I applied for my Passport finally!

 Last Friday, the 13th, we had us some gorgeous weather and I finally

got my shit together and got to town and applied for my Passport.

It seemed however, that the universe was against me. 

I had Mike fill out his guarantor validation part on the form before he left for Lori's but when I went to leave the house I realized he didn't sign the picture. So off I went and stopped at the end of Lori's driveway and he signed. I got to the passport office and when I went to gather up all my things realized I forgot my birth certificate on the table. Like seriously?!!

So back home I went feeling like I was going to be sick to my stomach the whole time! I had almost talked myself out of going back :( Mom told us she used to get like this after we had all moved out and she was getting ready to head back north

Anyway, I got it and went back to town and didn't even have to wait at all. Everything got filled out. I paid my $160 and it only took about 10 minutes. 

I think I have decided to pick Ireland. It's on my list and I know Colin has always talked about going there. But they have picked June as their wedding month. I asked him what that meant for the trip and he wasn't too sure :(

Colton  just texted today and he's been asked to teach another class as soon as he gets back from the east coast, so it looks like we will have Ben for another few weeks.

My Surprise Birthday Gift!

 Well, it turns out I didn't need to figure out what to do with my CPP payments after all. Colton surprised me with a trip to anywhere! Hopefully the kids are coming with me and now any that can't afford it all I can supplement. Talk about the trip of a lifetime!!! I cried when he handed me the passport papers to fill out, that's how he presented it. I couldn't speak

I couldn't find my birth certificate though so had to reapply and get a new one. Then get a passport and I only got my photo for that taken just yesterday. Colton knows I always save things for the last minute and he told Hannah to keep me on top of it, lol. Obviously, she didn't!! :)

CPP

Yes, I'm that old!!

Don't ask me how that happened!😮

   It took forever online. And took me forever to decide whether or not to take it early. I spent alot of time at work today figuring all the figures. I calculated based on my passing at mom's age. All in all it only amounted to a difference of less than $100 month over the 17 years. If you add it up that's alot but only if you live that long, I figure I may as well take a chance and spend it while I'm still feeling good and able to enjoy it. 

   I plan on putting it into an RRSP because of taxes but it would be really nice to save a bit up and do some travelling with it. 60 is a really big number and I've been trying to decide how I can mark it. I went out to see Colin and Trisha in BC when I was 50 and then I had no money and couldn't even afford to pay for extras for us while I was there :(

A Quiet House

 We had the girls here for the long weekend! I managed to give a few days away

and made the trip to North Bay on Wednesday after work.  We packed up their bags

the next day and headed back to the farm. But first we stopped at my dad's house.

They hadn't even seen Em yet in person what with Covid and all. The girls had fun

and never once complained about the long drive. 

Colton was home too and we had a great weekend with fireworks and bbq's

and  campfires . I  luv having the house full and busy. It becomes a write-off but

I raised 4 kids....I'm used to that! The only thing  about having a full  house again

is that once everyone leaves the house seems even quieter than it was before

they got here.

I had to work on Sunday and Colton took the girls home for me (so handy to have

him in Petawawa now!) so when I got home the house was way too quiet!

I sat down on the couch and  cried :(

Air Flow

 So the weatherman has been forecasting for the heat and humidity to begin

starting tomorrow. We have been enjoying the most perfect sunny days with

a cool breeze, almost cold in the shade.   Perfect for getting a good nite's sleep.

So when I got home from work today I wanted to get the air conditioner put into the

bedroom because in a 100 year old farmhouse the upstairs is like an oven in those

warm temps. Not great for getting a good nite's sleep.

I've been putting this window air conditioner in for years now, all by myself but

today the air conditioner went for a tumble down to the cement walk below! :o

It was almost like slow motion and as the cord went falling out the window behind

it, I was thinking why didn't I grab that?! Haha...like that would have saved it...

it weighs 50 lbs!

No time to stop at the local Canadian Tire to pick up a new one tonite as

we were off to watch the kids play soccer. (They're all grown up, but I've been

watching them play for over 20 years, I'm not about to stop now  ;)

Guess where I'm headed first thing after work tomorrow :)

Rhubarb Muffins and a Cake

 Tis the season for rhubarb everything!

This is my favourite recipe for rhubarb muffins. I found it online at Rhuby Tuesday's.

