Thursday, December 31, 2009

Mandatory Christmas Blog

Hayley's New Hat knit from Cascade Lana Grande
Pattern found here http://http://racheliufer.blogspot.com/2007/10/robins-egg-blue-hat.html


Hayley's Mittens Knit in Cascade Lana Grande
That gets my knitting part out of the way. All I can say is I love this yarn and both patterns were great. I'm definitely going to make myself a pair of the mitts because they are so warm. Hayley was a bit disappointed to find out they are based on mittens seen in the movie twilight. She's definitely not a twilight fan but she did love the mitts. I knit the boy child a hat too but I was unable to obtain a picture of him in it. He's elusive that way.
I haven't been very good at updating lately but I feel I must post about my favourite holiday of the year. On the 23rd, Hayley was to take the train home and I had booked it online as I usually do. When she went to the kiosk with her printout and went to scan the upc code it requested that she insert the debit card that it was purchased with. Of course she could not do this because it was my card. This has never happened before so while she went to stand in the customer service line I called Via and was told that it was probably a problem with the kiosks and shouldn't of happened. So I wanted to call Hayley back and out of habit I called her landline at her apartment. Imagine my shock and bewilderment when a male voice answers. I politely said sorry wrong number and the voice said no Nancy it's Richard. Richard is her roommate. I explained what I had done and then wished him a Merry Christmas and attempted to call her cellphone again but this time instead of calling from my home phone I pick up my cell phone and make a long distance call on my cellphone that barely works from here in the boonies. I was definitely a bit discombobulated. In the end she obtained her ticket and arrived safely.



We went to Kingston, Christmas Eve morning so Hayley could do her Christmas shopping. I dropped her at the mall and I went to do some other errands. Other than the Liquour Store and the bakery being busy everything else was super quiet. I've always tried to avoid Christmas Eve shopping because it's just such a zoo. I went into the Urban Planet and there were the most awesome slogan t-shirts for incredibly cheap. $2.50-$8.00 I couldn't resists buying several.
Mike came over Christmas Eve and we had a really nice quiet evening together. Mike left Christmas Day to go back home as Yvonne had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so he wanted to make sure he was there when she was off work.
It's all over now and Hayley returned home on the 29th. Here's to another excellent Christmas Holiday and looking forward to a great year in 2010.





.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Heard on the street

Recently I helped out with a United Way Pancake breakfast at work. These are held once a week for 4 weeks in November. The company that runs our cafeteria provides the sausage, bacon, and eggs. They make up the pancake batter and we make the pancakes. Everyone makes a donation to pay for their pancakes. The day I worked we were really short staffed. I was working with the finance department who had a forecast due so we started off with 3 and the last hour there was just the two of us. We were doing fine but the cafeteria staff couldn't keep up. We ran out of everything at least once which is slightly embarassing. The worst was when we ran out of pancake batter. Some people don't want the pancakes, just the eggs and bacon so I asked the increasing crowd if there was anyone who didn't want pancakes and got this reply from Andrew one of the technicians. "Nance, it's a pancake breakfast!" That was the best comment of the day!

This weekend I took the train to Toronto to go dress shopping with Hayley. As we walked down busy Queen West we heard a young woman talking on her cell phone loudly. She said, "I don't know what to do! He's even too big for the extra large condoms." In this day and age of cell phones do you find yourself hearing things you never thought you would hear?

Thematic Photographic 77 Buildings

I haven't blogged in quite a while and the only excuse I have is that I've been equal parts busy and uninspired. But Carmi's photochallenge http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/11/thematic-photographic-77-buildings.html and Hayley's posting of her Los Angeles photos gave me the desire to share these photos. Sorry Hayley but I'm sure you won't mind your mom sharing your photo. I thought that this building looks like something spies hide out in. I can picture Maxwell Smart or James Bond lurking about. Truthfully though this is Oakley (think sunglasses) headquarters in Los Angeles. It's pretty cool and they even have a tank!


Sunday, October 18, 2009

PSA

This is a public service announcement for the blog Fisherlady http://ashleymrae.blogspot.com/2009/10/tobago-day-five.html

Ashley is one of my daughter's dearest friends and she recently won a dream fishing trip to Tobago. She has captured some excellent video of fishing and nature reserves. She would love to somehow make a career out of her hobby and is working hard to do so. Enjoy!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Let's all say Thanks


First and foremost I am most thankful that when Hayley called last night at 2 a.m our time 11 p.m California time that it wasn't because she had been raped or robbed but that she had run into Rod Stewart on the street and she HAD HAD to tell someone!!!!! Sure she could of waited but by then the excitement would have dwindled. She's not a fan of Rod although I am and I think it's really reassurance that she's currently where the celebrated congregrate.


