Everything's coming up roses

I had one of those days that everything seemed to be going my way.  Do you remember that song "Everything's coming up roses..."?  That's what I thought of all day.  And if you are like me, that song will now be stuck in your head for hours.  (sorry)

Yesterday's rain stopped and the sun came out and it was Hot, Hot, Hot (and humid).  So a nice drive in an air conditioned car seemed like the best plan. 

We headed out to Parrsboro, along the Bay of Fundy.  It's a nice drive and not too far, only an hour.  We stopped at the little summer restaurant I like, right on the beach.  A few months ago I blogged (well, whined) about them taking my scallop burger off the menu.  And you know me, I have trouble letting go of disappointments......   We had one of my favorite waitresses today - she is usually there when we are, except for that last disappointing visit.   After I gave her my order, naturally I had to whine about the missing scallop burger.  (I know, I can't help myself)   She says "Oh, do you want one?"  My eyes dilated in excitement.  "Really" I say, "Can I have one even though its not on the menu?"   Sure, she says.  I'll get you one.  WOOHOO!!! 
And yes, it was every bit as good as I remember.

Then we went to a great little shop in town - Sweet Briar Boutique.   Joan, the owner always has a great selection of unique items.  I get a fair amount of jewellry there and always get compliments on the pieces.  She also stocks a nice selection of purses at very reasonable prices.  My last visit I was looking for a spring purse and all they had were small ones.  That's no good for me, I like a big bag you can dump a bunch of stuff in.   So today I same more of the same.  UNTIL.....I meandered into the back room.  A day bed FULL of big beautiful leather bags.    I found my new Fall bag

Then we cut across country and stopped into a little bakery in Oxford.  The name is Grumpy's Bakery, and I have to say I think he lived up to his name - Just sayin'
But luckily he had just put some fresh blueberry pies out in the case.   Blueberry pie made in the Blueberry Capital of the World.......How could you go wrong?   It was so good, we had it for supper with ice cream.  (Yes, we only had dessert for supper)
   

I'm so glad my friend Kim didn't tell me to eat healthy on vacation!!  Tomorrow morning I think I'll check out the Sackville Farmers Market.

The good old days??

Well girls and boys, I am officially on a 5 day stay-cation.  I practically sprinted out of the office at 4pm. 

I went out to the store after supper and this little excursion spawned this post.  Remember the good old days before we were controlled by technology?  There were no cell phones.  How did we stand it when we couldn't make or receive a phone call anywhere??  And worse, if you are like me and have a smart phone, how did we cope when we couldn't read an email on our phone or (gasp) check out what is happening on facebook from anywhere??  Or the worst....not know immediately when someone has commented on our blogs!   The horror!!!!   Worse thought, before there was internet and blogs.........Can you imagine the sadness in a blog-free world?  (Too terrible to think about)

And remember when we had to carry a large enough quantity of cash to purchase what you need.  There were no debit cards or cash machines open 24 hours a day and on every corner.  We had to get ourselves to the actual bank, before 3pm when they used to close, and withdraw enough cash to survive until the next time you were forced to stand in a line.....to get your own money!

I rarely have more than $40 cash in my purse.  Tonight I had $20.  I went to Walmart to buy dog treats.  That's all.  Well, I walked in and cases of pop were on sale.  Hmmm, I should pick some up since I'm here.  Then I took a short cut through the cereal aisle on my way to the dog treat destination.  That is when things really started to unravel.  I saw a box of Captain Crunch.  Mmmm, that would be good.  I wanted it.  And then my friend Kim (Farm Girl's) last comment came into my mind.  She told me I should eat whatever I wanted on vacation.   So I grabbed the Captain Crunch, all the while very pleased with myself.  

