HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

 

Midnight Cheers all around the world
celebrating with fireworks
and
toasting the birth of a
NEW YEAR.

Dark forests illuminated by stars
Reflective, rippling waters and
 Peaceful signs of life.

Wash away, wash away
Oh tears of the past
Look to the future
With an eyes' fresh glance

Remember the future and
Forget the past
Drink of the nectar
That we call
 Life!

xoxoxoxoxox

New Years Steed

 

I call this my New Years' Steed.
He is smiling and ready to go,
Nothing and no one can hold a candle to him lol

I have two of them beside the fireplace and yes they each hold a candle.
So easy to find this way when you know where everything is.
He is a bit over 12 inches high, maybe 15".

He is made of plain clay and fired that way. but I love the detail
and worry so much about his ears when I pack him.

He will be greeting the New Year with his twin brother.

Today I am baking ham, making the vine leaves again, home made canneloni
with spinach and ricotta , the chicken soup broth is cooking for the seafood paella
 I will make tomorrow.,
fried mushrooms with onions are on the menu, roasted potatoes with parsley and garlic, salad.
I was going to bake salmon and lobsters but I think
this is already more than enough for three people.
I can make the rest another day.
It's going to be another festive week ahead.

With all the calamity of the end of the world behind us, we will look towards new beginnings,
a new and better world ,
where we can all live as brothers in peace.
After all, this is all we ever wanted in life.
A free world with no wars or hunger or thirst.
A beautiful world filled with flowers and trees, clear lakes
and a warm wind,
Seas full of fish
 sunny skies smiling down on us, lifting our souls
up to God on high.

All good things for 2013
are on my list
and my beautiful horses will carry the message around the world
for all to read.

God Bless Every one.!
 in
2013.

xoxoxoxoxo

Christmas Treat

Beau's treat is a nice thick chewy.
Usually I buy the smaller ones so Tanya can chew it as well but
this time I got the extra big ones and both dogs
are having a go at them.
I love it when they put it between their paws.
The bone is almost as big as Tanya so she looks funny
but as soon as you try to take a picture of her holding it she lets go
to pay attention to you.
Then she looks to see when she can collect the chewy from Beau too.

 

They'll spend the whole day stealing from each other

 

xoxoxox

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2013

 

My little Polar Bear is guiding the Old Year
back to the beginning , to pass the torch onto the New Year
Yup it's finally ending.
A full year of bickering fighting loving analyzing
and forgiving.
A full year of hellos and goodbyes.
A full year of hunger laughter and tears.

I hope the old year gives the new year a bit of good
sound advice so it doesn't repeat the mistakes
of the past and enhances all the good things
we can cherish in our memories in the future.

My old dog can't decide where to sleep.
I got him a foam, for a twin mattress
and he seems to like lying on it cause his bones don't hurt.
but then it must get hot so he gets up and lies on the floor again
and then begins to limp when he walks.
Can we teach old dogs new tricks?
Sometimes.
They do what they feel like doing, when they feel like doing it lol

Now What's up with Pierce Morgan?
or the more evil question,
what's wrong with people?
Do you really have to face an assault weapon two inches from your face
to understand that this is not a weapon for civilized society?
A rifle with six bullets is more than enough to kill an onrushing bear.
An assault weapon is to kill people.
Do we really want to kill our North American Neighbors, parents and friends?
There is no enemy at home and if there is one we have armies and police and trained
personnel to handle them.
You are either on the right side of the law or the wrong side.
Which side are you on?

xoxoxoxoxox

People Who Love Dolls

The Gals are getting ready for the NEW YEARS' Bash.

 

All dolled up in their Sunday best.

 

My boys sure had good taste. They know what I LIKE! Eleven years worth of collecting here.

The outfits make them all special.

This one is in a suitcase. The suitcase has never been opened.
She is a big favorite.

This one for sure is Santas' helper.

Every year I look at them and then put them away for another year.

One day I might have someone to pass on my collection.

xoxoxoxoxox

Life Meeting Half Way

I wish you love, health, joy and prosperity for the new year!



Don't go away.
Here's more!



AND I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!

xoxoxoxox

The Korean Touch

 

These bowls are soooooo smooth to the touch
I just love them.
Yup.
 Out for Christmas and back in the box.

