Dec 31, 2014

NEW YEARS WITH MY BB GUY

fireworks_heart_by_pictureperfect96-d47pbdtI teasingly said "hey, hey" as I saw my husband filled his champagne glass when I walked out of the other room. He of course was on his way to fill mine.
At the very same moment we both referred to something my father said to me about 33 years ago... about champagne.
That is what being in a relationship for so long is all about. They know who we are. They know our history and we know theirs. They know what we have been through and have stuck by us and us by them. They know the funny little moments that still make you both laugh.
We have been together for almost 40 years. We have spent 39 New Years Eves together. He fills my champagne glass... literally and emotionally.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS

Nov 29, 2014

IT IS ENOUGH

I am re-posting this because I think it is so very important to remember. What you do is ENOUGH.
winter-wonderland1
I go all out at Christmas. I have a ton of decorations up. I bake and cook up a storm for Christmas dinner, Boxing Day get together and then a New Years Eve dinner too. We can lose sight of the magic of Christmas and feel overwhelmed with what we have to do. (See my previous post about not having an oven right now.)1748707_8af7e98dbe_oI have put on too many dinners and parties through the years to count and if there is one thing I have learned when trying to make everything perfect it is this:
WHATEVER I GET DONE IS ENOUGH.
I will not always get done what I think I should or what I want to but it doesn't matter. What matters is that my family and friends come by and put their feet up and have a visit. And believe me our guests always put their feet up.  photo
So take some time to enjoy the season. We are not Martha Stewart with a team of staff to pull of all the fabulous ideas we have in our heads. What will make Christmas enjoyable is that you can be with your family and friends and smile a true smile and not a tight faced grin while you are thinking about what you should have done. Coalmont Jan 14th 2012 016
Believe me your guests will notice if you are not relaxed and having a good time and they will feel like a burden and not a guest.
Delegate what you need to delegate. There is no rule that says you need to be the sole provider of Christmas joy. It is a shared joy and those who are not brought in to help don’t get to experience the feeling of warmth in their hearts when everyone is together.
Many years ago when my BB Guy and our neighbour complained about Christmas being a commercial grab and nothing special I snapped back that the reason it wasn’t special to them is that they are doing nothing special for anyone else. I admonished advised them to step up to the plate and do something to change this and to do for others. I think it worked. A lot more thought went into Christmas around here after that.
So remember this word.
ENOUGH
And have a Merry Christmas Season.

Nov 17, 2014

RAT PACKS OR PACK RATS

So, like, you know that moment when the guy at the oil change place opens the hood of your car and says "ya there's a rat in there" and he really means there is a Dead Rat under the hood of your car along with a blue, kid's glove and some plant material .... ya well I had that moment today.

It was a pack rat, not to be confused with the Rat Pack. Rat_Pack

They bring stuff with them. I wonder whose little blue glove he stole? Somebody on Facebook pointed out that it would have been nice if he had brought a gold watch with him instead. I agree.

We think he must have gone in there back in early October when I was up at the cabin for Canadian Thanksgiving. It would have been a wild ride home that is for sure.

I did notice a smell in the garage and in my car. I was looking around under my seats for an errant bit of food maybe from my grocery shopping. I never thought to look under the hood. Gack.

It was quite the sight watching my BB Guy peel the carcass off my valve cover using the rat’s own, stolen blue glove. The guys in the oil shop were pretty grossed out especially the guy who got to take the valve cover and wash it clean. We gave them a hefty tip.

Pack rats are apparently quite a problem and will destroy all kinds of things around your home and car. So far I think my car is okay and he would have been dead for sure by the time I got home from the cabin as it is a 2 1/2 hour drive.

Have you ever had a rodent hitchhiker?

Nov 3, 2014

DEAR DR. RUTH

Here is a repeat post I thought you would enjoy...


I don't know who sent this out originally. It has been going around in emails for years. I didn't write it. No really I didnkdjlkf;lk;glgk'
bl ;vc,
                         d;l;ad'

Oct 1, 2014

GET THOSE MAMMIES GRAMMED

Do yourself a favor. Go get a mammogram.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so get out there and be aware.

