Happy New Years!

Tonight I watched the New Years come in with my niece here at home, it was to cold to be out gallivanting around the city. We started off going to pick up a few items and ended up buying two Wii Guitar Hero games, (they were on for an awesome price), I also purchased a set of Bose speakers for my desk thanks to my children and a gift card, (awesome sound), and we found ourselves at a restaurant for dinner. 

We came home and checked out our new games, I totally suck at Guitar Hero, then we watched some TV. There was next to nothing on for New Years and I ended up watching the countdown on City tv. I couldn't believe it, there were rappers leading up to New Years! Am I getting old? I wanted to hear "Auld Lang Syne" being sung by one of the old guys...what ever happened to the old guys that used to preform, did they all either die or retire? I miss Guy Lombardo, why I'll never know but I found myself wanting to hear his voice coming from my TV.

I wasn't going to make any resolutions, but found myself making one while reading a fellow bloggers writing tonight, I resolve not to grow old in 2010... that's it.  I am not going to make resolutions which I most likely won't keep. I will incorporate anything new, get rid of things I'd like to change about myself, or vow to do the best I possibly can when the urge comes to me. There is something to be said about spontaneity and I'll let you all know how that works for me as I go.  (I guess this means that I shall continue on with my P365, it shall now become P365 year two!). 

And on that note, wishing you all a very Happy and prosperous New Year!

Healthy Eating

Now that the turkey and fix-in's are done it's time to get back to some healthy eating. Mind you the turkey is healthy, it's all that goes with it that I have consumed which isn't. Tonight I cooked up wild salmon and boiled a few veggies for dinner and was it ever delicious. 

When I made this salmon I used about a teaspoon of unsalted butter, added garlic, dill, and fresh lemon then fried this succulent piece of fish until it was cooked.

Gratitude

There is much to be said about gratitude and I don't know if I can say something which has not been said on this subject. I know that tonight I am sitting here extremely grateful to be alive, grateful to be sober, and grateful to all of those who have given freely of their time and love to help me to get to where I am at within my life today.

Four years ago today I was admitted to the hospital for my last extended stay, there were many hospitalizations  (one which led me to palliative care)  throughout the middle to latter part of 2005.  I had six grand mal seizures that night and cracked my head open. I think that this is when God knocked some sense into my head as I wasn't getting the message He was attempting to give me. 

This was to be the beginning of a new life for me, and with immense work, plenty of struggles, facing many fears, and letting go of my old ways, I am now free. I am free to live, to love, and to laugh... all of which I do plenty of today! 

It is quite appropriate that my quote of the day for today was  "The most effective way to manage change is to create it" and continue to create change is exactly what I shall do!

Sledding

I was out skidooing (sledding) today and what a blast! This particular skidoo is a 2008 Yamaha Phazer and does it ever have a lot of power. I have never driven a machine of this caliber and what a rush! Although this machine is intended for mountain riding, for today the fields had to suffice. My hope is that one day I'll be able to take this machine out to the hills, if not the mountains, and see what it can do, or what I can't do on it!

Early Morning on the Farm

This morning it was so beautiful out here at the farm. I am always in awe of the sights, the crispness of the winter air, and the serenity which surrounds me. 

It was about 8a.m. when the sun began to peek through the trees and I found it an opportune time to take a photo. Tonight it was a tough decision as to which photo to post, I took quite a few but this one is  one of  my favorites. 

Tomorrow maybe I'll chance taking my camera out on the skidoo with me and see what I can find, or maybe I'll stick to my point and shoot... either way, I'm going skidooing again!

A Me Day

It was a quiet day today out at the farm, so nice and peaceful. I started my day out with sitting in the hot tub, I checked my emails, played some scrabble, watched a bit of television and then I felt like baking something without chocolate in it. I came up with oatmeal crasin cookies with a hint of cinnamon in them and are they ever delicious. 

I am off to do a bit of advanced reading for my abnormal psychology course which is coming up in the New Year. I have found that it is the psychology classes which have the most required reading so I figure that I might just as well get a head start on it. This should be an interesting course, I might be able to figure out why I do some of the things I choose to do! :-)

Helping Hands

Eddie, the youngest of my baby sisters boys, required a wee bit of help from Dad when it was time to dish up his Christmas dinner. It was no wonder he required a bit of help, there was so much food and it was all extremely delicious! Thank you Cathy and family for having us over for for Christmas dinner, fantastic job! 

