddaughter Meaghan has been updating regularly.

I have been baking these cookies since 1981 when the recipe appeared in the special edition Canadian Living Christmas cooking magazine. These cookies are equally good when topped with an orange glaze, but they never last long enough for me to frost. For the complete recipe go here.

A winter statistic

98% OF CANADIANS SAY ‘OH SHIT’ BEFORE
GOING IN THE DITCH ON A SLIPPERY ROAD.

THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM THE MARITIMES

AND THEY SAY, ‘HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS.’

Another Canadian moment brought to you by my old buddy Tim.

I plan to spend the evening wrapping presents.  I love everything about Christmas except for the /$%* present wrapping.   As usual I left the wrapping to the last minute.

Our plans to visit Saint John this past weekend were railroaded when my  DH’s work schedule went from working one day to five.  After days of staying in a hotel, all he wanted was to stay put in his own house, eat his own food and sleep in his own bed.

My Mom has come down with yet another flu bug.  Every year she gets a flu shot and every year she gets the flu!   So a visit was out of the question.   It looks like we will be visiting between Christmas and New Year.

Julia arrives tomorrow (providing Vancouver does not get snow bound from the 15 cm the weather man is predicting).   This weekend we plan to drag bring her along for an early Christmas  visit with my daughter Andrea and her family.  The highlight of the visit will be celebrating  her Royal Highness Princess Emma’s 9th birthday.

Another perfect Saturday

We spent yesterday in Fredericton with my daughter and grand-daughters.  The eldest, Sarah is a first year student at , the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. and she invited us to the craft sale and tour.   What an incredible place of learning.   We are so proud of Sarah and happy that she is enrolled in the program.  A good variety of crafts were available for sale.

Sarah gave us a private tour but instructors and students were on hand  to answer questions.  My DH was particularly interested in the precious metal shop and spent considerable time speaking with the female tour guide.   Apparently more time than Emma thought proper as she informed the guide, “That’s my grandfather………and he is with us”.

14 years ago

today my husband and I met on a blind date. He is still wondering what hit him!

Do I sound like a hypochondriac

I spent the day in Moncton as I had three Doctor appointments. My DH dropped me off and continued on to Saint John. He completed his business in time to pick me up at the end of the day.

The goods new is I no longer have to visit the dermatologist as I have been 3 years without any further sign of basal cell carcinoma.

My G.P. has changed my asthma medication, as my insurance carrier is not willing to continue paying for my present medication. Even though I have gone from nine asthma attacks a few years back to just one last year.

My visit to the  Otolaryngology specialist wasn’t as positive. I need to seriously consider surgery for nose polyps.   He has been monitoring my progress the past two years and feels that without the surgery my breathing will not improve.    I will undergo a cat scan to rule out any other problems and will have a consult with the Von Wildenbrandt clinic prior to the surgery.  I will be out of commission for a few weeks after the surgery and will need to continue with nasal spray for the rest of my life, but my breathing quality will improve greatly.

I enjoyed walking between the doctor’s offices on this incredibly warm November day.  Despite the busy schedule, I had a chance to squeeze in a bit of shopping.  All in all, not a bad day.

Wordless Wednesday – Porsche’s entire day in pictures

Help feed the hungry kitties

I spend more time choosing Porsche’s cat food then I spend on our food. Apparently, I’m not alone.  Next time you are in the grocery store, stand in front of the pet food section.  It won’t be long before someone comes along muttering about what type of food their pet will and will not eat.

Porsche was abandoned as a kitten on a cold winter’s night. She found her way into our hearts and has been a member of our family for the past 14 years. Even though she started her life as a stray she developed connoisseur taste along the way. Which change on a whim. This month she enjoys Select Kitty chicken selection, but only in the small cans.  As we will be traveling a bit this month, I had to stock up on cat food, to save our cat sitter the horrors of buying the wrong food.  Now that we have purchased 20 cans, she will probably turn her little nose up, lay on the floor in front of the refrigerator with her paws in the air, refusing to eat.   Weighing in at 18 pounds her impersonation of a starving kitty is not that convincing.

Anytime I’m silly enough to buy the wrong type of cat food, I simply donate the shunned cans to the local SPCA.  I work with a bunch of animal lovers so on a regular basis we raise money, donate food, blankets and towels to the SPCA.

Porsche and I thank you.

You too can help by clicking daily on The Animal Rescue Site so they can meet their quota of getting FREE FOOD donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute (about 15 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box ‘fund food for animals for free’. This doesn’t cost you a thing.

Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.

Here’s the web site! Please pass it along to people you know.

Porsche and I thank you.