Please share this picture on your blogs, your Facebook pages, on Twitter and any other social media that you use. You could save a life. Maybe even your own!!!MAMMIES GRAMMED

Go with a friend or a family member. Make it a date. Go out for lunch after and celebrate that you did it. Support the many awareness and research campaigns that take place in your area.

But most importantly…

GO GET THOSE MAMMIES GRAMMED

images

Sep 14, 2014

AGASSIZ FALL FAIR

Friday night we heard some loud booms coming from the night air. We went out on the deck and in the distance we could see beautiful fireworks going off in an area about 10 minutes away from us called Agassiz.

We decided Saturday morning to head over there and see what was going on with their Fall Fair.

There was a parade which we missed because we were having breakfast but we followed the tail end of it to the fairgrounds.

I haven’t been to one of these kinds of fairs in a very long time.

There were so many wonderful things set up and the aroma of barbecued chicken and frying onions filled the air. You have to have a good time when you smell that!!!

There were amusement park rides set up and the kids were lined up to get on them. I don’t have any photos of those as I don’t take pictures of other people’s kids. For those wanting something a little less wild they had the old fashioned pony rides where someone leads you around the ring on a cute little pony. I am too big for that ride sadly but clearly remember doing this once as young child. I loved it.

In the big hall there were the baking competitions, Lego building competitions, kids art, produce, flowers and quilting competitions too. Again I didn’t photograph the kids stuff for privacy reasons as they all had their names on their creations.

Here is what I can share with you. 1

2

34

Look at the size of those beets. BB Guy put his phone down next to them to show how big they are.

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I entered to win this quilt and another one as well. Wish me luck.

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The colors in this photo don’t do it justice. It was just beautiful. Perfect for fall.

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This stubborn goat kept turning around so I couldn’t see his face. Little did he know I am even more stubborn. photo 3This is the end he kept giving me to photograph.photo 2photo 5

I suggest you attend the small town fairs in your area and enjoy all they have to offer. It was wonderful to see the smiling faces with their prize bunnies lined up on the judging table. The moment of victory for some of them as the judges placed a ribbon in front of their little hairy friends.

The 4-H groups brushing their beautiful sheep.

The excitement of the kids showing their visiting family members and neighbours their artwork and Lego creations.

The more senior community members laughing and talking with their old friends. The proud faces next to their pies and their jars of pickles.

It was a great way to spend a couple hours on a sunny Saturday.

Sep 7, 2014

WELL… THEY TRIED

My BB Guy and I went to Harrison Hot Springs for dinner tonight. Since we moved we are only about 10 minutes away from this world class destination lake.

The streets are filled with tourists. Some from nearby but many more from faraway places. The town has really been stepping up their game and trying to build up their reputation.

This place is home to a huge sand castle competition every year. They have camping, hotels, restaurants, water rentals that look like slides and other fun stuff.

The last time we went for dinner we ended up at an Italian place that was really terrible. We noticed on our way home tonight that the restaurant in now gone, a new one in its place.

We went to the Black Forest restaurant tonight. Your basic schnitzel house. We were in the mood for something basic. Something we didn’t have to think about.

Since it was still quite warm out and we were enjoying the patio on the main strip we decided on a white wine. A pinot grigio from BC.

One of the staff offered to take our drink order. A litre of pinot grigio. Then our server came by and asked for our drink order. We said someone already took it. She left to go get the wine.

She comes back with a carafe of red wine…. most definitely not a white pinot…back she goes to the bar.

She comes back with a very small half litre carafe of a white wine…. sorry… we ordered a full litre…winos that we are…

Back she goes for a second time. She came back with a generous amount of the correct wine in the correct size. It was tasty and cool and most enjoyable on the restaurant patio. naked grape

After dinner we walked down the strip and went to the gelato stand for a lovely espresso gelato in a waffle cone.