And I must include my favourite and everyone else who eats it when I make it, recipe for

Rhubarb cake from my maternal Gramma :)

'Rhuby Tuesday's' Sour Cream Rhubarb Muffins

• 2 Cups Flour
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 
In a separate bowl whisk together until smooth:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 8 tbsp melted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir gently until just moistened. Do NOT overmix!
Fold in:

• 1 1/2 cups of fresh finely chopped rhubarb

Line a muffin tin with 12 large baking cups and fill with batter. Sprinkle each cup with the topping:

• 3 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon

​Place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F and bake for 18-20 minutes

Grammas Rhubarb Cake

Cream Together in a Large Bowl

• 1\2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine in a large measuring cup 

• 2 cup flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1\2 tsp salt
• Pinch of nutmeg or to taste

Alternately add the flour mix and 1 cup buttermilk to the creamed mixture in the big bowl. Then add 2 cups chopped rhubarb. After you pour it into a baking dish sprinkle the top with some cinnamon sugar. I mean, everybody has a little shaker of it in their cupboard right? For yummy cinnamon toast!. If not, what are you waiting for!

Cook at 350 F for approx 35 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean :)

You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tsp of lemon juice to the measuring cup and then filling it with ordinary milk ;)

Make your piece of cake extra special by putting it in a bowl and pouring some cream over the top and then sprinkling a little cinnamon sugar over it. Talk about comfort food! I remember my Gramma making this for us when I was just a young one.

Enjoy!

A New Grocery Store....and a BIG win!

 Was on my way home from work today (which is a 50 minute drive)

and our local radio station was doing a remote at our local A&P which has recently
become a 'Metro' as are all the A&P's in Ontario I guess.
Well he announced that the next person in who could correctly answer his
question would win $250 in gift cards for the new store.

I listened as a lucky lady won, and then another and then he announced that
the next prize would be $500 worth of gift cards!!!!!
I hmmm....and haaaaa'd and decided I would at least drive by and see how
busy they were...thinking that it would be crazy in there about now!
There weren't alot of cars around but I just kept driving anyway thinking
I'd never win and I really didn't want to push through a throng of people...
I'm just not that agressive, lol!

Almost half way to home from town the announcer came on at 2:55 and said
the big giveaway was happening just minutes after 3....so I hmmmmm'd and haaaa'd
again and actually turned around and went back into town.

I roamed around awhile, really surprised that there weren't more people in there!!
I heard him tell two other ladies that it would be around 3:18 when he went on
air again with the question. I stayed close and when he said you had to find Ted
and find out how long he'd worked there...I was off!
The first guy I asked wasn't Ted and looked at me funny when I asked his name, lol!!
So I asked a cashier who had been there for years where I might find Ted
and she pointed him out walking across the back of the store!

Ted told me he'd been there 24 years and when I told the announcer that
he asked me how I'd gotten that so quickly, lol..he thought maybe I knew Ted!
I WON!!! Yep, $500 worth of groceries and who doesn't need groceries,
especially with 5 people at home and one at college who could
really use a gift card for food, lol!

Crazy, crazy, crazy it was and you can't imagine how thankful I was
that I had changed my mind and turned around!!!

I think the next time that I try to push something aside and say ahhhh
never mind, that I will remember this win and go out of my way to take advantage
of any opportunity that might come my way, no matter how ridiculous it feels or looks 

I'd Like to Thank G-O-D....or wait, I mean D-O-G

 How many of you watched the Golden Globes on Sunday nite? I was watching '24' which I have been waiting a long time for, lol....but when it was over at 10 we switched to the award show and between finishing up some laundry and other chores I only caught a few of the speeches. One was Kate Winslet...I was soooo happy for her! She was genuinely shocked to say the least, because she not only won the best-supporting actress early in the evening but here she was also winning the best actress category which according to different web reports was highly expected to go Anne Hathaway because of a posting glitch on the Globe website.

Well, the other speech I caught was for Mickey Rourke. He looked umm.....hmmm....I'm not sure the word for it, lol.....quite colourful for sure     Anyway, instead of the usual speech that's pulled out of the pocket (which I noticed Kate didn't do either...I luv it when they wing it!!) about thanking G-O-D for this award, Mickey thanked his D-O-G...or really his dog's' plural. As most everyone knows, he has been shunned by hollywood as being very unco-operative and un-reliable and who knows what else, and they even had to shut down production on the movie he won for (the Wrestler) because they couldn't get backing on his name, so were looking for another actor! But through all the bad years, the drinking and the low times his dogs were always there for him when no none else would return his calls.