Slippery slope ladies.  Then I spied those yummy sugar waffle cones for ice cream and some caramel sundae syrup.....Grabbed that too.  Salt and Vinegar potato chips.......Yep!  Eventually got to the dog treats but by then I was too far gone on the "spoil myself binge".   Wandered down another aisle and spied these cute little pink and brown leopard print undies.   Well, had to have those!   Oh, and last week I bought a bottle of Oil of Olay face cream but Auntie stole it, so I had to get another (to keep my girly complexion in tact)

When I finally got to the cashier we got into this discussion about how bad it was in the good old days when you needed a wallet full of cash to shop.  I told her I had just come in for dog treats!   She looked at my 4 bags full of stuff and burst out laughing!

So the point of all this is it is Farm Girl's fault but I am happily listening to my friend and eating whatever I want on vacation!! 

Tomorrow I am going to take a quick trip to Moncton to look at crafty supplies and go have lunch.  It will be my little me-time break.   Maybe I might find an idea for a soon to be announced giveaway......

The Plan must go on

You take a Type A personality and a Plan and that can be a tricky situation.  Especially when something has the potential to threaten the plan. 

I am on Day 1 of my 4 days off.  I have plans for all 4 days.  Sounds perfect, right?   Well what happens when you wake up this morning with a headache?  Day 3 of the same headache, I might add.  But I would not relent with the Plan.  I wanted to go for a drive to Parrsboro.  Our little beach front restaurant re-opened last weekend.  They are only open in the summer.  The best scallop burgers, and I have been dreaming of having one all winter.

I felt like crap when I got up.  I immediate took a couple of pills.  I'm not sure if I actually looked green, but I certainly felt green.  My stomach was not good at all.  Instead of thinking of changing the plan, I instead thought of places along the road where I might have to throw up.  (I know, Type A - crazy)  Auntie came downstairs and looked at me and said "Maybe we should go another day"  (so apparently I did look green)   No, I said we were going - I would be fine soon.  I said just wait a half hour, I will have a cup of tea.   See, if you are from Nova Scotia, the cure-all for everything is a good strong cuppa tea.   Well, the tea plus a couple of digestive cookies and I did start to feel better. 

We headed out as planned.  It was a gorgeous sunny day and the drive was lovely. We arrived at the restaurant, me in total anticipation of the scallop burger.  I scan the menu 3 times.  Its not there......  I ask the waitress and she says its off the menu.  Huh?   My response - you have scallops, you have burger buns......can't you just slap them together??   Well, apparently not.  I feel my day circling the drain again.  Hrmmph,  WHATEVER.   We did stay for lunch, however disappointing as it was.   (Note to self: need to find new restaurant)

Next stop was the lovely Sweet Briar Boutique.  We did manage to pick up a few little treats there.  A cute little summery necklace and a few little goodies for a birthday gift for a friend.   The retail therapy helped brighten my mood :)

Once we got back home and I dropped off the Golden Girls, I went to have a coffee and visit with my friend who owns a downtown boutique.  She says, I owe you money.  YAY!  She sold some of my little hooked pieces.   Nothing puts the hooking mojo back in your spirit like money in your pocket!

So tonight I picked up my hook for the first time in several weeks.  I didn't realize how much I missed it until I pulled those first few loops.    The day ended with hot fudge sundaes at 9:30pm.   You need to be little decadent on vacation days :)

At last

So, things are better today.  At last, I did get our tax stuff delivered to the accountant.  It should be ready tomorrow and then e-filed. 

Then I went to the post office and got both packages sent.  Holy cow, postage rates are expensive.  One box was less than half a gram overweight and the price difference was $5.60    Less than a gram........ and it was a small box.  But the clerk was kind so I got the lesser rate.  Still over $10 but way better than $15.  Yay!

 Work settled down some today too.  A co-worker popped in today.  He laughed about yesterday.  He said he looked in my office and the look on my face said "Do Not Ask Me For Anything".  (He was right - I was rather close to the edge yesterday)

At last, my tulips in front of the house are starting to open.  This photo is from last year, because by the time I am writing this it is too dark to show you tonight.   And I see some green leaves sprouting on the orange bush.  The lilac tree is struggling but I think in a few days I might see some leaves.   SPRING!!