We went for a walk along the beach boardwalk and sat at a bench to finish off our gelatos and to pet the nearest black lab fresh out of the lake and looking for some gelato. We have such a warm spot in our hearts for those black labs. This is the view from the bench. harrison1

The drive home, at just past 8:00 was a little surprising as the sun has gone down and it is actually dark out. This is after months of me going to bed when it is still light out. Fall is most definitely coming.

I guess what I am thinking here is you can see the humour in a situation or you can make a big deal out of a series of silly little mistakes and let it ruin your evening and their reputation. By the time we left we had other staff assuring us that next time they will make sure we get our wine… just like we ordered it.

Aug 16, 2014

OH GOOGLE YOU BE SO SILLY

The other day at work I need to update a document and needed to add in a horizontal line that could be typed on like for a signature.

It needed to look like this.

FamilyTreesMayContainNuts

Everything I tried wasn’t working. The line kept disappearing when I typed letters in that space replacing the underline. The person signing would not have the option to use underline so it had to be part of the actual document.

Naturally I took to Google to get the best advice on how to do this. I did a couple searches about adding in the signature line into a Word document. I tried a couple of sites but the information wasn’t what I was looking for.

I tried phrasing my question differently hoping to get better results and these are the search drop down choices Google started popping up with. It remembered I had previously been searching for info on using a Word document so naturally it started pulling up more from Word. And then…..

I was laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair.

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Aug 7, 2014

SEEMS LIKE A GOOD IDEA

OR WHAT AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO?

I regularly would have people from work over for get togethers after hours. Our job is often very stressful and we need to let off steam regularly.

We would eat and yack and sip and yack and laugh and yack…. always a nice evening. I lived very close to our office.

Since I have moved about an hour away from work those get togethers are not happening any more….. unless of course we do it on the weekend and it becomes a sleepover…… What? Quick shaking your heads!!! It will be fine. Really.

Oh my. Maybe you are right.

Am I ready for the giddiness of a sleepover? The pyjama party pranks. The silliness that comes with late nights and beverages.

I think we need to check all phones at the door so no cameras are documenting the silliness.

Do I want these nice people to see me in the morning before my cup of coffee?

Well maybe if I keep them all fed and watered it will be okay. We will be having this for breakfast along with some other things. Recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook. blueberry baked pancake

Aug 6, 2014

A SHIP REVEALED

Four years ago, while excavation was taking place at the World Trade Center site, a curved piece of wood was noticed sticking out of the ground.

There were archaeologists on site during the excavation to monitor the grounds for any potential finds. I don’t think they expected to find anything quite like this however.

Click on the photo to see the rest of the pictures at CNN

hudson river sloop

The ship was found about 22 feet below ground south of where the World Trade Center once stood.

The land was river bottom and the ship is believed to be a Hudson River Sloop of Dutch design used to carry people and cargo over the shallow, rocky water.

For whatever reason it was sunk and eventually covered over with trash and fill materials that were used to extend the Manhattan shoreline.

They were even to identify the wood that was used to make this ship as being from colonial-era Philadelphia.

Seriously. There is a Tree Ring Research lab at Columbia University and they can tell where and when the wood was taken. In this case it is an old growth forest in the Philadelphia area cut down about 1773. Seriously…..again….

Imagine what we are covering up today that may be found hundreds of years from now. Sadly I don’t think it is anything good.

 

Jul 21, 2014

BEEP, BEEP, I’M COMING THROUGH

Since we have moved my commute to work is almost an hour long. It is all highway driving and I don’t mind it….much.

I have to say though many people have no clue what the rules of the road are. They have no road etiquette.

The speed limit for most of the way is 110 km or for those of you south of the border that is 68.3508 mph. We are moving at a fair clip. 205825_10150352513520469_7045817_n

For most of the way there are 2 lanes of traffic but in a few places there are 3 lanes.

I need to confess something here….. I speed. The roads are dry and the traffic is not heavy for the most part. Don’t judge!!!! I know, I know. When it is wet I will slow down.

