Wednesday Loves

Happy Wednesday, gang!  Here’s what I’m LOVING today:

• The snow, of course.  It’s still on the ground!  It’s going to melt over the next few days, unfortunately… it’s going to be +12 on Friday with rain.  But until then, I’m going to enjoy the pretty white scenery that surrounds me!
• I have discovered Chris Stapleton, and I LOVE him.  Last week, my Facebook newsfeed was blowing up with friends sharing the vid of his CMA performance with Justin Timberlake, and I’ve finally caught on to the hype.  I could listen to this song all day!

• I love that I’m going to Walmart after work today to grab the rest of my necessities for Christmas baking.  I’m praying for cheaper chocolate prices than I’ve found locally. I’m ready to get my bake on!
• I’m loving that the Christmas gifts have started rolling in!  Boxes from Amazon, parcels from Sears, orders from Shutterfly…items getting crossed off the list, and me breathing a little easier with each one.  Phewf.

• I’m looking forward to next Friday, because if all goes well, it should mark the official end of my Christmas shopping.  I have a list made with definitive plans made for each person, and now it’s just a matter of buying the remainder of the gifts and putting that list to bed.  I love when that moment comes.  Wrapping is my favourite part, and I can’t wait to get at it!
• I’m getting Subway for supper tonight.  I can’t remember the last time I had Subway.  I’m drooling just thinking about it.

• Speaking of droolin… I had a Timmie’s donut this morning and it was heavenly.  God bless visitors to the farm who bring city treats with them. I had their new Sugar Cookie donut, and it was an exquisite little sugar buzz.  Yum.

• I LOVE that my family is having a little Grey Cup party this coming Sunday!  OK, so we usually do have a “Grey Cup party”, but usually we just eat junky food and I don’t even bother watching the actual game.  But this year, our Ottawa REDBLACKS are playing in the big game, and everyone is pretty pumped!  It’s been a long time since a football team from Ottawa has done well, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.  Go REDBLACKS!!

• And I know I keep mentioning this, but I’m so lovin’ all the festive events and activities that are coming up in the next few weeks.  The Christmas parties will kick off this weekend with our company party on Friday and a Christmas dinner and gift exchange with the girls on Saturday.  From then on, it’s full steam ahead to Christmas, with so many fun things jam-packing the calendar!  I can’t wait!
• Last but not least, I love that even though our Thanksgiving is over, I still feel an excitement over the fact that our neighbours south of the border will be celebrating tomorrow… I think a  little of their holiday magic has seeped into my soul.  Tomorrow night after Zumba is over, I may just bust out my Friends DVD’s and watch some of their Thanksgiving episodes to celebrate. ;)

Have a great day, pals!!

It Snowed :)

There really is nothing quite as magical as the first snow.

My alarm went off at 5:40 am this morning, and I groggily reached for my phone.  I saw that my friend Lindsay had already texted me… unusual.  I know Linds is an early riser, but this one had come in 5:09 am, and she knows darn well I’m not up THAT early.  Her text read:  Go look out your window.  You will be a happy girl this morning…

I didn’t hesitate one second.  I popped up out of bed and reached for the blinds of my bedroom window.  And sure enough, there it was.  

Beautiful, sparkling, glorious snow!!!

What makes this snow even more magical is that it is unexpected snow.  They were calling for 60% chance of flurries overnight.  The company I work for does snow removal, and I heard some of the guys talking late yesterday afternoon about having to get up in the middle of the night to check it out, just in case.  I was rolling my eyes and thinking, Oh, they get so damn hyper over the forecast.  It’s only going to be flurries.  Bet ya we won’t get anything. They won’t have get up at all!

I was just a teensy bit wrong on that one!  Ooops!

The weatherman was a little off.  The flurries and “light dusting” of snow ended up being a couple of inches.  Enough to cover the grass completely on my front lawn, and to bring the plows and sand trucks out for the first time this year.  And yes, the snow guys around here DID have to haul their butts out of bed in the middle of the night to get things rolling.

And I just can’t wipe the grin off my face because of it. :)

There are reasons why I should NOT be happy about the snow.  For one thing, I do not have my snow tires on yet.  I was planning to call someday this week to make an appointment to have it done on Saturday.  I think every year, I end up calling them on the first day it snows.  So typical, eh. I bet the phone will be ringing off the hook there today!  Thankfully, I don’t have far to drive to get to work, so I should be OK.