Dogs really are like that aren't they?! No matter how many mistakes you make, how often you scold them....they are always the first one to greet you with a wagging tail and a happy smile when you walk through the door    We lost our dog Nicky last fall and I was heartbroken. And even though it's been months, it still brings tears to my eyes and I can't talk about that nite without bawling. She was always happy to see us just because we were her people. She didn't care that we didn't have enough money to buy her the 'good' dog food, or a stocking at Christmas. It didn't matter that she sometimes got left out in the cold a little longer than she would have liked or that sometimes we forgot her in the car overnite, lol!  She luved car rides and our toast crusts and to curl up on the couch and never failed to be right there by our side whenever we were down....always happy to offer her unabiding loyalty.

RIP Nicky...you'll always be in our hearts...xo

Happy New Year!

 

Did anyone do any celebrating??

We had a few goodies here and watched Kung Fu Panda with the kids.

They both made it till midnite and then they were out like a light, lol!

The big boys both had parties to go to.

Is anyone making any New Year's Resolutions?

If it's possible I'd like to take on a new renovation project each month this

year...our 120 year old farm house still needs so much work

My Christmas Eve Ritual

 We just got done watching 'Serendipity'...luv that movie! And now everyone is heading to bed, so I will be up till all hours wrapping the final few gifts, filling all the stockings and eating chocolates while I watch 'It's a Wonderful Life'...it's my Christmas eve ritual, lol!! I had bought some cute little fake pills for the big boys stockings....one was 'Having a Bad Hair day' pills and the other were 'Hangover' pills and do you think I can find them now?!! Nope!  lol   I wonder what else I have hiding that I've forgotten about even, LMAO!!

Happy Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving is my favourite time of the year....all that food and no gifts to worry about, lol! 

We had a lovely weekend, even despite the fact that I've been working since last Friday!! Cody came home Friday nite and was full of stories. I actually had to stop him at one point though when he was talking about girls and parties, lol.....a little too much information for me! I sent him back with a batch of homemade cookies and it's a good thing I didn't send him back with too many goodies because the boys could hardly fit into the car to go back up north, lol....they were carrying things on their knees!

I hope everyone had a great weekend 

Anyone Watch the Debates?

 Did anyone watch the debates on tv?

Either the Canadian one or the US vice presidential one?




I watched both, lol....flicking back and forth. I was interested to see how Sarah Palin came off.....
and was impressed that she didn't sound as much of a hick as I've seen her at other times, lol!!

I like how our candidates were seated around a table....and they were actually able to talk
to each other, unlike in the US debates. I thought they all reallly ganged
up on Stephen Harper though....Wow!! And he held his cool through it all!

Pics of the College Rez

 Well, it was over 925 km round trip!! We used two tanks of gas,

which was around $90 for the trip.....yikes!

But oh, what lovely scenery! Rolling hills and lots of lakes, it was gorgeous!!

Here's a few pics of Cody's room...one from each side.
Hannah had fun helping him make his bed and put his clothes away in his drawers 





And one of their living/dining area when you walk in the door....
3 bedrooms in the hall downstairs and 3 bedrooms upstairs...two baths.
I really like the cathedral ceilings and the windows along the front.
Cody's friend Mitch is in this pic..this is his second year, and he's unpacking
all his small appliances....he had everything you could imagine, lol!

Getting Over It, lol

 Well, it's been a week now and I don't think I've done so bad, lol!!

I was going to call him the day after we dropped him off and Colin and Mike said 'You can't call him already, he's only been gone a day', lol....so I texted him and let him know I was thinking of him  Then called the next day 

It's just hard being sooooo far away....I'd luv to be able to have him for supper at least a nite a week, or even be able to take them all over a big casserole or muffins or cookies, lol!

Leaving For College Tomorrow :(

 Yep, Cody has just left with his friends for their last hurrah before they all head out to college tomorrow morning 

He will be riding up with one of his roommates and we will meet them and his parents
and another roommate and his parents there in North Bay.
It's almost 300 miles away...a 5 hour drive approximately.

Cody and I went shopping tonite for towels, sheets, dishes, etc....
I was supposed to work right through till Tuesday but I decided to call in sick
for tomorrow as I'm not sure I could live with myself if I didn't go,
it's not like this day will ever happen again, KWIM??! 

I hope our long trip is very uneventful, lol, and that we don't get lost, lol!!

Back From Havelock

 We're back and we had a wonderful time!!

We say Travis Tritt, Clint Black, Kris Kristofferson, Tracy Byrd, Aaron Tippin, Joe Diffie...just to name a few 

And here's me with Johnny Reid....he signed autographs and chatted with every fan who stood in line
and even gave out hugs!!!

We survived a freak hail storm without getting too wet and then had fun
watching the younger crowd do a little mudsliding, it was hilarious!!
Oh to be young again, lol!!