That's two Christmas dinners for me, both were absolutely delicious. Only one small problem now... I feel as stuffed as the turkeys were and I know it's time for some serious exercise in the near future!

Merry Christmas!

Today we celebrated our family Christmas, my children, Herb and myself that is. I couldn't decide on just one photo, it's one of those times in life where rules must be broken! This photo is of my middle son Derek, we had quite the feast before we exchanged gifts.

This is my beautiful daughter Michelle, I think that it is fair to say that we all felt as contented as she looks after our feast.

 

We all relaxed for a bit after our meal and enjoyed one anothers company. We then exchanged gifts. 







This is my oldest son Shayne. Shayne has always been an Oilers fan from as far back as I can remember, he even has an entire room in his home in which he keeps his Oilers memorabilia.  I think that this photo of Shayne shows his true passion for the Edmonton Oilers.

 


So here it is, a glimpse through photos of our Christmas. It would be nice to be able to include the love I felt in my home, the warmth and the laughter, seeings that I can't I will wish you all a very Merry Christmas and my hope for each of you is that you are surrounded by the love I was. 

And That's a Wrap

I am finally done the prep cooking for Christmas dinner, well Christmas eve dinner here. I just finished up the cabbage rolls which are pictured here snuggled in a bed of sauerkraut and bacon. I make my cabbage rolls with rice and hamburger, I add garlic and a dash of salt and I wrap the cabbage around this filling. I then layer the cabbage rolls with the bacon and sauerkraut between each layer and are these ever delicious!  My mouth is watering just looking at this photo, I'd best get this posted and get on with my day before I get into these cabbage rolls!

This Old Rolling Pin

I made my Christmas perogies today... well I'm almost done. I'm just taking a bit of a blog break after making about 15 dozen perogies. I made mostly cheddar and potato, I also made a few dozen with sauerkraut and bacon. 

While I was rolling out some of my dough I realized that I bought this marble rolling pin  in about 1986, that makes my rolling pin 23 years old, wow! I can't even imagine how many perogies this old rolling pin has rolled out, all I know is that it's been a lot! I make perogies for almost every special occasion which comes up, so ya I can't even fathom how many this would be! 

No wonder I'm tired now, I shouldn't have done the math! I guess that I'd best get the rest of these perogies made and in the deep freeze then clean up my kitchen, tomorrow it's cabbage rolls.

Winter City Roads

Today I went down to the college to ensure that I am registered for the January semester... in other words I went to give them some money! The roads were horrific and the winds downtown had snow blowing all over the place. It was slow going but I got to where I wanted to be safe and sound. It did get rather annoying that everywhere I stopped off I had to brush all the snow off my car,  I did this about four times while I was out and after my last stop at the mall I gladly came home and stayed indoors.

I am so happy that today is the winter solstice, from here on in our days will slowly begin to get longer, but this sure doesn't get us out of winter just yet. It will only be about another three months, then the winter weather should let up!

Christmas Bells

This morning I went to church with my nephew Michael. The church we went to was clear across the city, yet somehow I found it without a problem. Even though I had never been to this church it was like we were meant to be there. 

As the service transpired I went through a cascade of emotions. My mother used to love going to church and I thought of her while the guitars, piano, drums and singers indulged the congregation with praises to God. Although I enjoyed the music immensely I was saddened that my mother is not here to enjoy Christmas with us and a few silent tears trickled down my cheeks. This passed and I then felt a twinge of  guilt, guilt for not making time to attend worship services more often than I have. This  guilt slowly slid away and it was then that my emotions transpired into gratitude. 

I have so much in my life to be grateful for and this Christmas it is my hopes and wishes that we all take time to reflect on just how much we have to be grateful for. And when you hear the Christmas bells ringing, it's God saying "your welcome" ...or this is what I am choosing to believe from this day forward! 

On that note, a very blessed and Merry Christmas to each one of you. May God bless and be with you and your families not only throughout this holiday season but the whole year through.

Christmas Company

Tonight was a very special evening, I had two guests.These two young men are not only guests, they are two of my nephews. I feel very special tonight that my nephews chose to spend their Saturday night with their Auntie.
 

I had fun with the "boys", they came to jam (use my big screen which I hook my laptop into) and the guys ended up learning a few Christmas songs on the guitar. I could sit and listen to them play their guitars for hours, unfortunately all good things must come to an end. 