Sometimes I think, why have all this stuff if I don't use them?
But the pleasure of knowing I have them and can use them when the need arises and not have to run around stores looking, is very reassuring.
Besides, they were gifts and I treasure them.
I love the Japanese reusable chop sticks. Some of them are so elaborate
and lets face it, they are fun to use. I get less stuff on my clothing using them for some reason.lol
When ever I go to the restaurants, I am never sure about how they wash the cutlery, so I always have my chopsticks with me.
The Chinese old people are quite upset with their kids when they use knives and forks.
They tell them the foreigners love our customs and you reject them. lol
I guess people will never be happy.
It wouldn't be a fun world if there was nothing to quibble about.
You learn quickly to take things with a grain of salt.

This year Costco had these nice looking cheese cakes.
They came 8 to a box, single servings.
You could add ice cream to them and whipped cream but we ate them plain.
They were soo smooth and delicious and came in different flavours.
Some New York style, some pumpkin, some plain, some chocolate. All soo good!
People don't need to cook anymore, when the stores sell such excellent
tasty food in such a wide variety and not very expensive.
 Costco lazagna is very rich and has lots of flavor,
the shepherds pie as well.

Of course my lazagna is richer because I need about 20 dollars worth of just ingredients to make it
and thanks to my Italian sisterinlaw I learned to make my own noodles for it and for the canneloni
which are so much better than the bought noodles.
but if you need something quick, you can't go wrong with Costco.

So Christmas is over and now we have to plan for the New Year.
My Mom always made it a seafood night.
I think this year I will try doing the lobster tails with paella and baked salmon.
I looked up the recipe and it doesn't look very hard to make.
Maybe I will also make canneloni with ricotta cheese and spinach.

The crock pot has a great bouillon all ready from yesterday.
So far I think my husband is the only one who tried it.
Instead of potatoes I put in a taro root.
It's almost like a potato.

I guess every one will be shopping for Boxing Day and my son will be planning his
next snow board trip.
xoxoxoxoxoxo

MERRY CHRISTMAS FOLKS!

(click to enlarge)
Thank you for all your wonderful comments. :)

So nice to have friends.
I made, or attempted to make, a nice dinner.
I put in a duck and a turkey with a yam to bake
The liver and necks are in the crock pot making soup for tomorrow.
I made vine leaves, lamb, gravy, cranberries,mashed potatoes,
turnips, etc..

 

Everything was working fine until I saw my stove smoking.
It was on fire.
Thankfully everything was cooked already. I turned everything off
and had to open all the doors to let the smoke out of the house.

The duck was delicious as was everything else.
I sliced a generous portion of turkey into a plate but did not serve the whole turkey just in case it was not all cooked. The pieces I cut were microwaved 3 minutes to make sure they were thoroughly cooked.

My boys were very happy with the meal but now I have to unscrew the oven to see why it caught fire.
Its a Jenair oven.

 

The Christmas throw was put back onto the guest room bed.
I had such joy making it and now take a great deal of pleasure seeing it on a bed.

 

The stuffed pets are waiting for Santa. They don't know the kids have all grown up. lol

 

Still other kids who didn't know they are supposed to be grown up
, fell asleep by the fire place on their watermelons.
They are such jolly, sleepy children . Just how I like them. lol

 

Santa is getting his last few minutes sleep before embarking on his
toy delivery job. It's been a long year. ;)

 

Mary and Joseph cuddle their sweet baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes as news gets around
about the holy birth

We had a lovely family day and Wish  

Everyone

A Very Merry Christmas !!!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Wedding Groom and Bride

 

I still have the cake topper from my wedding.
It is getting yellow and I wouldn't know how to clean it
but then it wouldn't be an original.
The little cups and mugs are from the Soviet Union
They are tiny but expensive for way back when.
They keep toasting this Bride and Groom,
so they stay forever happy and in love.
So far so good.:)

 

Selangor makes fine Pewter items.
These are napkin holders.
The cherry metal shot glasses came from the then Soviet Union
when Vodka was quite popular.

 

Who needs to go up north when you can sit and watch this happen in your own back yard.
Too bad it's all gone now and just plain ol green.

xoxoxo

Ay To Sea Captain!

 

Cup and Saucer.
Very delicate and smooth in  blue and white .
Would be great for  Turkish coffee.

 

These little guys are sold every where and how can you resist but not buy one.
The laughing Buddha always made you smile and it is
comforting to hold him.