I am usually in the fast lane. Passing the cars in the slow lane along with many others. We zip along until we have passed the slower cars and trucks then when we have done so we shift lanes back to the slow lane until once again we are coming up behind someone going the speed limit or slower.

A quick shoulder check and then back into the passing lane to go with the flow of traffic.

Sometimes this does not go as planned though. Sometimes a large truck will change lanes to go around a slower going motorhome and they don’t move their big, heavy butts back into the slow lane. This is annoying for two reasons. 1. they don’t go as fast as the rest of the lane and 2. you can’t see around them when traffic is slamming to a halt for some reason.

Some people get into the fast lane and pass one car and then stay there in the fast lane. A huge gap forms between them and the next car in front of them. They are blocking the fast lane. Cars are lining up behind them yet they don’t move over. Cars follow closer and closer (not me… I never tailgate) until  suddenly for whatever reason the traffic must slow down in a hurry…Next thing you know cars are slamming on their brakes in order to not crash into each other. Leave some space people. Think about it.

But then what happens is you leave a space for a safe stopping distance and people from the slow lane cut right in as if you left it just for them. Most times they do this then slam on their brakes because they now realize they are waaaayyyy too close to the car the just separated me from. Where does that leave me? Mashing down on my brakes.

You best not be tailgating me because I will make it very clear I don’t like you that up close and personal. Back off or I will continue to slow down to leave enough room for my car to move out of your way if the traffic is coming to an abrupt stop.

I haven’t succumbed to road rage as of yet but I have shaken my head at many of them.

So what about you? Do you hug the slow lane and never venture out of it unless the lane is closed down?

Do you nudge people out of your way?

Do you let someone else do the driving an just close your eyes?

Jul 14, 2014

SUNSET TO TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY

This was the sunset tonight from the deck of our new home. It just kept getting prettier and prettier.

The weather has been extremely hot and we have not been out on the deck in the evenings because of that but I could see this through the blinds of the bedroom when I went to bed.

It wasn’t quite this nice when I first climbed into bed but after about 10 minutes it looked like it would catch fire it was so red. It was well worth getting out of bed to take a photo with my cell phone.

As I write this it is 1:30 in the morning and it is still so hot outside that you could be sitting out there in a bathing suit and you would still be warm. This is very unusual for our lower mainland weather. new house sunset

Jul 1, 2014

HAPPY CANADA DAY

What a glorious morning. Woke up at 4:30 and opened up my patio doors to let in the cool, cool air while wrapping myself in a soft warm blanket. The birds are singing at the top of their lungs. The sun is coming over the mountain. This is your birthday Canada.
Happy Canada Day to all my friends and family.... and join me later this afternoon for a nap because what kind of fool gets up at 4:30 in the morning when they don't have to....

Jun 12, 2014

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

One more sleep.

We have lived here for 31 years, 6 months, 12 days.

1645 weeks

11,517 daysMy houseFriday 13th we will living in our new home although we will still have our old home until we put it on the market.

We have made many changes in our home over the years. We completely landscaped the quarter acre lot and filled it with garden beds and trees. New fences. 2 new roofs. 2 new hot water tanks.

A brand new kitchen about 12 years ago. All new double paned windows and steel doors with a beautiful French door out to the back deck.

One, soon to be 2, remodelled bathrooms. A huge deck in the backyard that hosted many, many parties.

But we are also giving up terrible traffic noise, having to lug laundry up and downstairs,  groceries upstairs, lack of closet space and all the garden maintenance that is too much when you work full time. OverloadedWe are trading it for a home in a quiet, gated community overlooking a golf course. It has the garage, laundry room, powder room, living room, kitchen, dining room, office and master bedroom suite with a full bathroom and walk in closet all on the same level. It also has a full downstairs with 2 more bedrooms, bathrooms, rec room, den, media room and sitting area to use when we need the space for parties or guest visits.

The grass area is minimal and so are the garden beds. I will garden in pots which is so much easier.