Thanks Adam and Michael, you are more than welcome to come and visit with your Auntie any time... well unless I'm writing essays! Merry Christmas guys! 

Perspective

Tonight I got to thinking about my GRANDAUGHTER who will be blessing our lives in early May. I was thinking that next Christmas she will be crawling all over the place, what fun and sheer excitement! I was wondering how she will view the world... then I got to taking photos from a child's perspective. This is how I imagine she will see her first Christmas trees. I think that maybe I'll have to have her a special pint sized tree just her size with decorations that can be played with. Oh what fun I'm going to have with my grandchild, what a true blessing!

'Tis the Season!

Today I couldn't help myself, my inner child wanted to sit on Santa's lap so that I did. Mind you I convinced Cheryl to come with me so that I didn't feel like a total idiot sitting on Santa's lap in the middle of a mall for the world to see! :-) 

Hmmm, now I am sitting here wondering why Santa has the biggest smile on his face out of the three of us! 

It's Done!

Today was our last final and damn does it ever feel good to be done school for the year! In this photo are two of my good friends which have been right beside me though out this educational journey. We have written the same essays, taken the same tests, shared personal stories, participated in the same activities and I feel that at times we have held one another up when things were down.

Thanks Nicole and Kristen, you two are awesome! Merry Christmas my friends!

Snowboarding

As I was shopping with Cheryl we found one heck of a good deal on a snowboard package. I know that Cheryl likes to snowboard and although it looks like fun I think that I'll stick to it being a spectator sport. I like my bones as they are and I know that I'd find a way to hurt myself if I strapped something like this on my feet! 

I think that lessons are in order for Cheryl next, she's tried to snowboard a few times but I'd feel safer if she had the lessons. I know that she's much braver than I am, then again she's a few years younger!

Ummmm, what about the cleaning?

Tonight I was at WalMart picking up a few items. I happened along the cleaning isle and lo and behold I had the entire isle to myself. I am curious if everyone has forgotten their cleaning supplies or if they have just plain out given up on cleaning until after the holidays. I guess I'd best stock up on cleaning products, I don't want to be anywhere near this isle come December 26th!

Christmas Spirit

Cheryl sure can make me laugh some days. Tonight we were wrapping gifts, Cheryl wrapped what she went out and picked out for her Mom. This small box holds a very beautiful gift, it's the rather large bow which Cheryl bought to add to the gift that had me chuckling.

This is so Cheryl, she has a huge bow and with that huge bow is tons of love from her huge heart!

Soul Food

With temperatures hovering around -40c tonight I thought it was time to whip up a pot of soup. I find that there is nothing quite like a good old fashioned pot of soup to warm the soul.

Christmas Shopping

Tonight I went out with Cheryl to help her pick out her Christmas gifts. I have my shopping done already, well one last thing to pick up yet, but tonight I got to looking at other things. Needless to say Christmas came early for me, I bought a new flash for my new camera. I'm not sure yet what I'm doing with this camera but why not confuse myself just a wee bit more and add something else to it?  I do have darn near three weeks off over Christmas and now I have a new toy to figure out!

Exhaustion

Today was my first final exam. Last night I had problems sleeping and today I felt horrible. I was not well physically, emotionally, nor spiritually, naturally this all affected me mentally. I do not feel that I fared well on this final exam. Not to worry though, I went into this test with a strong mark so I have no fears about passing this class.

After the exam I went to the library and couldn't focus. I then went to a meeting which I knew would help me feel better, and afterward I met up with two dear old friends. I visited for a while then came straight home to bed. I was so exhausted I slept my evening away and now here it is 4:30 am and I'm wide awake. I've been up since midnight, here goes the sleeping pattern! Good thing I will have some time off after a few more exams, I need it!

I just thought of it, I missed the ambassador Christmas party tonight, well last night... shucks! Oh well, such is life and parties are over rated anyways! lol

Christmas and Puppies

Today even the pets got to see Santa at Bonniedoon Mall. I walked into the mall and saw a long line up of proud pet owners patiently waiting to have their pets pose with Santa. I immediately thought that it was not a wise thing to do, then I seen the looks in the peoples faces, the pets playing with one another and I thought if I had a dog I'd be right in there as well. So who am I to judge others? Nobody, that's who.

Today I learned a valuable lesson from pet owners and their puppies, I am judgmental which makes me 100% human. I believe that we are all judgmental to a degree, it is what we choose to do with our judgments is what makes the difference. 

