Halloween 2009

Well, the day certainly didn't look very promising for the children! It was terribly windy, and by noon the rain was coming down in sheets! Wehad tons of candy ready, but I had a feeling that we would be stuck with most of it with this awful weather. But, as the sun started to set, the clouds cleared and we were treated very briefly to a rainbow (which I caught on camera). The sunset was beautiful, and the street filled with witches and goblins within minutes. We ran out of candies before 7 pm!

David carved a beautiful pumpkin which was lit up and put on the porch.

This little guy was carved earlier in the week and the teeth started to go bad, but it only makes him look better!

Happy Scrapbooking Retreat!

Last year, around this time of the year, I posted a blog about the disgruntled ladies at our Scrapbooking retreat. Nothing seemed to please them, and it was pretty discouraging. Here I am, once again doing the night shift at our annual Scrapbooking retreat this year, (we don't give up easily) but the mood is totally different. First, we changed venue to a much nicer place - Le Castel - a 4 star hotel just 5 minutes from our actual store in Granby. The ballroom we are using is big and bright and roomy! The food is delicious. The hotel rooms are clean and wonderful. No one is complaining - everyone is smiling and there is that feeling of contentment in the air. What a difference! My sister really outdid herself this year by making sure that the store would be packed with nothing but the hottest new products, and the ladies, (despite the fact that they all showed up with the equivalent of a mini store each) are buying! We set up our own little store within the ballroom and we are making sure that it is kept full for the ladie's enjoyment. This is a good! The recession really hit us hard - but this weekend gives us reason to smile again.

Now, if I could only find time to do a little scrapbooking for myself!!

Summer's over

I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog! I must have time travelled or something! Not only does it feel slightly overwhelming to bring things up to date since my last blog in July, but for sure by now no one is interrested anymore.
Oh well, for the sake of keeping things short and in perspective, here is, in no particular order, a list of things I have learned since my last blog.


In this picture: Lydia Gillett
1) Having a 12 year old granddaughter doesn't make me feel old half as much as make me happy that I don't have a pre-teen to deal with on a daily basis. Hat's off to all parents of pre-teens and high school teachers out there!

2) Running everyday does not necessarily make you loose weight (unless you also diet) but NOT running is guaranteed to make you gain weight - for those of you contemplating on starting to run every day, remember this rule.

3) Planting a flower (or vegetable) garden in the spring is easy compared to the hours spent weeding and watering throughout the summer. If you can't maintain it - don't bother.... sidebar-- thank goodness for David with the green thumb because without him, my flowers would have been totally overrun by weeds!

4) No matter how hard you work, unless you are working for yourself, your boss will never truly appreciate your extra effort. I should really stop putting in all that overtime and spend more time doing things that I like - like updating my blog.

5) I still haven't made that pumpkin pie I promised from last year's Halloween pumpkin that David was so kind to cut up and freeze for me. I vow not to make any such silly promises anymore - who has time to make pumpkin pie anyway? (I bought him one from M & M - it was just as good)

6) My Honda CRV was such a great car to drive, but what a gaz guzzler! I drive 100 kilometers a day, so when I traded it in for a little Honda Civic, I really noticed a difference. Just don't ask me to move your furniture though...
In this picture - Lydia, washing the new car - Thanks Lydie!

7) Friends are precious! I will always need them in my life - no matter what. You know who you are... and I will make time in my busy schedule to be with you because I really do care.



8) Family is precious! My family keeps growing exponentially (4 new babies born this year - more on the way...) but I find room in my heart for all the new additions.

9) With a husband away for days on end, I am grateful to have my 2 grown sons living at home, but I really do miss Keith.

10) And last but not least,if someone knows a single lady out there who needs a man - please! - introduce her to my sons... I always thought that as soon as a lady would come in their lives they would move on, but it would seem that there are not that many ladies in Farnham....seems like they have hunkered down for the long run.

Bye bye Keith....see you in a week!

T-4 and counting...

My lunch break is almost over, and there are just 4 hours left before my vacations start. Well deserved vacations, I may add. I could probably sleep for the next 2 weeks, but that's not likely. With my grandaughter Lydia arriving next Wednesday, the house will surely become much livelier than it is now - even though we are already 4 living at the same address. Somehow, throw in a pre-teen, and the level of talk, laughter, sighs, and splashes from the pool will climb to new heights. And I am really looking forward to it!