We will sleep well at night once we get used to the quiet. We will replace our old furniture over time as we decide how we want the rooms to look…and when I say we I mean me lol.

We will have friends and family over for visits and will barbecue on that top deck overlooking the golf course and a magnificent view of the valley. I cannot wait to watch a thunder storm from there.

My excitement level has reached such a high level I have to remember to breathe. When I next talk with you I will be living here…..CHILLIWACK


   

Jun 8, 2014

FOR THOSE WHO MISSED IT THIS IS NOW 3 OR MORE MEMES FOR TUESDAY


 I posted this originally 5 years ago. It was a fun post and I thought we could revisit it again today.

I got up on a Monday. I was feeling blue or maybe yellow, I don't know. I felt like I was going to have a metamorphosis for sure, but into what I couldn't say.

Tuesday had me searching for three or more of something, anything. Grains of rice or pretty poppies. Which to choose. Rice is pretty interesting.

I was speechless wordless when Wednesday rolled around. I didn't know what to do. Should I go outdoors or show you what is on my walls? If I show what is on my walls or outside should I describe it or stay wordless?

By Thursday I am so exhausted from all the memes I think I will Treat Myself. Apparently I was just about the only doing this so treating myself may be retired. The ladies are all so busy setting the tables they don't have the time for treats. The dishes are filling their cupboards and some are spilling into other rooms too. Forget what fork to use. I want to know what happens to people who spill their red wine across these beautiful tablescapes.

Then when Friday hits we finally have something to put on those lovely dishes. Foodies everywhere cook and bake and create. We all moan and groan with delight and some of us plan our grocery list to cook up the foodie offerings that look so darn good. Some of us just lick the screen.

Saturday is the day to make small talk. Chit chat. Lists of six. Of course us overachievers always have to add just one more. The real overachievers will write it in a pink font.

Sunday is a day of rest for bloggers. Ya right. We repost a favorite one from the past but we end up writing a whole new post to explain why we chose the old post and then we update the information that has changed since we posted the old post so that we don't have to come up with a new post on Sunday so we can have more time to ourselves to take pictures of our gardens and tables and food and collections and walls and redecorating and thrifty finds and and and...
And where does Mr. Linky fit into all of this? He teases us and laughs at us. He plays games with us. Doesn't he know what day this is? Keep your fingers crossed that he will show up.

Oh yes. Please note the Mosaic for this Monday at the top. Make sure you visit all the lovely hostesses for these memes. They always put on a great event and the other bloggers never cease to amaze me with their creativity and talents.
Have a good week.
  1. Mosaic Monday
  2. Metamorphosis Monday
  3. Blue Monday
  4. Mellow Yellow Monday
  5. Three or More Tuesday
  6. Wordless Wednesdays
  7. What's on Your Wall Wednesday
  8. Outdoor Wednesday
  9. Treat Yourself Thurday
  10. Tablescapes Thursday
  11. Foodie Friday
  12. Small Talk Six Saturday
  13. Sunday Favorites
I know I have missed many of you but I have run out of time. I have to get some awards out yet today.

Jun 7, 2014

TRUST ME ON THIS

Listen to me my friends... no really, really listen. I want every one of you to go into a drawer, cupboard, closet or pile in your house right now and choose one thing to get rid of. Toss it. Yup toss it  out. Unless you know you are going to actually take a pile to a charity or have a pickup scheduled already you are going to toss it in the trash or recycle bin. garage_sale 2Trust me. Nobody wants your stuff. You don't even want it. Then you know what. You are going to do the same thing next week. Choose something and remove it from your home. Keep doing this week after week. You will thank me for this wisdom one day when you are going to move. garage_sale

Garage sales are usually a total waste of your time and energy. We carried so much stuff down the stairs and outside. Lots of it was heavy. We were sweating like waterfalls. We were exhausted before we even started.