The stores are full of people. We went early to the Superstore to get veggies
I got a duck because my son wants the duck put into the turkey.
So I have to defrost the turkey on sunday so I can debone it a bit and insert the duck into it
Usually they also put in a chicken but I'll try just the duck and turkey
Sunday I have the vine leaves to make as well.
We got the eggnog and so with a bit of rum we should be enjoying Christmas morning. lol
Some places have snow but all we have is rain and rain and rain.
Hasn't stopped for three days now.
Was nicer when it snowed.
Enjoy your Saturday.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxo

White Clay Vase

When you begin to explore pottery, and the making of pottery,
you begin to understand the difference in the type of clay they use.
I believe white clay was used to make this vase.
I got this vase in an antique store.
It is very light and delicate and if you look closely,
you can see through it.
I have 4 of them and do not dare touch them for fear of breaking them.
They are checked and then safely put away.

I will be amazed if they make it through another generation.
To think someone could make something sooo transparent
 and then paint it without it breaking , is nothing short of amazing.

Today is the 21st of December and it's supposed to be the end of the world.
It very well might be for many.
We do believe society will change . It will have to or face more acts of desperation or wars and today
we can't afford any more wars.
We also have to stop reproducing. There are too many people in the world to feed.
It has come to the point where everyone should grow their own gardens.
Two children per family is more than enough to support and feed.

Three more days before Christmas
I hope you are planning your meals and getting family and friends
ready to blow out the candles for the most famous birthday on earth.

Have a good one
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Christmas Crew Blessings

 

These little guys were losing their shoes so I glued them back on and
 refreshed their beards from a piece of cotton ball.
Every one got their shoes back except one toy soldier.
In the middle is an old
cash register, ready to do business
and the Santa heads are ready to be hung on the wall
Years and years to collect stuff like this and yet
so fast to lose.
So I am taking pictures for posterity.

Today we had soo much beautiful snow,a good 5 inches and it was quite chilly outside.
Beau really loved it. His muscles seem better today. lol
My son took pictures of him in the snow but he didn't give them to me yet.

We decided to have a family outing and went for Indian food at a place called Mahek, in Surrey.
They served delicious hot platters which they make from scratch.
Very spicy lamb curry , butter / tandoori chicken, rice , mint, prawns, naan
We couldn't eat everything so we brought a doggy bag home to enjoy later.
 Every ones' face was sweating from the hot spices.
The restaurant was full of birthday people and many were coming in groups wishing each other a Happy New Year. A little early but what the heck . lol

 My son especially enjoys Indian food and around here he has so many restaurants to choose from.
I should learn to marinate  my meat before cooking a few days ahead. It makes a big difference.
I noticed the grocery stores doing this. I figure they can't sell the meat so the marinate it and try again later.

At home my crock pot soup was cooking. It smells soo good this morning
I added cabbage to it. Nothing like hot soup with rice on cold wintry days.
This crock pot will be quite busy this winter. lol


 Bless This House


So the days are coming closer and closer to Christmas.
I looked out and the white snow has turned to slush.
I am sure by the end of the day it will all be gone.

xoxoxoxoxo

American Rooster and Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

One shelf is ready for Christmas
Colorful mugs with ol yeller and the
Partridge looking over its' shoulder
at the US Rooster orating
seasons greetings to every one.

We woke up to more snow flakes. So pretty to look at.
Beau went out and didn't want to come back in.
He sat enjoying the fresh air lifting his nose high
to suck it all in.
His fur was quickly getting covered in snow.
If I let him stay out there a bit longer, he'd look like a snow man.
So we called him back in and reluctantly he obeyed.
Tanya on the other hand was quick. Out and in.
Who needs to get cold wet feet as they say.
Nothing like a warm blanket and pillow

 

 

 ----------------
Steve Bridges passed away . He did George Bush comedy and now here is one of Barack Obama
Now let me be clear,




You will enjoy this.

xoxoxoxo

<

Here Come The Toys

I found a few clowns so I pulled them out to photograph
and display for Christmas.
Spider man had no head and it took a while to find it.
Finally my husband found it and it took a lot to unscrew the body
to be able to fit it back in.
How the head came off, makes no sense at all but
he is whole again now and  looks good with the clowns.

These toys are outgrown but they are wonderful things to
stick onto a tree at Christmas and bring back a lot of memories.
I think it makes a tree look homey knowing your old friends
 are hanging from it.lol

 

This Clown is ready to Party.

He is sitting on my piano waiting for Santa.