Also, I need new winter boots.  The ones I bought a few years ago now have a hole in the heel of one of them.  I cannot afford new boots right now, so… yeah.  Damn you, snow.

Another reason why I shouldn’t be happy about the snow?  Well, I just discovered yesterday that I am actually allergic to the cold.  I am not even joking, this is a real thing you guys!!   You see, for years, when out in the cold, I would develop a little welt on my left cheekbone area of my face.  Always in the same spot.  I assumed I had at some point got a touch of frostbite there, and that is why the bump always appeared there when exposed to the cold.

Over the past few weeks, on colder days, I noticed a few more spots showing up on my face after my noon hour walk.  They looked like hives.  The same one on my cheekbone, and a few others on my cheeks.  I just shrugged it off.  Whatever.  They weren’t really itchy or anything, and they disappear fairly quickly once I’m back inside, so no biggie.

Yesterday, when I got back from my walk, Lindsay took one look at me and said, “Uhhhh… what happened to your face?!”

A quick check in the mirror showed that I had hives on my cheeks AND my forehead.  That was when I decided I needed to consult the Google Doctors.  And within minutes, I had self-diagnosed myself with Cold Urticaria. 

Quite literally, I am allergic to the cold.

I have always had weird, sensitive skin.  It’s nothing new for me to have hives or a just random itchy red bumps break out.  I don’t usually get alarmed. I’ve also developed allergies in my adult years that I never had when I was a kid – seasonal allergies, Oral Allergy Syndrome…  So really, this isn’t all that earth-shattering. 

I had just never heard of someone actually being allergic to the cold before!

And of course, it has to happen to me, the snow-loving winter freak!!!

When I posted about it on Facebook, I found out I wasn’t alone.  I had several friends let me know they knew of someone who had it as well, or who experience it themselves.  Who knew?!?!

According to what the interwebs say, there’s not much I can do about it.  I can take Benadryl or Reactine, keep my face covered up completely when I’m outside (Santa, I need one of those bank robber ski masks, please) or just avoid going out in the cold altogether.  The thing is… it’s not THAT cold out yet.  I mean, it was only hovering around zero yesterday.  It’s going to get MUCH colder here in the next few months.  How much worse will my face look when I have to go out in –20 degree weather?!

Apparently I should be thankful.  My reaction is mild.  Some people have the hives break out all over their bodies.  For some, it can be very itchy, or the swelling can be severe. It can actually be fatal is some cases.  Can you imagine?!?!

Of course, I will definitely talk to my doctor about this the next time I see him.  There is a chance the Internet doctors could be wrong.  They did tell me before that I had a brain tumor, and they were off on that one.

In the meantime, I’ll just cover up my face when I go out for my walks and to play in the snow.  Because, like… it’s SNOW, guys.  I can’t just not play in it!!

Happy first snowfall of the year, peeeps :)

A Friday Confessional

It’s felt like a really long week this week… I guess maybe I always feel this way? lol  Either way, I’m celebrating the fact that Friday has finally arrived, and I’m doing some confessing before the weekend begins!

I confess… that despite my best laid plans, I have not done ANY more decorating during the evenings this week.  Things are just too busy.  And when they’re not busy, then the lure of lying on the couch has far outweighed the desire to decorate.

I confess… that as I sit here freezing at my desk this morning, I’ve realized that I’m probably soon going to have to bust out the long-johns (kinda wish I had ‘em on right now, actually).  And when I do, I’m probably going to have to go up a pant size, ‘cause there is no way the long-johns are going to fit under these current pants I’m wearing. *sigh*

I confess… that it may be time to start seriously considering trying out that healthy eating thing again…

I confess… that I thought I had lost my love for The Hunger Games, because originally I had no desire to see the upcoming final installment of the movie series, at least not in theatres, but after seeing the preview a few times, and watching Jennifer Lawrence on Jimmy Fallon the other night, my love for The Hunger Games has been re-ignited.  I’m ready to be caught back up in the hype!

I confess… that we are ordering Thai Zone for lunch today in the office, and it’s just about all I can think about right now.

I confess… I have my gift ready for our Girl’s Christmas dinner and gift exchange next Saturday; all I have to do is add a few homemade touches and wrap it!  I’m so excited for the Christmas parties to begin!!