We sold a bit of stuff but it really wasn’t worth it. Not worth our energy. Not worth our time. Not worth the frustration. Not worth the jerk who looked up our address online and phoned the house the day before to see what kind of stereo equipment we were selling. He then showed up 25 minutes early on a sale that specifically said do not come early and wanted to scope out the stereo equipment. I told him to get out of the driveway and wait until 9:00 like everyone else had to. When his buddy walked up at ten to nine and said let’s go in my husband heard him say…”no…she yelled at me”. Lol.

Well my friends. There you have it. My advise. My wisdom. My experience. Purge that house one piece at a time. Start now and when you have to move some day you will not have to entertain the insanity of a garage sale.  

May 27, 2014

WHAT CENTURY ARE WE IN

I was going to start this post now but I am in a very angry mood at the moment and will need to walk away and come back when I am a little more composed……..stress-test-woman-with-phones-stressed

6 hours later:

I understand privacy policies with businesses. We have them at my work and I know how annoyed people get when we won’t let them have access to someone’s account. I am the toughest one at work and won’t capitulate to demands of non-account holders when staff come to me to approve it. Yes we know you are the wife and you pay all the bills. Doesn’t matter… and I get that.

In planning for our move I am taking on the responsibilities for our accounts everywhere. Hydro, phone, cable, credit cards.

Unfortunately these were all set up with only my husband’s name over 30 years ago when we lived in previous century. If I recall correctly there were dinosaurs roaming freely at that time. good morning stressNow with computers and the internet we are able to manage things more easily but in some cases we are still archaic. I would do it all online except that we are keeping our old services active past the date we move as we will put the old house on the market later. We need services until we sell in the old home but new services in the new home.

Let’s start with phones.

Called phone company. Account is in BB Guy’s name but I am a contact. I can change the account and add an account but I cannot close the original account. They were very good to deal with except that the new phone will stay in his name or we will lose the lower rate for being a long time customer. We cannot have it in both our names.bang_head_here Cable company. Same thing. I have set up the new account but it is just in my name. Again I will lose any long time customer benefits. This is not fair as I have been part of the original account since 1982 but not in name as my name didn’t matter at the time.

Home electric bill. Online I am listed as the account administrator. Have been since 2008. I cannot do anything over the phone however. Only online. This would work except we are not cancelling our current service. We just want new service set up. Since the house we are buying has been vacant for a while we also have to supply them with a purchasing agreement to prove we are “new people” and not who the place is listed under now.

I was going to just set it up in my name and add BB Guy as the contact but since I am not a current customer
DIDYOUHEARME…NOTCURRENTCUSTOMERFORTHELAST31YEARS….I will have to pay a security deposit for an account in my name. That is where she lost me. I was not very polite and as someone who works in the service industry that is totally out of character for me. I WILL NOT PAY A SECURITY DEPOSIT WHEN WE …. YES I SAID “WE” HAVE BEEN PAYING THE CURRENT ACCOUNT FAITHFULLY FOR 31 YEARS.

Lets move on to a credit card. All I have to do is change the mailing address. Online again because the primary cardholder is whatshisname… (are you sensing the tension?).

Cardholder name and card number…right from the statement…. nope….. it doesn’t match….How can it not match when it is the information they are sending us and they specifically say that you need to have the statement handy to complete this.

Honestly I just don’t have the patience for this stuff. I do have my own credit cards and do have a credit history of my own but all this stuff that we have to move was set up over 30 years ago and housewives were not recognized as contributing members of a marriage.

Of course we want anything new to be set up with both our names but the companies won’t do it because they use credit information for one primary person only…. well if that is the case don’t come looking to me for payments if the accounts were ever to go in the toilet. Oh wait… I am liable for the bills if something were to happen… Hmmm funny how that works.