Here he is ready to send as an e card.

It snowed finally at 3 a.m.
We were waiting for the snow flakes all night. By 4 a.m. my son was out with the dog
enjoying the fresh clean air and solitude.
He took the dog for a long romp through the fields.
Beau is 10 years old and not used to all this fun but when he came home after an hour,
 he didn't want to come back inside.
Today we see him limping and with very sore muscles. lol
I told Nick you have to take him out to play more often and then he will get back into shape.
We don;t get much snow so when it comes, all the kids, big and little,
take advantage to go out and enjoy it because it melts so quickly.

 

-----------------------------------------

A Paranormal Studies professor at a University was giving a lecture
He asked:
'How many people here believe in ghosts?'

About 90 students raise their hands.

Great!

 Out of those who believe in ghosts, do
any of you think you have seen a ghost?'

About 40 students raise their hands.

Excellent! 

 Has anyone here ever talked to a ghost?'

About 15 students raise their hand.

 This is interesting Has anyone here ever touched a ghost?'

Three students raise their hands.

That's fantastic. Now one  more question 

.Have any of you ever made love to a ghost?'

Way in the back, Ahmed raised his hand.

Taking off his glasses the professor exclaims:

 'Son, all the years I've been giving this lecture, no one has ever claimed to have made
love to a ghost. 

You've got to come up here and tell us about your
experience.'

The Middle Eastern Muslim student , with a nod and a grin, and
began to make his way up to the podium.

When he reached the front of the room, the professor continued,

 'So,

 Ahmed, tell us what it's like to have sex with a ghost?'

Ahmed replied, "Shit, from way back there I thought you said Goats."

OY! Even the young are deaf.  lol
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Acrylic Carving

 

These animals were carved into the back of these
acrylic blocks.
They are nice to display in bathrooms or coffee tables.
Children like to look at them and as an art form
I really like to see how they were done.
Another way to do it is to take a carving and pour acrylic over it.
When the acrylic sets, the carving is pulled out thus leaving an
inverted carving which looks wonderful from the top side.

As I am writing this, my son called from the liquor store where he went to get a bottle
of something for a gift exchange party he is going to tonight.
He said someone tried to steal from the store .
The guy tried to run out of the store and in the doorway got into a scuffle
with two other guys. A woman got punched and fell to the floor and then the guy
stealing, seems to have stabbed
one of the guys he got into a scuffle with , ran out the door and drove off.
People got his license number
Now there is a big commotion and  no one knows how this stabbed guy is doing.
At this end we are listening to a Dad crying over the death of his little girl,
in Connecticut and the fake tears of the President of the United States.
Really.

Amidst all this calamity, people are still wishing people on the street,
 a Merry Christmas.
Stores are bustling as people prepare for their holidays.
You look and listen and all you can do is shake your head.
 I told my son to be careful and come home
The world is crazy.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

A Little Birdie Told Me.

 

(click to enlarge)
We had huge snow flakes fall all day today but they melted just as fast.
It was just to give us a little taste of what Christmas
should feel and taste like.
I enjoyed writing on this card since it had a lot of empty blue space.
I hope you like the card.

We all need little miracles in our lives.
I am sending some your way.

Have a great day!
xoxoxoxoxxo

I Believe

 

(click to enlarge)

You can't beat Perry Como singing this song
and I made good use of my Angel too

I made different cards with this picture using different words.
It was a lot of fun to create.
 This is where I love technology :)

 

 

 

xoxoxoxoxo

For the Young at Heart

 

AN OLD WOMAN PROSPECTOR SHUFFLED INTO TOWN LEADING A TIRED OLD MULE. THE OLD WOMAN HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE ONLY SALOON TO CLEAR HER PARCHED THROAT.SHE WALKED UP AND TIED HER OLD MULE TO THE HITCH RAIL. AS SHE STOOD THERE, BRUSHING SOME OF THE DUST FROM HER FACE AND CLOTHES, A YOUNG GUNSLINGER STEPPED OUT OF THE SALOON WITH A GUN IN ONE HAND AND A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY IN THE OTHER.The young gunslinger looked at the old woman and laughed, saying, "Hey
Old WOMAN, have you ever danced?"
THE OLD WOMAN LOOKED UP AT THE GUNSLINGER AND SAID, "NO, I NEVER DID DANCE... NEVER REALLY WANTED TO."