I confess… that the credit card is starting to get racked up again… Not out of control yet, but Christmas shopping is sure starting to put a ding on it.  BUT – if all goes as planned, I should be done the shopping by the first week of December, and then I’ll be able to spend the rest of the month paying it off, and be in the clear again to start 2016 off fresh.  (relax, Mom.)

I confess… that part of the problem is the expense of buying ingredients for holiday baking.  Why, oh WHY, does baking chocolate have to be so expensive?  And why, oh WHY, does all of my holiday “baking” involve melting chocolate?!  Frigging bark.  ugh.

I confess… that I think I whine about the price of melting chocolate for bark pretty much every year on the blog at this time of year…

I confess… I’m going to watch Christmas movies this weekend.  And I’m going to make my first go of cookies tomorrow morning. And I’m going to a Christmas tea and bake sale at St. Mary’s church tomorrow afternoon.  And  I’m going to paint Christmas balls at Paint Nite tomorrow night. I’m done trying to “stall” the Christmas excitement.  Bring it on!!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends :)

What I’m Loving Wednesday

I’m having trouble finding blog inspiration lately.  So I thought I’d resort to an old tried-and-true… never hurts to take a glance about and find things that brighten my day!  It is Wednesday, after all!

I’m loving how my living room looks right now.  As I mentioned yesterday, the tree went up Sunday afternoon and most of the decorating in the living room is done.  I planned to do more last night, but I ended up with a sinus headache that still hasn’t let up.  Chalk that one up to something I’m NOT loving today… urgh.  Anyways, it was nice to lie on the couch last night with the magic bag on the back of my neck and just gaze at the prettiness around me.  (and no, I did not light up the bezerk-o Christmas tree, that would have made my headache worse.)

(This is my tree from 2013… haven’t photographed this year’s yet!)

I’m loving that snowflakes are starting to appear in the long-range forecast.  I know most people have been loving this warm November so far, but I’m over it.  15 degrees tomorrow?  pssshhhhh… I’m ready for snow!

I love that I have made a start on my Christmas shopping.  I have a few gifts bought for the kids, and a pretty good idea of what I’m getting for the rest.  I always feel really stressed out about Christmas shopping until I make a list and start crossing things off.  Breathing a little easier now that I’ve at least begun.

Totally loving the Christmas parties coming up, which will all kick off next Friday with our company Christmas luncheon.  It will be the beginning of a very busy couple of weeks, but I’m so ready to dive in!

You know what else I kind of love?  I love that I made my Christmas list the other day, but didn’t feel a need to put any major necessities on it.  It seems that every year, there’s always something I DESPERATELY needed… and this year, it comes as a comfort and a blessing to realize I’m not wanting for much these days.  I have spent years crossing “must-haves” off my list, buying them as I could afford them, or receiving them as gifts.  Sure, there are still things that I could certainly use, home improvements that still could be done, a new cell phone, internet service in my home, Netflix… but I don’t feel I need anything right now in desperation.  I am fortunate.

I haven’t said it for a while… I love Jimmy Fallon, you guys.  I really do.  He makes me smile, even on days when I didn’t think a smile was possible.

Oh!  And I love that it is People’s Sexiest Man Alive Day!!!  I can’t say David Beckham would have been my first choice (I’d have probably gone for a repeat of Adam Levine or Channing Tatum, truthfully lol) – but there’s no doubt, the man is a sexy, sexy beast. 

On that note…have a great day, friends :)