But what I'm really really thankful for is that I have for the most part a happy healthy family. That this recession we heard about constantly really hasn't affected my immediate family much. I'm thankful that I have a roof over our heads, 2 beautiful children, and good jobs. I'm also so thankful that I get to live in Canada. I love this country. I'm thankful that I have a good head on my shoulders. I try to tell my children to appreciate their lives as much as possible and when things seem bad realize they could always be much worse and the bad is usually short term. And I'm always thankful for the wild turkeys that feel free to travel through my yard.


Friday, October 2, 2009

LA or Bust


My baby is off on her first business trip ever on Sunday! She'll be heading to Los Angeles 4000 kms away for some training. The picture above is the only other trip she took without her family. It was when she was 19 and had just finished her first year of college. Her friend Rachel asked her to go on an adventure to BC via Greyhound 4300 kms away. H ence the "hat" which she borrowed from her dad. 4 days straight on a bus you need to have a hat! They visited Whistler where Rachel had friends and then spent a few days in Vancouver where they found cheap accomodations at the UBC residence. They actually spent more time on the bus than they did in Vancouver and Whistler. She survived that trip and she will survive this one too.
Thursday was extremely stressful for her. It was one of those days where everything that could go wrong did. Someone managed to abscond with $300 out of her bank account which thankfully the bank realized was fraudulent and closed down her account before they could get anymore. But suddenly she found herself with no bank account and no money. After several trips to the bank she got it all straightened out. We also called Visa and asked if she could borrow our visa card for the trip. The young man I spoke to was very nice and assured me this was not a very good idea. He said your daughter could be detained but he assured us that if my husband the Primary cardholder called by 6 p.m. that day they could overnight her a card. Really? I couldn't believe this. Well she had the card by 10 a.m this morning which is pretty awesome. Now I won't have to worry that she has money problems this week. And I'll sleep better. I told her to look on the bright side. Thankfully this happened on Thursday when we could get it all straightened out before she left.
Have a great trip baby girl and we'll see you when you get back!!!! Please dress nicer for this trip! :)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Corn Roast


Last night, we attended a co-worker's annual corn roast held on their farm. Their was of course all the corn one could eat but their was also camping, bonfires and a live band. Their barn was a beautiful old structure that they've done a lot of work to. As another friend said, It's just a great atmosphere. Colleen told me that many of the kids have been coming since they were young and now they are teenagers. On the dance floor you could see those with white hair as well as the teenagers. The band "On Tap" was excellent. They played many old favourites like Stuck in the Middle with You, They Call it a Trap and Sundown. Even though it was quite chilly I felt quite warm and I think the sense of family and community had something to do with that. I'll leave you with a couple of shots from the night.










Sunday, September 13, 2009

Hayley's Uhura

This was originally supposed to be my knitting blog which morphed into somewhat of a hodgepodge of things. Now I feel rather odd when I put something knitting related in it but I was so excited with how the Uhura tank from the Twist Collective http://twistcollective.com/2009/summer/magazinepage_031.php that I just finished for Hayley turned out. I've only done one lace scarf before so I learned a lot. The pattern is quite easy. I made the xs and was worried that it might be too small but it fits perfectly. I also didn't make the hole in the front because Hayley said she would prefer it without. The yarn is Be Sweet Bamboo which I understands stretches so I didn't want it to be too loose from the start. The yarn has such a nice deep shiny colour and is supersoft. Hayley said that it felt good. Bamboo also has an antibacterial component to it. After we left her apartment she said some friends dropped over and and asked where she bought her top and she was proud to say my mom made it for me. Then her roommate returned and he liked it too. She gave me an A+ on this one.