And in the the final, most amazing "at last".......Today I discovered the best thing.  A little exciting, an idea whose time has come, a bit dangerous for me.......

How many times have you been looking for the perfect pair of shoes?  You might find a cute pair, but the wrong color.  Or the right color but the wrong heel.   Well, brace your self ladies.......   I found a website where you can DESIGN YOUR OWN SHOES.

Yes, at last!   Why did it take so long for me to discover this?   Why didn't someone think of it sooner?   You have to go to this site - Milk and Honey Shoes    You pick your own style, a huge selection of materials and colors,  select your heel type and height, add some fancy embellishments and then they make them and send them to you.

It's like I died and went to shoe heaven!!!   Have any of you ever used this site??  And if so......why did you keep it a secret from me??   I have been playing with it all evening.  The possibilities are endless.  Too many choices, but so much fun!    I get a little giddy just thinking of it.

Still Relaxin'

So, it has been more of the same around here.  And by that I mean lovely, relaxing vacation days.  On Day 2 (Thursday) I dropped Mom off at the Alzheimers Day Care and Auntie and I went to a nearby City shopping.  We had a nice lunch together and we did buy a few little things - mostly new clothes for Mom.   We had a great day - just like old times.  We laughed and giggled as opposed to the caregivers stress fights we have been having lately.

Yesterday I made our traditional Good Friday brunch of Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon.  It is so good I didn't even care about the calorie or cholesterol count.  I could just eat that Hollandaise sauce with a spoon :)  Then the day was capped off with a little gathering of friends.  There were lots of laughs, a few inappropriate stories and a few beverages.  Perfect!

I am working on a few little projects using the bag of leftover wool strips.  It seems that bag of wool strips never goes down.  The strips multiply like rabbits (or Easter bunnies??)

The last thing I am going to share with you today is another milestone.  Miss Millie turns 10 years old today.  It seems like just yesterday she was a new puppy.

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby!



Batteries not included

I'm officially on Christmas vacation.  So this morning, instead of sleeping in (which was what I really wanted to do) I jumped out of bed early and started knocking things off the list.

I was organized and I had a plan.  That in itself was like a minor Christmas miracle.

I took Mom to her Adult Day Care program and came back and grabbed Auntie and we headed out to tackle THE LIST.  I was like the Energizer Bunny - I just kept going and going and going. 

And conveniently near lunch time we ended up near Bella's Cafe, so I convinced Auntie to buy me lunch.  (Convenient or a devious plan on my part ? Hmmmm)   We had a lovely lunch and patted ourselves on the back a lot for all that we had accomplished so far.

We continued shopping until 1:30 pm and then I dropped her at home and she wrapped and bagged and I delivered.  This took the rest of the afternoon.  As soon as I finish this post I have to go to the grocery store - - -  That's it.  I think I'm done.   Maybe I shouldn't say it out loud just in case.   But I "think" I have thought of everything.

If I'm right (please, please, please) then all that will be left to do tomorrow is have my annual pre-Christmas lunch date with friends at the tavern.

So my dear friends, it appears as if my goal of not visiting any stores on Dec. 24 is going to happen.  A first for me.   I think I feel some of that holiday "zen" happening. 

I'll close with a picture of my last hooking project.  I don't think I ever showed the finshed product.  I delivered it to its recipient this morning.  I hope she likes it.

I hope you all get that last burst of "energizer bunny"

and experience a little holiday zen.

Merry Christmas

It wasn't my fault

Really, it wasn't my fault.   Don't judge me....

So, here is what happened and I will let you decide.

I had an appointment this morning in Moncton (shopping heaven) so I took the entire day off work.  After I was finished at the dentist office I stopped at the mall.

Danier Leathers had all their windows plastered with SALE signs. 