Time is of the Essence

When I pass by this clock downtown on my way to morning class it generally does not read 9am. I am supposed to be in class and ready for my morning by 9am! Traffic was extremely heavy due to poor road conditions and one fender bender was blocking a lane. Needless to say I arrived about 20 minutes late for my class. I was to participate in a debate so I called a fellow debate team member to inform my team of my dilemma, thank goodness for cell phones. 

Once I had arrived we had our debate and I believe that it went fairly well. All is well in my world... less the finals which begin shortly!

My Guardian Angel

When I was decorating my tree last night I realized that my tree top must still be in storage out at the farm. I went out in search of a new tree topper today and came up with the ideal one, my new guardian angel.  I love angles and this one is without exception. I am quite content now, my tree is up and now all I have left to do is a few final touches to my living room and it will be Christmas in my home once again this year. 

The Tree

After all is said and done tonight I now have my tree mostly decorated. I put off homework in order to get my place looking like Christmas and it sure was worth it. I can stay awake now to get done what I wanted to do with my books. As I decorated I took a trip down memory lane, a fellow blogger put her tree up and posted some photos which put me in the mood for getting busy and doing my own tree. Seeing Davine's tree also got me to thinking that sometimes I need to do things which make my heart dance and tonight it danced!

I have decorations which my children made me years ago, I have some which were made my one of my sisters, I also have special decorations which really signify special things to me. Yes, it was a trip down memory lane, one which I must say were good for my soul.

... now off to prepare for a debate!

3rd Annual Family Gift Exchange

Today was one of the best days I have had in quite some time. Don't get me wrong, I have had tons of awesome days but today was super special. My family all got together for our third annual gift exchange, we were only missing a few family members unfortunately but those of us who were there shared tons of laughs... oh what fun!

First we had this huge delicious feast, we do a potluck and the food was absolutely delicious! We then do a Chinese gift exchange and talk about laugh! What a blast! (The photo here is only a portion of my family, I wanted to get a family photo but unfortunately didn't do that.)

I feel so blessed tonight, I love spending time with my family! 

Thank you Shayne and Sandy for hosting this years gift exchange, you two really outdid yourselves! A job extremely well done!

Midnight Madness, Once Again.

Today the snow just didn't let up at all, we paid for our mild November today! I swept the steps umpteen times and Terry shoveled the walk at least four or five times and you can't even tell tonight! YUCK!

... so I was sitting here around 11:00pm after not going out in this horrific weather all day and I decided that it would be a good time to go for a drive before I become too scared to drive with these road conditions. Off I went to WalMart, (they are now open 24 hours), I did some shopping and almost wanted to just camp out there, it was that bad on the roads. The one nice thing... WalMart was almost empty less the people stocking the shelves. So now I am finished my Christmas shopping, I beat the rush! More like I was the only one nuts enough to go out shopping in this weather!

Chains that Bind

I had a two o'clock appointment today with a student adviser at the University of Calgary extension program offered here in Edmonton today. I am at a loss when it comes to knowledge about applying for University... I've never done this before! I now know how to go through the application process, I have ideas dancing in my head and am going for this. I have always wanted to have a degree yet my self-imposed limitations held me back, that and allowing life to get in the way.

If anyone, anywhere has a dream... what's stopping you? Fear was my biggest factor, I lived in fear, fear of the unknown. Today the chains which used to bind me are off and it's full steam a head. I can and will find a way to receive my degree in Social Work, one essay at a time.  

Now where's my "Going to University Guide for Dummies?"  I know it's here someplace! :-)

YIKES

Today outside of the Student Association office I couldn't help but notice the calendar. I got to thinking that I have only two more weeks from today and the last final for this semester will have been written. Then I further thought, I'm not ready for this... so for the next two weeks it's going to be focus time, study my butt off, say my prayers, keep my fingers crossed and make damn sure I pass these exams. No pressure... ya ok, just that my mark in psychology will highly influence my entrance into university, but no pressure!

Now would somebody please remind me who came up with this brilliant idea of me returning to school? Anybody?  :-) Two weeks of hell ahead of me, the payoff... three glorious weeks of heaven, Christmas holidays!

Sweet Stairwell Sounds

There is this man who often plays his guitar during the lunch break at the college. I have seen him in the hallways and today he was sitting and playing in the stairwell. He is really good, today I told him so, and it is a welcomed sound. This is something which helps break up the mundane routine of classes on occasion. Guitar Man, thank you for your music.