On a side note, we had a lovely visit with her. We had a late breakfast (afternoon) at French Toast just around the corner from her apartment. It was lovely and sunny out and we walked. She got a call from her work asking if she would be available Sunday night to work the door at one of the Tiff parties. For those who don't know TIFF is the Toronto International Film Festival. So then we had to rush back to her place to find something suitable. Since Hayley works in a warehouse environment her closet is not brimming with fancy dresses. We decided upon a plain black dress she has and headed out to find some dressy shoes to wear with it. We found these fun little flats appropriately named Pizzaz to wear with it. It will be interesting to hear if she meets anyone famous. Right now she knows very little details but she promises me a full report on Monday night.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Labour Day at Bon Echo

The Labour Day Weekend yielded such awesome weather. My son Mike and his fiance Yvonne were heading up for 4 days of camping relaxation on Monday. Bon Echo is just over an hour from our house and we hadn't been there for a couple of years so we decided to take a drive. When we got there around 1:30 pm the park was pretty quiet and there were more vacant sites than populated ones. Obviously a sign that summer is coming to an end. I've always loved this park with it's beautiful cliffs, clear beautiful water and trees. Enjoy a walk in the park with us.

Tree with a funky fungus! Not sure what it is but it is quite colourful.

A Stand of Red Pines Marks the Spot where the Bon Echo Inn once stood until it burned down after being hit by lightning.
Mazinaw Lake and Bon Echo Rock



Silhouette shot of Mike and Yvonne


If you were in the canoe you would be able to see the Whitman Memorial and some Pictographs.




The Coolman Canoe...seriously! Yvonne's stepdad's canoe...he has a great sense of humour.




The Happy Campers.





Sunday, August 30, 2009

Maine - Grand Falls

A few weeks back I took a business trip to Maine. I stayed in the small city of Auburn. These pictures are of the Grand Falls that were located directly behind my hotel. Across the river is the city of Lewiston, Maine. The skyline shows that in the past this was a very industrial area. Most of the factories are empty or used for another purpose. Thursday night my boss and I walked across the bridge to Lewiston and ate in a restaurant in one of these old factories. I liked this shot of the church spire next to the weather vane topper...not sure if that is what they call it so I'll call it that for lack of a better word.
Here's a closer shot of the falls and one of the factories. It was nice that the Hilton had a walkway along the edge of the river so that I could take these shots.


And this is from the edge of the bridge... before we walked over to Lewiston.

It was area to visit and I spent the Friday before I returned home visiting Freeport Maine. Helloooooo LL BEAN. And Portland Maine where I managed to spend $130 on Yarn. I hit up Seaport Yarn and Knitwit. Great yarn shops if you're ever in the area.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Grass Creek Sheep Dog trials.

There was Sheep!
And of course sheep dogs!

Puppies!
Police Horses




Police Dogs

Birds of Prey!





Horses Big and Small!




Lumberjacks!



Llamas!




Dockdogs!





Well worth the $10 admission!








Friday, August 7, 2009

Summer Vacation 2009




Last week, we took off on a road trip to PEI. I rented a 2 bedroom cottage through a co-worker in the teeny tiny town of Burton. I'm not sure why it even has a town name. Nearby, is the larger towns of Bloomfield and O'Leary.

It seemed like everything was against this vacation happening. Hayley who was going to come with us was to take the via rail Friday from Toronto. Well Via went on strike. My old car has no air conditioning and even though I'm confident running around the area here with it, Toronto is about as far as I think it should go. Jeff's Jeep just isn't a long distance vehicle even though it's quite new so we decided to get our GMC Safari back on the road. It had a shimmy and that's why we took it off the road about a year and a half ago because at the time we didn't really need it and couldn't be bothered to fix it. It's a great vehicle for long trips with lots of space for carrying gear along. Unfortunately, after sitting idle for a year and a half more had gone wrong with it. Jeff was clear with the garage that the shimmy was his first priority and if they couldn't fix it he didn't want the other items fixed. Well to make a long story short we spent over $2000 and we still have the shimmy. Thursday I made the executive decision to rent a vehicle for the trip. Friday we picked it up and I headed off to Toronto in my car and Jeff headed home to pack the rental car. I scooped up Hayley, who hasn't had a real vacation since we went to Mexico for her 19th birthday. That's 4 years!!! She was in dire need of a vacation. We drove to Drummondville QC Friday night and then took the final piece of the trip on Saturday. After 6 nights in PEI, we headed back and stayed 2 nights in Quebec City.





It turned out to be a wonderful trip that we will remember forever. Here are some of our memories. Enjoy!
The Bright Blue Cottage where we stayed in Burton.


The view up the road from the cottage.