A CROWD HAD GATHERED AS THE GUNSLINGER GRINNED AND SAID, "WELL, YOU OLD BAG, YOU'RE GONNA DANCE NOW," AND STARTED SHOOTING AT THE OLD WOMAN'S FEET.
THE OLD WOMAN PROSPECTOR - NOT WANTING TO GET HER TOE BLOWN OFF -STARTED HOPPING AROUND. EVERYBODY WAS LAUGHING.
WHEN HIS LAST BULLET HAD BEEN FIRED, THE YOUNG GUNSLINGER, STILL LAUGHING, HOLSTERED HIS GUN AND TURNED AROUND TO GO BACK INTO THE SALOON.


THE OLD WOMAN TURNED TO HER PACK MULE, PULLED OUT A DOUBLE-BARRELED SHOTGUN, AND COCKED BOTH HAMMERS.
THE LOUD CLICKS CARRIED CLEARLY THROUGH THE DESERT AIR. THE CROWD STOPPED LAUGHING IMMEDIATELY.
THE YOUNG GUNSLINGER HEARD THE SOUNDS TOO, AND HE TURNED AROUND VERY SLOWLY. THE SILENCE WAS ALMOST DEAFENING.
THE CROWD WATCHED AS THE YOUNG GUNMAN STARED AT THE OLD WOMAN AND THE LARGE GAPING HOLES OF THOSE TWIN BARRELS.


THE BARRELS OF THE SHOTGUN NEVER WAVERED IN THE OLD WOMAN'S HANDS, AS SHE QUIETLY SAID, "SON, HAVE YOU EVER LICKED A MULE'S BUTT?


THE GUNSLINGER SWALLOWED HARD AND SAID, "NO MAAM... BUT... I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO."

THERE ARE A FEW LESSONS FOR US ALL HERE:
1 - Never be arrogant.

2 - Don't waste ammunition.

3 - Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are.

4 - Always, always make sure you know who has the power.

5 - Don't mess with old women; they didn't get old by being stupid...
-----------------------------------------

 My friend asked an old man:

"At your ripe age, what you prefer to get - Parkinson's or Alzheimer's?"

Old and wise he answered:

"Definitely Parkinson's. Better to spill half an ounce of Scotch, than to forget where you keep the bottle!!"

 -----------------------------------------------


Sex In The Dark
A couple, married for 20 years,
always made love, with the husband insisting on shutting the lights out.
.Finally, the wife had enough
She decided things were going to change.
They were in the middle of a wild, screaming, romantic session, when she turned on the lights. and saw her husband holding a battery-operated leisure device...
A vibrator! Soft, wonderful and larger than a real one.
The blood pressure blew her out of her mind.
'You impotent bastard,' She screamed at him, 'How could you be lying to me all of these years? You better explain yourself!'
The husband looks her straight in the eyes and says calmly:

'I'll explain the toy.. . You explain the kids.' 
xoxoxoxxoxo

So The Blind May See the Light

 

http://www.globalnews.ca/pages/story.aspx?id=6442769905

Jacintha Saldanha
This was a shocking story.
With all that is going on in the world today, it's just inconceivable that an educated woman,
with a loving family, would do something like this, over something so stupid as answering the phone and being duped into believing it was the Queen calling. Had she said no, she would be feeling bad again about it if it had been the Queen.
It was a joke that back fired in the biggest sense of the word.
What a senseless tragedy for this family.


In another part of the world another senseless tragedy involving the killing of small children
in Newtown, Connecticut. One child was from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Now why did this lady, a teacher, have such weapons in her home for her son to find and use?
He had mental health issues and so you never keep things in your home which could add to this situation.
Heck,even smart people flip out. Adam Lanza was an honor student and a nice kid.

You watch the news on TV and it's bad . You can turn the set off but outside in the real world, it's a lot worse, and you can't turn that off. Every day in the papers we read about bodies being found .
With laws being lax, people are becoming more forward in selling and buying drugs.
So you don't know what kind of crazed mind is behind the wheel of a car or who will be breaking your front door in the middle of the night just for fun. Killing can be fun.
We need to be asking a lot of questions today.

It's a false reality thinking one lives in safety.
Life is about caution.
 Stress is bound to affect people as many are not capable of handling it.
 Lawyers, Judges, CEO's Government, Realters,  Bankers, cause needless stress in society for personal financial gain, but they seem to be SAFE as opposed to a school full of innocent kids.

