Gobsmacked

Gobsmacked accurately describes how we all felt when we were told our YD and family would be moving to Memphis Tennesse which is  over 3 000 km away. We all have been so close to our two grandchildren and the news has hit us hard ! My sil was headhunted by this company so off they will go ! It has coloured our whole weekend. We're sad, very sad. My YGS is heartbroken. But our liives will go on and we'll save like mad to make the journey a couple of times.

Meanwhile I have knit 2 cowls and one shawl for ED's Outlander wine/ dinner party -----in November ! Oh well, it's one more thing off my list. I am going to try and make a few jabots for the men !- to wear with their  kilts. Zipper was successfully put in Hubby's pants so that was another chore off my list. This morning I am cutting out hexagons to start doing some  English Paper Piecing.

Yeterday YS made Ukrainian Garlic rolls and I made Pineapple Delight for our Easter eal at YD. The kids had fun with their egg rolling ! Today we will have our own ham  and a smaller Pineapple Delight. There will be fresh pineapple for Hubby.

The weather this week is going to be warm - up to 14*C ! We might even be able to do a bit of yard work. Certainly we will start a few plants inside. First I must wash the kitchen floor  so that we can put up the mini greenhouse.  Cukes, squash and  corn as well as some flowering plants - as I had gathered seeds from my daughter's garden ! She had some beautiful thistles.

Interesting aside to the drama that is the egg donor. Apparently she had her daughter, but the father and grandmother could not get a hold of her. So the grandmother phoned her mother to see if she could reach her. Now if you couldn't speak to your daughter, would you not phone the police ?  Also the ' in laws' are saying they are finally changing their will-- they had said that they had already done that -- who knows. ...and will be making ES the executor of their estate. Now if the whole story were known as to how they had treated him, one would laugh themselves silly. Hopefully they will do this right away which will be a shock to their lawyer as the lawyer was also the egg donor's lawyer where she leveled false accusations against him.[ all of which we were able to prove false, by the way !  ] Time will tell if they do exactly what they planned- or say they have planned.

So today I'll try and start a new quilt, do bathrooms, floors and see what I can get started for the garden.

So this is Spring

Before 6am this morning, the oven was sprayed. Once that is done there is no turning back so the oven will be cleaned ! The fridge needs a good cleaning too, so I have two big jobs to do this morning !!Hubby will do the laundry as usual. After that a swish of the bathrooms and floors and maybe the dreaded dusting ! LOL
   It is funny how we put off some jobs that really don't take all that long to do once we get going. A couple of hours work  is all it takes. Every cupboard, closet and shelf in my house needs a thorough clean. This morning is a start !
We need to start some of our plants, especially as we seem to be having a very early Spring [ which starts tonight at 10:30pm] I even spotted two pansies growing under the snow! I think a trip to Rona or peavey Mart is in order to pick up some soil and a few seeds that we are missing. I may sow some spinach and lettuce seeds in the upright planter to get some early greens.We also need to rake up some of the sunflower seed hulls from under the tree. I'll have to check when our green bin is picked up this month.

School was very busy and I was so tired Friday that I actually lay down for a bit after school; too tired to even eat supper. I signed up for another year !! What was I thinking !

I'll take a break from doing the fridge to watch the morning news and then I'll be back at it !  Work on the fringe on the doll's blanket will be done at the same time.

the guys are anxiously preparing for baseball season. They're out in the fields fielding shags and throwing the ball around. Little one starts baseball later this spring.

Much work awaits !

Time Change Be Gone !!

 That time of year has rolled around again, the dreaded time change. We don't need to change the clocks twice a year. It plays havoc with my sleep pattern and affects the kids at school very noticeably. I woke up this am mentally putting the hour ahead so I'll have two days  before going back to school. I hate it !

School was very busy this week. Report cards were due to be finished ready for admin perusal and editing by Friday. As a new teacher has taken over some classes- and he's 'old fashioned' - expects the kids to reember what is being taught from one day to the next, we've had a few tears. It is amazing that grade 7 students can sit for two whole blocks and the next day remember nothing ! As he said[ and this is a comman complaint with this particular class, they are lazy.

I'm still knitting on the wonky afghan. Haven't knit as much as usual because I actually read two books ! LOL   ED is in California for her friend's Bachelorette and wedding. some of the pictures have been quite fun ! YS was off to Red Deer yesterday for work, and probably back there on Monday. EGS swam 140 lengths of the pool in two hours to help raise money for his swim team.YGS  had an excellent report and teacher interview ES went to hear from someone outside the family how well he is doing !  We certainly know he wouldn't have done as well if the egg donor had been in his life. He is secure, well behaved, loving and extremely smart. No trantrums, no bad behaviour. Of course he talks a lot, but that is his character. The teacher is amazed at his French accent and vocabulary.

Today we must get on with housecleaning. And we have to get it done before YS and ES go through a baseball around !! YGS  is at his other grandparents so ES has some free time. The dog is missing her mistress a lot !  She hasn't eaten for 2 days although she will eat her treats ! I think we're having steak tonight so I'll save a few scraps for ES to put in her food bowl so she'll start to eat something. She's a funny little thing; she still has two members of 'her family' around, but still waits for her mistress !