(BB Guy came home early from work to deal with all of this and everything will be set up on time. The Hydro guy stated someone 16 years old or older has to be at the house for them to set it up. BB Guy replied “ NO PROBLEM, MY WIFE JUST TURNED 16” Groan… at least I had one laugh today)

May 21, 2014

PRETTY WEEDS

Sad to say I have not been keeping up my garden for a while.
Happy to say some things just come through year after year.
Wild phlox always comes through from the greenbelt next door and they are so pretty and fragrant I usually wait until they are done before I clean up the beds.photo4
The rhododendrons are about 15 feet tall. They bloom no matter that I don’t deadhead them. I couldn’t reach if I tried. photo
Even taller than that is the climbing rose. It is at least 20 feet up into the maple tree in the green belt. Again very fragrant. It is at eye level on the second storey of our house. photo3
I will miss  my garden when we move soon. I planted 99% of it myself. There have been some spectacular displays over the years. Even sneaking through the fence those phlox are pretty. photo2
Where we are moving there are some controls over what you plant etc. It will be hard to color between the lines.
Compromise.

May 19, 2014

SPENDING A LITTLE–SAVING A LOT

While reading Jen’s post at Muddy Boot Dreams this morning she got me thinking about some things we are changing in our lives soon.

If all goes according to plan we will be in a new home by June 12 or 13. We have made some decisions that will save us money. This is a good thing since my commute to work will be quite long and will consume a lot of fuel for sure.

PMTARTESIAN

We are not keeping our home phone. We will be using our cell phones exclusively. For my BB Guy this is nothing new as he is on his phone from morning til night already for work. His is paid for by his work.

For me it will be more of a challenge since I rarely use my phone. I cannot have it on at work so for most of the day it is off. I check for messages on my lunch break. Usually anyone who wants to phone me calls the house.

My cell phone plan includes 10 free long distance numbers. Perfect. I couldn’t even fill the list and soon there will be more people living close by that I will no longer need long distance for anyways.

Monthly savings = about $50.00

newspaper3clipart

Next item is our daily newspaper delivery. When I was at home full time I read the paper every day but since back in the work force I no longer take the time to read it instead getting my news online. My BB Guy does read it though. He agreed that when we move we will no longer get the paper. It is a waste of paper and a messy nuisance.

Monthly savings = $30.00

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Since we are moving to a place with very little lawn to care for I will be taking this task on myself. I don’t mind mowing a small yard but could not take care of our 1/4 acre lot we are currently in. With the many garden beds to mow around an electric mower was not an option and with my short little arms I cannot start a regular pull start mower. The electric start mowers never ever work for long and like a barbecue started soon become useless. Since my BB Guy is often not here there was no other choice but to hire a lawn fairy for our big lot. We will get a small, light rechargeable mower. No electrical cords, no pull start cords, no buttons. It will also be a mulching mower so no grass to dispose of either. Good for the environment and for the wallet.

Lawn fairies do not come cheap and with the fertilizing, moss control, mowing, weedwhacking etc. the monthly bill could be in the $250.00 range most months.

save

We are empty nesters now as well. Our electric and gas bills will be cut in half at least. Showers, laundry and dishwasher runs will be fewer (okay we are still showering regularly but not for half an hour at a time) . I think there are enough savings here alone to justify not switching to those disgusting CFL lightbulbs which for the most part are useless for lighting.

We are also seeing the end of a few other payments that total far more than what I will be spending on gas to go back and forth to work. In the end we are coming out ahead financially even though we are upgrading in our home to a larger, 7 year old one from a home that is about 40 years old.

What have you done to keep more money in your wallets? Share your tips. Savings2

May 17, 2014

THE MOST AMAZING TRIO



I have never heard anything so beautiful in my life. These 3 are amazing. I actually had shivers running down my arms.
Battle: Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) | The Voice Kids 2014



May 16, 2014

HOUSE BUYERS BOOGIE

Obviously to those who read my blog regularly I have not been around.

Between the 10 hour shifts and everyday things that need to be done we are buying a house and getting ours ready to sell.

What a production. We have made an offer on a house and pending subject removals we have a deal. I will share more about that when it actually happens.

We are also clearing out 31 years of living from our current home. OH….MY…. GOSH…

We have been bad. We have not kept things up the way we should have. I said to my BB Guy… why do we fix things up now and clear things out when we didn’t bother to do this while we lived here? We should have been more diligent in our home.