How do you hurt high powered, cold people?
You kill the children.
Inadvertently, this is what this young man did.
Innocence will continue to die while greed selfishness and the ugly side of life lives.
While one Mother cries, another sits drinking Champagne, gaining from a Mothers' tears. It's infuriating.
No one is SAFE.
They say you are born in sin, live in sin and die in sin and everything else in between doesn't matter.
You lose hope and once that is gone, there is nothing left to live for.

But there is something.
There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, if you look for it.
They said Jacintha was religious but was she with God?
False prophets are everywhere. They are part of the problem.
Adam Lanza, in Connecticut lived in darkness. Did he know God?
If he did, he would not have done what he did.

God guides you to the light. He is a redeemer, a saviour.
If both people would have put their trust into him, laid their lives down into his hands and said:
 God, here I am. I am Lost. Love me. Protect me. Bless me.
I think Jacintha would have still been alive today as would
the innocence slaughtered in Connecticut.

God is just.His word never changes. You know where you stand with him.
 People?......Not so much .

It is not enough to be religious. You need faith too.
Where there is Faith, there is always Hope and with Hope,
comes Life.
When I was a child and woke up from a nightmare, I had faith.I knew if I crossed myself, my God would be with me and then I could sleep in peace.
It's nice for a child to feel this way. I never had to run to my Mothers' bed.
I always had golden dreams for I kept the gateway open, to his light.
Had a gunman entered my room and killed me, I would live in heaven,
 but I am certain, I would still live.

It is only when you begin to look into the darkness, that fear and  trouble begin to brew, and today
that's all that is put in front of us from the moment we wake up,
to the moment we sleep, if we can sleep that is.
Seems most people sleep from total exhaustion these days than from the relaxed sleep they should be doing.
 Sleep has become a luxury most can't afford.

Regardless of whether or not you believe in God,
Christianity needs to be put back into schools so children are raised to believe in faith and hope and
 not live in darkness.
There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Always.

xoxoxoxoxox

Dish Towels for Christmas Wash Up.

 

I love these dish towels

 

Some things you just take out for Christmas displays

 

I got them at Disney land a long long time ago.
Jolly ol England is still going strong with a new Royal baby on the way
and seems another Hobbit movie is due to open soon which got me excited.
I loved the whole Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings Trilogy as well as the Hobbit
stories. The scenery is so beautiful and the actors are so entertaining.

The land of Fantasy, where anything and everything is possible, where all dreams come true,
is Mr Disneys' creation, who felt every child should have places to go
to experience adventure, beauty and glory.
and What better time of Year than Christmas to do it in.

Many people do not believe in immaculate conception but today, we have proof that it could happen.
Today, women don't need men for conception so
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!! Ooops.
(Freudian slip lol)
Oh!You know what I mean.lol

So why not then,in Marys' day, if there was a superior presence?

We always have to remember that we set limits for ourselves, in a limitlesss
timeless reality, because not to do so would mean a total catastrophe
for mankind.
What is, is much too big an idea for our minds to grasp.
We'd be all washed up.
xoxoxoxoxoxox

Gramma's Gift

 

I always wondered what to give my Gramma for Christmas.
Something original.
Not perfume or bath oils or soap.
Not chocolates or socks or the regular stuff people give.
I saw some nice Gramma bracelets,necklaces, shawls, key racks, etc...
I know  would be great gifts.
Walking through a thrift store looking  for hangers,
which I never seem to have enough of, I found .
this cute coquette of a grandma doll with a floppy head.
She must be a fairy because she has wings.
When she looks at you, she melts your heart.
All I could say was that if I ever met her in real life,
I would have taken an instant liking to her and she would have
 all the answers I'd be looking for.
Wings for Gramma, would be a perfect gift,
if it were possible.lol

Aren't faces incredible.
So here's to all the incredible Grammas out there
who bring joy to their Grand childrens' hearts
by just being themselves.