So I figured it wouldn't hurt to just go in and look around.........Right?  And my old black

leather jacket is getting ratty (no, seriously)  The sleeves and around the elbows are getting all worn and chalky looking so replacing it is not unreasonable.......Right?

Well, the Sale signs were not misleading.  All last years styles on sale - major markdowns.  I found a simple black lambskin jacket that was originally $450.  It was reduced to  $140 and it had a yellow sticker so there was another 20%.   Total price - $ 111

This is not the actual jacket but very similar

So......it wasn't my fault.  I had no choice but to buy it.......Right?

It would have been foolish to leave a deal like that behind.......Right?

And Momma didn't raise a fool.

And then a short while later I walked past a shoe store. (big mistake)

In the window were the most fabulous high black leather"hooker boots"

(Yes Lauren CFM's)

You know they are going to look perfect with the new jacket.......Right?

As a side note - both purchases are still hidden in the trunk of my car until I can sneak them in and mix them in with existing inventory.   LOL  And yes, I will pretend I had them last year and people must have forgotten they saw them before.  Don't rat me out, OK?

I celebrated my purchases over a chocolate pumpkin spice latte.  Mmmmm

Today was a good day

A Simple Day

Sometimes the best days are so simple.  I took the afternoon off work.  Since I got called into work for a few hours while I was on vacation, and the sun was shining, I needed to do something - for me. 

It is amazing what a few days of sunshine in a row can do for a person's mood.   This is only the 2nd time this summer that we have had 3 nice days in a row.

We went for a drive to Parrsboro, through the countryside.  No need to hurry, no schedule, and no dramas. 

We arriving at the restaurant for lunch,  and as we walked in the door a table at the back was wildly waving.  It was my cousin and her husband.  They were playing hooky for the afternoon too.  We had a little catch-up chat.  We live in the same town and rarely bump into each other. 

After lunch we headed to our favorite little boutique.  I started my Christmas shopping.  (I know, its shocking!)  In fact, I really started last week when I purchased gifts for 3 people.  I'm so proud of myself.    Today I added 2 more Christmas gifts and a birthday gift for a friend in September.   The owner was laughing at me, because she said "this is the first time you haven't bought a piece of jewellry for yourself."  It is true.  But........Shhhhhh - I pointed out a necklace I liked to Auntie and I saw her later slip it to Joan to wrap up.  Merry Christmas to me!   Hehehehe  But I didn't let on I saw any of this.  I will be so surprised when I open it.  Lol

On the way home we stopped at a new little market that sells fruit, veggies, baking, crafts etc.   I bought some beautiful yellow string beans for supper.  Since we were parked right in front, I left Mom in the car.  After a couple minutes a woman came out of the building.  It was an old friend of mine I hadn't seen in a long time.  She always loved Mom.   Before I knew it she had the car door open and was kneeling on the pavement having a chat with Mom.   Poor Mom doesn't really talk anymore but my friend carried the conversation.  I just stood back and watched for a minutes.   It made me happy.    And I could tell by the look on my friends face that it made her happy to see Mom too.

It was such a simple day but it was so pleasant.  I don't know why, but I seem to get so touched when people show special kindness to Mom. 

A great day. 

Small towns

I love living in a small town.  You can go just about anywhere here and see someone you know, have a little chat and/or a laugh. 

The great thing about where I live is that you can get those same small town connections in surrounding communities as well as your own hometown. 

Today we took a little road trip to Parrsboro, a tiny little town (population 1401) on the Bay of Fundy.   I love to visit Joan, the owner of the Sweet Briar Boutique.  (the picture above is a Joy Laking watercolor print of the front of the boutique).   It is worth the hour drive to this little store.   It is just a tiny 5 room boutique but Joan fills it with the greatest things.   I don't think I have ever worn a piece of jewellry from there without receiving a compliment on it.  And when I tell people I got it in Parrsboro, they all have the same shocked expression. Really??? 