Leaving for Vacation

 Kids and I are going on vacation today....

back north with mom and my sisters as every year.

Cody won't make it this year because he's still in Alberta,

the first time since he was born that he hasn't gone, lol!

Colin has to work both jobs today, so he will be coming back

tomorrow for the reunion with Mike and then he'll stay

the rest of the week with us.

 

We are coming back Wednesday as all 3 of the kids have

their final soccer game of the season, until the tournament next weekend.

And I go back to work the day after we get back, my boss managed

to schedule me for a few 4-5 hour days to get started and see

how things go with my knee.

Went to the Dr Today

 and he said that yes, I will be ready to go back to work on the last date he gave me....

which is August 6, the last day of my holidays, lol!!

He said my both my knees were kinda loose but my bad one felt good enough that I should be able to take the brace off....start doing it around the house and then progress from there. The way it feels now though, I think I may need a tensor bandage on it though when I go back to work....though that's two weeks away so it might be fine by then  It just that my knee still feels a little squishy when I walk, lol!!

Mike, believe it or not is still waiting to be booked for another MRI....it was almost 8 weeks ago that they did the x-ray that the dr looked at and thought he didn't like the looks of it....so for all that time it may have been healing wrong!!! The waiting in this system is crazy unless you are admitted to the hospital it seems!!  We have to go all the way back to Ottawa (a six hour round trip) to do the MRI and hopefully she will be able to book us an appt with the surgeon there at the same time.

Seeing as how we were in the city, we went looking for cars or vans, whichever we found first and we found a green Ford Taurus that was right up our alley and within our finances, lol! Comes certified and e-tested and it should be ready tomorrow or Friday 
Well, that was painless, as I can't believe we found one that fast, lol!!
Plus I called to put the insurance on it today and they said they will send an adjustor out to look at the van so we may get some $ for it after all 

All in all it was a good day....thank goodness, cuz I've been feeling overwhelmed thinking about it all 

Colin Ditches my Van

 What's everyone up to this weekend??

We were supposed to go to my sisters today for my nephew's birthday but Colin
put our van in the ditch, so it's in the shop 
Thank goodness him and Colton weren't hurt and there wasn't alot of damage,
but he's got the truck at work today so we still have no vehicle, lol!

He's working two jobs now, he's done at No Frills and is working at a camp park here
cleaning up campsites and such, mowing lawns...etc....
and he got a call from The Bloomfield Carriage House a local restaurant
and they have hired him on as their sous chef....they got his name from someone involved
with the Iron Chef competition that he took part in...he is tickled pink to be working and training there!!
Especially at only 17 years old!

Cody our oldest is still out west. He just finished a week opening a new No Frills in Vancouver and
last nite called us from the Okatokes (I think that's how you spell it, lol) near Calgary
and they are spending 3 weeks there opening new stores....
his first time on a plane and his
first time away from home for that long! I guess it will get him
prepared for his first year away at college this fall 

The two youngest spent the nite at friends' houses so it's just Mike and I today.....
we aren't going far seeing as how we don't have any wheels, lol!!
I've got sheets in the wash and need to go hang them on the line, but that's
about all on my list for the day, lol!!

I think I'll lounge around in the swing and read some of my latest book too 

Off for Another 6 Weeks

 I had quite a day yesterday!

Mike and I went to Belleville with the two youngest for my check-up with
the orthopedic surgeon there. He has put me off for at least another 6 weeks,
and I now have a new leg brace on....$175 for it, but it has hinges on it unlike my last one.

When we got home I had a physio appt in the afternoon and while I was laying there
on one of the beds (it's just one big room there) a car came crashing through the
front door!! Talk about shocking, lol!! A little old lady had been parking out front
and hit the gas instead of the brake.
I should have been forewarned about the glass when on the way home from Belleville
we were following a big dump truck and a huge rock hit our windshield. It now has a big
crack in it that we'll need to get fixed 

We have been repeating our mantra that seems fitting here as of late,
"It could have been worse!", lol!!

Good thing I FINALLY got my short-term disability cheque today...
I've been off more than a month with no $$!!

So it looks like I'll be spending most of my summer home with the kids,
and now that I can walk much better we'll probably spend most of it
at the beach...it's not like I ever swam there anyway, lol...I won't be caught dead in a bathing suit 

Mike is still waiting on a call about his last set of x-rays that were taken almost 4 weeks ago!!
Crazy!!! But they said if they were fine he could go in a soft brace
and then start physio for a few weeks.....all of that time would have been
up by now and he could have been back to work....but there was a mix-up somewhere with them!