A Glass of Port dears,
To your everlasting Health!
and
May you all get wings for Christmas. :)

xoxoxoxox

P.S. I have been evading colds for years now but finally one caught hold of me
A real doozy
I am not sure what to do with it yet,
go to the doctor for antuibiotics or hold out with bronchial expectorant
cough syrup.
Robitussin  seems to help

Oh Yes.
Another incredible thing happened yesterday.
We had a monkey in our driveway.
A real monkey with a long tail.
He must have escaped from someone and is now living in the bushes
by our home. It is very cold outside so I hope he found his way back to where he
came from.
Seems one was found at IKEA in Toronto.
They took it away from a devastated owner saying it belongs with other monkeys and will become
anti social as it gets older and then will fit in no where.
Monkeys also carry Herpes B
So maybe this is why we saw a monkey here. Someone must have read the story and
 let it go or maybe it did get away

Chickadee

 

I don't remember where I got this, probably in Asia because
 all we did was shop there.lol
This is a little ceramic tile that is framed and can be hung on the wall.
It is so beautiful and delicate I don't want it broken so I
hid it away in a container.
As my son gets older he begins to understand the value of what I am doing here.
You won't be able to buy history as things always change.

We had an argument about music a few years back.
I told him his music is a fad and he said no it isn't.
I told him the music from our time will live forever.
He disagreed.
Now that he's older....
He found a piece by John Lennon and came and told me
Mom I really like this guy.
I told him yup!
Take a closer look and see what you find.
There are a lot of good things from your Mama's time.
Good things never die.
Class never dies.
It always comes back in style. lol
These chickadees may be brown but they are the cutest
little birds I will never tire of.
They will always be in style and admired by many generations.
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Appliques

 

These are appliques I distinctly remember buying in Hong Kong some 30 - 40 years ago.

 I thought one day I'd be making a nice dress/jacket, maybe in velvet/satin and they
would look beautiful sewn on the front or back.
Every one was talking about the beautiful silk kimonoes one could get there.
Silk is wonderful to wear but a head ache to iron.
Some say once you wear silk under wear, you will never wear anything else.
Never got into silk for some reason.
 Probably the ironing. lol
 It is a lot of work to make an appliquee piece such as this and I know they were both done by hand.
There were many to select from but I had no idea about the money exchange and how much
40 HK was at that time.
I know I gave the taxi driver a 100HK tip and he was mad as hell. lol
Complained big time to the hotel porter who didn't know what to say.
I probably gave him a lousy tip too.
I told my husband in the hotel room what I did and he laughed saying it's like giving 5 cents.
Now how was I supposed to know? It seemed like an awful lot of money. lol
We are not used to throwing away 100.00 dollar bills.lol

 

Going to a place like Hong Kong was so exciting.
It felt like another world.
My son and I traveled from Montreal and I remember my legs began to swell
all the way to the knees
When I finally got off the plane, I swore
 I wasn't getting on another plane,if they killed me. lol
It got to be pretty scary feeling the swelling rise like that and so fast.
The landing in Hong Kong was also quite an experience.
The plane , large as it was, made quite a short landing.

The first thing we noticed were the different boats on the river.
I explained to my son Alex about junk boats.
Later we experienced the hydra boat which floated over the water.
Every morning people would come out into the square to do Tai Chi.
It gave you a quiet, relaxing feeling, watching them from high up above the hotel room window.

The dawn arose slowly around 5 am.
We couldn't sleep from the excitement and tried to take in as much as we could.
Then the employees would show up at their shops.
You'd see slaughtered pigs hanging in front of butcher shops.

It was winter back home but here, it was misty rain, dull and humid.
The hotel put on a beautiful display of various food for breakfast lunch and dinner.

We never saw such gorgeous displays back home in any of our restaurants.
Even today, there is no artistic quality to prepared foods in the restaurants
compared to what we saw in Hong Kong.

There were the working people and then there was the elegant high class people.
Men and women which could only be described as models and super rich.
All terribly polished from head to toe.

You couldn't be normal living like that, in my opinion.
Glamor like that is nice in small doses but not a 24 hour, 365 day a year kind of life,
which is how they lived.
That would be too much pressure for me to live like that but
 then I didn't live there, did I? lol
Thank God!
It was a different world that's for sure and easy to get hooked on
especially for a man.
I was glad to be a western woman though.
Like in all cities it can be nice but  hard and cruel too.
A Town without pity
Gene Pitney



It reminded me of the joke about when a man died and he had two choices of where to go to.
One place was nice but boring The other full of excitement, lights, glamor
dancing and feasting, golf etc..... The man thought to himself:
YA! This must be heaven and signed the paper saying this was where he wanted to live eternally.

Once inside he saw hardship and toil and the devil smiling at him.
The man asked the devil what this was. It wasn't what he signed up for and the devil answered
that was just advertising. lol

xoxoxoxoxox