We have been making this a regular stop for several years and have developed a relationship.  Walking through the door is like visiting an old friend.   This is the type of store I call a "breakable store" which means that I have to watch Mom extra careful.  As soon as we enter, Joan knows that I spend more money if I don't have to watch Mom (lol) so she has a special chair by the cash register and keeps Mom amused so I can focus on what I do best ------ retail therapy. 

This is a sample of todays goodies.  A cute little beaded change purse and a funky scarf with metal embellishments.  They had every color and it was a tough decision but black goes with everything.

And I couldn't leave without another necklace.  This photo does not do it justice.  It is much cuter in person and it has so many different colors I can wear it with anything.



And before I left Joan whispered a little secret in my ear.......She is going to Toronto on a buying trip next week.  Sooooooo that means if I go back in a couple of weeks there will be tons of new stuff.  Hmmmm, new fall leather purses !   

I'll keep you posted.  :)

The official first weekend of summer

The long weekend of May has always been the start of summer.  It didn't feel like it  temperature wise but it feels like it in our hearts.

It was busy, busy, busy but fun.  Saturday morning I grabbed the Golden Girls and we headed out to Parrsboro.  It wasn't a great day for it - rainy and cold - like sweatshirt AND a jacket cold but I wanted to go anyway.  The Harbourview Restaurant is open for the season.   A little seafood place on the beach with the best food.  I have missed their scallop burgers all winter.  Then a bit of retail therapy at Sweet Briar Boutique.  A tiny little shop with the cutest things.  Joan, the owner, takes care of Mom so we can shop.  We both got new handbags and I found a funky starfish necklace and earrings. 

And I did get a chore finished that I procrastinated for weeks.  I tackled our closets and switched out all the seasonal clothes.  The washer and dryer was going full tilt all weekend but now it is all done and put away.  Our closets haven't been so nicely organized since last year!

I did decide not to put out all the patio furniture yet.  As I mentioned, we are getting a new roof.  If the weather forecast would give us a few days in a row without rain - the guys could start.  I don't want my chairs and cushions covered in roofing crap.

This afternoon I am invited to my friend Terri's to gossip and drink "special" coffees on her new deck.  And then we are off to a family and friends dinner.

I looked at my new hooking project several times this weekend.  I looked at it - I didn't pick it up.  Next week. 

Weekend Update

It was a busy weekend but a good one. (And a cold one too)  It looked like Spring with lots of great sunshine but then you stepped outside and this biting cold wind smacked you. 

However there is nothing like a little retail therapy road trip to warm a girls heart.  Plus Mom had not been out of the house for about 2 weeks.  Her day care program was cancelled the last 2 weeks and her BFF Alice usually takes her out every Friday afternoon but hasn't been able to for the past 2 weeks.  So I needed to get her out and moving around.

So Saturday morning I packed up my Golden Girls, plus another, and we headed to Moncton for a few hours.  Margaret doesn't drive so she enjoys getting out too and she watches Mom while Auntie and I shop.  Its win win.

We stopped for a nice lunch and then we hit the SHOE STORES.  Now I displayed enormous restraint and only came home with 3 pairs.  Plus the fact that my shoe size seems to be very popular and a few pairs I was eying were not available in my size.  Its a little ironic that the movie playing on TV last night was "Confessions of a Shopaholic".  Do you think that was some kind of sign or hidden message??

The red ones are in honor of Michelle and Doris.  LOL  I decided not to foot model them for you since I haven't booked my Spring pedicure yet and these 10 little piggies are NOT ready for their close-up yet.
I also picked up a new outfit and Auntie and I found some things for Mom's birthday which is coming up soon.  So that was a good day !

Still on my post-shopping high I decided to put some extra effort into Sunday Brunch.  I made eggs benedict with smoked salmon

This is obviously not a picture of mine but it looked just as yummy.   Our road trip yesterday put my behind on the weekend chores so that's how I'll be spending the rest of the afternoon.

Happy Sunday