Tuesday Randoms… The Pre-Christmas Panic

• Anybody else feel like November is flying by at warp speed? Anybody else starting to feel panicky because you haven’t started the baking, finished the shopping, thought about wrapping, decorated the house, and have no time to do any of the above until December 20th?  Yeah.  That’s me right now.  I practicially hyperventilate when I let my mind wander there.
• Well, I kind of lied about the “decorating” part.  I actually have started that.  I know, it’s a little ridiculous to have my tree up on November 15th, but I honestly didn’t know when the hell the damned thing was going to go up if I didn’t do it this past Sunday afternoon.  Life is just that busy right now.
• I’m not apologizing for having my tree up way early, either.  You know what?  I love Christmas.   I love it so much.  And I love how my house looks and feels when it’s decorated for the holidays.  Last year, when I had to decorate super early because of the House Tour, people said to me, “Oh, you’ll be so sick of it by the time Christmas gets here.”  But I wasn’t.  I never got sick of it.  It still made me sad to take it all down the first week of January.  So you know what?  If having my tree up on November 15th makes me happy, then who cares what anyone else thinks.  We all need a little more happy in our lives right now.
• The one part of my tree that I am NOT happy about?  Well, the cheap-ass mini lights I bought last year went all screwy-lewy.  Three stands of lights, and on two of them, half the strand wouldn’t light up.  The only way we could get them to light up was to put in those stupid flasher bulbs that nobody uses.  And do you know why nobody uses the stupid flasher bulbs?  Because when your tree is all blinking at all different speeds and intervals, it makes you practically have a seizure just watching it.  I swear to God, when I plugged it in last night, I couldn’t even look at it.  My Christmas Tree is bezerk.
• I should clarify that I am not completely done decorating – basically just my living room is done.  Still more to do, but I hope to putter at that in the evenings over the next few weeks. 
• Last night, I decided to watch “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.  I think it’s a good November movie … Halloween is still not too far from my thoughts, and Christmas is approaching quickly.  It really is a movie that works for both holidays, so I like to watch it in November.  Unfortunately last night I fell asleep about 10 minutes in.  I guess I’ll try again tonight.
• The dark evenings have me really wanting to kick into hibernation mode.  Of course, there’s too much going on pre-Christmas for hibernation mode.  That will have to wait until January.  But I am so excited to hibernate this winter.  I feel like I need it.  Cozy blankets, naps, watching movies, sipping tea, making soup…just hunkering down inside… it sounds marvelous to me.  Of course, I don’t want that Christmas season to fly by, but I am craving January coziness, for sure.
• Oh, this is also the time of year when I get jealous that our Thanksgiving is over.  My American pals blogs are full of Thanksgiving menus and talking about what they’re most looking forward to… I could go for some turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy right now.  mmmmmm…
• I have to keep reminding myself to pause and take a breath.  I feel like I’m pretty much in full-on Christmas mode, and it can be overwhelming.  I like knowing when all the parties and festivities and gatherings are taking place, but between now and the week before Christmas, it’s almost too much.  I’m worrying about when things will get done, fretting over budgeting for it, stressing over every little thing.  This is when I give my head a little shake and say, “Dude.  It is seriously still only mid-November.  And you LOVE this time of year.  Quit panicking.  Relax.  Enjoy.  Take it all as it comes.”
• As my mom keeps saying to me… One day at a time. 

Please tell me I’m not alone in my pre-Christmas mid-November meltdown?  Please tell me other people are panicking too?  oy.

We Will Remember Them

Today, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we remember them.  At the eleventh hour, we observe a moment of silence.  We reflect, we give thanks for the men and women who fought for our freedom, and we honour those are are still fighting today.

On Sunday, I attended our local Royal Canadian Legion branch’s Remembrance Day service with my nephew Caden.  The Highland Mist Pipe Band, Legion dignitaries, war veterans and soldiers marched to the Cenotaph, where we sang O Canada and heard The Last Post played, prayers were offered, and many wreaths were laid in memory of our community’s war veterans and heroes.

These are some of the pictures I took that day:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

The Books I Read This Summer (or, the books you should put on your Christmas List)

I will start by telling you I’m in a reading funk.  Seems to happen from time to time.  I think maybe it’s because I had such a good string of reading this past summer.  I can’t remember the last time I read so many books in a row that I LOVED and kept me so hooked.

I’ve been wanting to share my summer reads for quite a while … even though summer is way back in the rear view mirror now.  So if you’d rather not think of this as a summer reads list, you can think of it as the books you should be putting on your Christmas list.  I highly recommend!

Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock

I’m going to warn you right up front:  if you like fluffy, light-hearted chick lit, this isn’t a book for you.  This is the story of a young girl named Carrie who witnessed the murder of her father at a very young age, and now she and her little sister Emma are living under the rule of their unstable mother and their abusive step-father.  Things happen in this book that will make you cry; things happen that will make your stomach feel sick.  What these little girls go through is shattering.  It isn’t a fun read.  But I was glued to it; I was desperate to find out what would become of the girls – if they would ever be able to escape their life filled with hardships.  And then there’s the twist at the end that I never saw coming.  It made me want to re-read the whole thing again, because I couldn’t believe I hadn’t caught on.