The Beach Across the Road


North Cape Wind Farm








Hayley and Jeff Enjoying a Cold one in Old Quebec



Building in D'youville Quebec

Fireworks competition at Montmorency Falls to cap off our trip.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Thematic Photographic #57 Distance

Carmi's photographic challenge this week is around distance. http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/07/thematic-photographic-57-distant.html So I present to you my entry for distance. Back in May, Jeff, Mike and I attended at concert at the community LVEC (I think that's the terminology). So a little background, the year before when this LVEC opened we attempted to buy tickets to the first concert but they were sold out immediately. The attraction was local band, the Tragically Hip. The day of this concert my husband heard on the radio that they just released another set of tickets so I get on the computer and attempt to gain some tickets on our ridiculously slow dialup. Luckily, it only took 2 attempts and we had tickets. We rush into Kingston that night. Our seats were right beside the stage and we could see the guitar tech working all night. We had such a great view of the stage it was unbelievable. That night I fell in love with Gord Downey because of his playful on-stage antics. This year we wanted to take the kids to see the Hip but unfortunately Hayley couldn't make it but Mike did. This time even though we ordered the tickets the day before they went on sale through the fan club we were right at the back of the arena. It seemed a bit of a let down after the first concert but it was still a good concert. The ironic part is standing outside the K-rock center we over head someone telling someone they were there to see if there were still tickets. The responce was "yes they just releases a section right beside the stage."
Here is my distance shot!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Thematic Photographic 55 - Cloudy

Carmi's Thematic Photographic Challenge this week is Cloudy. Check it out here. http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/06/thematic-photographic-55-cloudy.html


Yesterday the weather was very unsettled and we experienced several thunderstorms, one of which was extremely intense. As usual the thunderstorm was short and the sun came out rewarding us afterwards. We headed for Kingston for supper and to run errands that night and as we were heading home the rain started again. Not thunderstorm rain but just a quick rainstorm. As we arrived to North Shore Hay Bay where we live there was a beautiful rainbow which Jeff captured with my camera and I caught the clouds on the other side of the road.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Rosebud and friends



As I drove home from yoga last night, there were many boats docked at the small marina area in Napanee. I don't even know if you can call it a Marina. It's just by the park and the bridge that goes over the Napanee river. Sometimes there is a couple of boats but last night there were many. I decided that on my way into work I'd stop and catch a picture of them when it was quiet.




At 6 :30 am however it wasn't so quiet. There was some kind of boot camp group working out in the park and I could hear the instructor yelling. On my way home tonight I noticed every boat was gone. I have to wonder if it was the wakeup that they got from the boot camp instructor or if they were just heading out on the road.




And if you didn't already know, my favourite is the little red tug boat. Her name is Rosebud.

She's trying again!

Ashley & Hayley

http://www.wfn.tv/adopt/view.php?entry=119

My daughter's friend Ashley is obsessed with fishing. She recently visited Hayley in Toronto and Hayley told her she should move to Toronto. Her response, "But where would I fish?" She is definitely one of my daughter's favourite people and my husband and I love when we run into around town. She's a nice girl, full of life and happiness.

Last year she entered the World Fishing Network's to win a fishing boat package. She came in the top ten I believe but ended up only winning a Bass Pro gift certificate. This year she is attempting to win a dream fishing vacation. I'm asking all that come into my blog if they could take the time to click on the link and view Ashley's video and give her a vote. The first part is based on the number of votes. Like last year I will be voting daily but I figured if others could even vote for her just once she would be so thankful.

Happy viewing!!!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Thematic Photographic 53


Carmi's Thematic Photographic Challenge 53 this week is Road. If you'd like more information about his challenge head on over to http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/06/thematic-photographic-53-road.html Carmi has a new challenge every wednesday. I posted a picture early from my trip to San Francisco of the crookedest street in the world. It has a series of 8 hairpin turns in one block. This is a shot looking down from the top which is a different view from the bottom shot I previously posted. Good brakes are mandatory to take this stretch of road.


Here is a picture of my own driveway. It's a tad bit bumpy and at one time there was a promise from a neighbour. He used to come pick up my daughter to take her to events with his daughter when they were in public school. He said that if he ever won the lottery the first thing he would do his pave our driveway. Since he doesn't come to pick Hayley up anymore I think the promise is probably defunct. There was also the friend who didn't realize that we had a turn around at the top and backed the whole way down. A month later she still had a stiff neck. After living on a busy road for two years it was nice to live here tucked away from all the traffic. My children could roam free without worry. I still love our bumpy country lane driveway...except in the winter when it needs to be plowed.