The Scarlet Tanagers have not been seen since Sunday. We had quite the snowstorm which greeted us as we came home from the cheerleading competition Guess that scared them...who knows , maybe they turned around and headed back south. We might have a snow rain mix today . It is so dry around here. The majority of yards have no snow left. I remember having snow in the yard well into May.  Anyone who does not beleive in Climate Change caused by man is a fool.

I enjoyed  watching the PM's visit to Washington. I think he did us proud. The jealous negative comments from conservatives  are beyond the pale. They need to grow up and accept defeat as well as giving the new government a chance. Some truly do not understand the younger generation and are unwilling to hand over the reins . The world has changed and old men in suits will not rule the world. As long as the younger ones listen to some advice from their elders I think we will do well. The order has changed and at least in Canada, we do not have a Trump -- yet. For that I am thankful.

Edited to add - The Flock of Scarlet Tanagers is back this am ! Whoo Hoo

In Like A Lamb

 We've had a good start to the month. In fact yesterday the temperature went up to 13*C !! This morning the fog has rolled in, with rain and snow predicted for later today. Very little snow left on the ground.

YGS was sick for three days, fever, lack of appetite etc. he seems to have bounced back. ES was a very good nurse, taking two days off work to take care of him. Guess it wasn't all the candy he was fed ! [ However that still must change ! ] He's back in swimming lessons which he just loves. We had the other two grandchildren several times as sil was in Memphis  and then had an exhibition which he had to attend. DH had two on Friday as it was a PD day . Their dayhome provider had gone away for the week !

Our PD day wasn't too bad. We had a meeting of EAs and people were honest and a lot of things came out.  However  5 EAs were absent[ and the admin did not realize that they had not shown up. Hmm ]Hopefully we will not be punished for being honest. We had a lovely lunch out at a new Vietnamese restaurant.

Yesterday I finished the afghan and I'm starting the next. It's kinda wonky, but I like it. It is amazing that I did finish it as I was constantly checking the bird feeders as we had 3 male Scarlet tanagers as well as some females visiting ! they are well off their territory !

Today we are off to WEM to watch our gd perform in the Cheer competition. So I had to get up early to do my hair and nails done ! Tonight is the final for Downton Abbey. I'll have to tape that as well as Quantico - back after a 3 month hiatus !! YS is going to cook supper !
It's a long stretch til Easter and Spring Break. Hanging in there !

There was a quiet Week in the month !

The middle week of February was quite quiet. so much so that I really had nothig to report ! The turkey was delicious and made suppers very easy for the rest of the week. The leftover meatballs were added to the augmented sauce and served with pasta one night. The planned turkey pot pies were not made ! Thick turkey soup turned up instead. Saturday I 'supervised' YS making Ukranian Garlic rolls for wine club. Apparently they were delish !House sure smelled of  garlic !

I had a dental appointment on Thursday so I took the whole day off !!  It was quite wonderful and sure made the week go fast !  On Friday I got a lot of good feedback from teachers so that made myy day ! We ad GD and YGS for a sleepover on Friday night as my two sons were going to the Batting Cage with their team in preparation for their sumer season. GS had asked if his cousin could coe over. They are very well behaved, but it is still tiring ! Last night YGS was here again as  it was YS's birthday and there was a gatherig of friends. Today we do the family celebration ! YGS did not feel well this am and complained of a headache. I thik it is due to the sugar he consumed with his other grandparents. They spent $20 at the dollar store !! as well as taking him out to McDonalds. His sleep was restless, too.ES must put his foot down on teh sugar and junk with them.

This week, as my SIL is away on business, we will have EGS and GD Monday to Friday !! Swimming lessos and piano. Since Monday is our only free day, we'll do the grocery shopping on the way home from school. My meal planning has just changed with the extra bodies. Oh well...

Still working on the baby afghan, but thought of another idea to use up the little bits I still have. Ca't knit fast enough to get on with the new project ! I am also going to knit some cowls for the November Wine Club as it is an Outlander theme.

We have had such crazy weather. Friday I think it was up to 16*C and by toorrow it will be -11*C.  I have so many planats that are pokig througoh the earth- tulips, irises, day lilies, lambium, Lamb's Ears and even a shrub type one that I don't usually see til the end of April or May !!! This is not good ! Most of the lawn is bear so there will be very little moisture. I know thigs can change quickly, but it is not looking good.

The Oscars are on tonight so I guess we'll tune in as there is absolutely nothing else on !!  Busy week ahead, I'll relax as most of the housework has been done.

Family Day Weekend

 We are basking in beautiful weather with temperatures way above the norm while the East is in the deep freeze ! My sister phoned as they were in the - 30* range with windchills hitting - 50*C !  We had a little snow one day last week, but  it is melting quickly. I have a southern corner where the grass is green and growing. The Hollyhocks are showing green as well as some Lambium. Not good so early.