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

Another book that hooked me from the first chapter and I couldn’t put it down.  Liane Moriarty was a new author to me, and I LOVE her writing style!  Fast-paced, thought-provoking… This story revolves around Cecilia Fitzpatrick, who stumbles upon a hidden letter that her husband wrote to her years ago, to be opened only in the event of his death.  The wonderful, handsome, doting husband and father, John-Paul, is still very much alive and well, yet Cecilia can’t help but open and read his letter.  And in it, she discovers her husband’s deepest, darkest secret.  It changes everything, not only for her and her family, but for many other characters, whose lives weave together in this captivating novel.  I can’t wait to read more by this author – in fact, I have her novel Big Little Lies waiting for me on my night-stand as my next read!

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I bought this one on a whim, on a trip to Chapters.  It was on sale, and the cover boasted it was for people who loved Gone Girl… I did love Gone Girl, so I thought why not?  And yes, this one grabbed me just the same way.  This is the story of Rachel, a down-on-her-luck divorced alcoholic who travels in to the city every day by train.  Every day, the train stops at the same signal, and she sees a couple out on their garden terrace.  They seem perfect to her – “Jess and Jason”, as she calls them - and she daydreams about them and their life together.  Until one day she sees something wrong.  Someone else is on their terrace.  And then shortly after, she sees “Jess” on the news – she has gone missing.  Rachel inserts herself into the investigation, and is drawn into the lives of these strangers, trying to piece together what happened, all while she becomes the chief suspect.  I spent the entire novel trying to solve the mystery right along with her.  And no, I never did put the pieces together the right way.  I was stunned with the way things played out in the end.  This was another one that was very hard to put down.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

I loved this book. LOVED it.  In fact, I think I would put it in my Top 5 favourite books ever.  This guy has a writing style I’d kill for.  He made scenes come alive in front of my eyes – I felt like I could see it play out as if I was watching a movie.  But don’t take my word for it – my sister read it after me, and she hated it.  To each their own, I guess.  This is the story of Judd Foxman, a man whose life is really circling the toilet.  He has just found out his wife is cheating on him with his shock-jock radio host boss, thus ending both his marriage and his career.  And then his father passes away.  His dad’s dying wish is for his big sorta-Jewish family to come together and sit shiva for seven days.  So in his darkest hour, Judd is forced to confinement in his childhood home with his mother and three siblings, none of whom he is very close to anymore, while their entire community pours in to offer condolences and food.  I felt I related to the situation, having lost my father… the moments that make you laugh, the moments that make you cry, that family dynamic of sharing your grief together in weird and crazy ways… the grudges, the secrets, the skeletons in the closet that have a way of coming out at such a time.  And yet, at the heart of it all, is the realization that family is really all we have in this world. 

Lila by Marilynne Robinson

This was a birthday gift from my Aunt Marion, and I read most of it while in Nova Scotia in September.  It was a different read for me – it bounced around a lot in timeframe, so it was sometimes confusing to figure out where I was in Lila’s life story.  But Lila’s story was fascinating none the less.  She was an orphan taken in by a hard old drifter named Doll, and together they spent a gypsy-like life on the run.  After Doll’s death, Lila drifts into Gilead, where she meets and marries the local preacher.  She spends much of her days struggling to reconcile her new life of warmth and security with the difficult and tattered past that shaped her into who she is today.  Lila’s questions about life, religion, faith, family, and love really gave me pause, and made me think.  Like I said… a different read, but I enjoyed it.

Grey by E.L. James

My first recommendation with this book is to not accidentally buy the large print edition.  I think the only reason I didn’t read it very fast was because my wrists couldn’t hold it up for long.  Lordy Jesus, it was Biblically big and heavy.  But you guys all know or have at least hear of 50 Shades… you don’t need me to go into great detail, am I right?  This is just the same story, told through Christian’s eyes instead of Ana’s.  Which was actually more interesting that I expected it to be.  It gave a little more insight into Christian Grey, and why he is the way he is.  And well… we all need a fun sexy read now and then, don’t we? ;)

I’m always looking for new books to read, so do share your favourites in the comments section!  What books have you loved lately??

Halloween Scenes 2015