Take care of the home you are in. Fix the little things as they come up. Doing a couple chores now is easier than having a list of 20 things to down the road when time is an issue.

Get rid of the the junk, clutter and stuff you don’t need. It is exhilarating. It is an eye opener.

Anyways… stay tuned for some upcoming news as to whether we complete the deal or not. Next step is the home inspection of the new house on Saturday. We hope there are no surprises.

Apr 3, 2014

MY GUITAR PAL – A GREAT IDEA

I want to share with all of you a wonderful program that has been created by my brother-in-law, my nephew and others talented folks called  
MY GUITAR PAL is a great start-up and will become so huge but like the term start-up indicates the word needs to get out there.

“At My Guitar Pal we are aiming to create the best online guitar courses available for players of all levels and styles.  We will do this by providing not only great instruction but also the best and clearest user experience available.  Not only have we created a tonne of great content (600 + HD videos and counting, spanning 23 courses), but we are also nearing completion of our unique course system which allows for both progressive step-by-step learning and self-directed learning.  We have taken lifetimes of experience as career musicians and instructors and translated a tried and true teaching methodology to a web platform that we are confident will be the easiest and best place to learn to play.”
 I ask that you please share this as much as possible, with family, friends and bloggers. You never know who they know that may be interested in what MY GUITAR PAL has to offer. 
You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter too.

Mar 29, 2014

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR….OR SALE

We are planning to move. Not downsizing other than the yard. We just don’t have the time to take care of the large yard and garden we have now.
We know what we want and what is a deal breaker. We have come close a few times to finding something that meets our criteria. It can be either a house or a townhouse.
  • large rancher – with or without a downstairs. All that matters is that the garage/entry, kitchen, master bedroom and laundry room are all on the same level.
  • somewhat private
  • modern
We have viewed a few places. I do a lot of research online before choosing a place to see. I make up my mind very quickly.
The first place was a townhouse in a gated community perched on a hillside. It was very large with two levels but all the main stuff is on the entry level. The master bedroom had two huge walk in closets. The view from both levels was fabulous.
HILLTOP
Then someone made an offer on it before us. I was very disappointed but then the deal fell through…because there are 2 conflicting engineers reports. Seems like there was some cracking in the adjoining unit and the first engineer said the hillside erosion was the reason. The second engineers report said it was just building material failure. We were not willing to take the chance.
Keep on looking. Okay. Not too far from the first one I found this one. It is a house with a small yard. I figured the yard upkeep was doable. Beautiful windows, nice kitchen with an interesting stainless steel backsplash. Hmmm maybe. EMPRESS HOUSE
Oh wait… what is that? Big cracks at the ceiling. Even bigger cracks in the slab patio outside the lower level. My husband didn’t like the slanting lot and I had to agree but the real kicker was the awful odour of natural gas outside. Not coming from the house but not sure where from. Well another one bites the dust.
So many that just are not suitable. They are too small, too close to their neighbours, too old and dated. I start to get panicky and start to look further away than we had planned.
I found a beautiful place. It is on a golf course. I located some virtual tours and the house is great. I was decorating it in my head but the reality of my husband and I both having to drive an hour to work and an hour home again knocked this one off our list. For a brief moment though I thought I would do be able to do it.
CHILLIWACK
Time to move on….just not moving in.
Oh look what we found. Beautiful. Big. Modern. Close enough to work. What could go wrong?
Power lines! This beautiful home is right next to the giant power lines. I know!!!!! Just not something we can overlook. Even if we put something on that side of the deck so we didn’t really see the tower what about the health issues associated with these towers? So many conflicting reports on their safety. Just too close for comfort.
SUMAS So the search continues. We are not in a hurry but in my mind I really am. I want to move and I want to move soon. It is hard to be disappointed each time. There have been a couple more I have viewed but didn’t include them here because they wouldn’t have been suitable like these would have been if not for the deal breakers at the end. 
So we will keep looking. I am not going to settle….yet. 

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.ca/2014/03/mosaic-monday-food-photography.html
 

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