I've said that I would work another year. Of course there is no guarantee that my position will be there next year. Whatever happens, happens. I didn't imagine that I would still br working at my age. How times/things change !  I brought my stockings in on Thursday and the teacher was shocked that I got them done so quickly ! Haha- she doesn't realize that I held them back a week having knit the stockings  durig Christmas break. It still amazes me that they pay  without hesitation. I beleive that I have another order of 6 coming up ! :)

YS and I went out Saturday morning . We headed to the bank and lo and behold the bank machine had changed again ! Guess I don't go often enough, but now -- no envelopes are used !  That deposit done, we headed off to get a Valentine birthday gift. I ended up buying his birthday gift [ February 27th] So that's done and dusted ! Then we headed off to the grocery stores to buy a few extras along with our normal groceries.  YS doesn't rush me as Hubby does.

I decided as we all can no longer fit around the table, that I would have snack foods. Devilled eggs, veggies and hummous [ cauliflower was on sale !!] avocado which was just perfect, sliced deli meats and cheeses, mini meatballs with an optional sauce. chips/ snack mix. pickles, olives, pickled onions, Italian sausage, buns and wrap. YD brought chicken wings and sushi, YS bought somme beer and wine, ED brought wine. And of course cake for the birthday boy who was 69  years old !

The kids went out after  eating and had a snowball fight in the back yard. Now kids can no longer have snowball fights in school, and honestly, they've taken away a great winter activity. They were out for over an hour, only coming in when even with the outside light was on, it was too dark. Garbage can lids were used as sheilds ! [ garbage cans are only used to store recyclable bottles, cans etc. ] Because the weather is so mild, none of the kids had mitts ! Grandma to the rescue ! I still have a basket filled with mitts I had knit earlier in the year. The backyard looks lilke a bomb hit it, but they had so much fun using every deck and every corner of the yard. They came in, ate and drank copious amounts of water and all curled up together watching something on tv. The board games were picked up and put away.

YGS was having his first sleepover at his cousin's house ! When it was time to go, he was dressed and backpack on so fast. None of us can remember him even saying good bye to anyone, least of all his father ! He was out of here !

GD had asked if I had knit anything more for her American Doll. I am using up bits and  pieces of baby wool to make a baby afghan, but now it's going to be a blanket for her doll.  They'll all be here next Saturday, but I don't think I'll have it finished by then !

Time to shower and do my hair. First I have to get YS to take the turkey out of the bathtub ! LOL I had no other place to put the bird while it was defrosting as I needed the kitchen counter space and sinks !   Today should be relaxed, housework was done yesterday, programmes were recorded. I have knitting to do :) Veggies are already prepared for supper. Ah, the turkey is out and it is too big for my roaster ! guess Hubby has to make a trip for a tinfoil roasting pan ! It should be thawed in time to stick it in the oven this afternoon, early afternoon !

A Good Family Gathering !

A Lovely Week

I think I could get used to working three days a week !! Monday and Tuesday flew by while Wednesday - or as we started to call it Frensday - dragged on and on ! It wasn't a holiday as we don't get paid, but it sure was lovely to have thursday and Friday off.

I spent 15 hours on Thursday and got all the appliqués done on the stockings while I watched Netflix. Granted I got up to walk around and shove some food into my mouth, but it was constant sewing. I wanted to get it all done that day as I have 6 threaded needles on the go as well as pins. Even though the grandkids are very good around my sewing and knitting, I wanted to get it all clear before YGS came  over. Friday I finished sewing up the stockings so that is all done, ready to bring to school.

YGS spent the whole day with his grandpa. Usually he spends a couple of hours with me ad the goes off  to his grandpa, but not this day ! He was glued to Grandpa's side. [ Made it a very easy day for me ! ] I lengthened two pairs of jeans for him and then started cleaning up my material and supplies ready to get up into the cupboard. I found some fake fur and tried to make boots for GD's doll. What a pain to work with !!

Saturday was extremely windy - up to 90k/m. The temperatures are soaring, snow is melting quickly and while this makes for an easy winter, we do need snow.  I think YS has only had to plug in 3 times so far. We've really only had to shovel a couple of times. This is worrisome as we've already been in drought conditions the last couple of years.

It is so dry, I've had to start moisturizing my nails, feet and elbows. I could use my elbows for sandpaper ! Yesterday I tackled the ' operation room' - so called because we use the bbed after operations and that's what YGS called it. It is also my sewing room although I do tend to spread out. I organized more wool[ was given another batch this past week ! ]  The sun was shining so brightly I opened the blinds and drapes. I usually keep it closed up as it is not 'used'  and it keeps the cold out.

Now I am working on all the 'baby' wool to use it up making an afghan. We have another staff member expecting a baby in June. The easy part is the knitting; it is unwinding, 'partnering colours ' that takes time. Once that is done, I can decide what I am going to do with all the beautiful and expensive  quilting material I was given. I am also going to try and do English piecing to use up more. This will be good to do in the spring, I think. And with the weather we've been  having, I'd better get this afghan done !

Yesterday I tackled floors so today I'll hit both bathrooms and kitchen counters. Not much on tonight as it is SuperBowl Sunday. Blech - though I may take a peak at the half time show.

One more full week and then we have Family Day !