Record Breaking Snow Storm - During and After - Nov 24, 2011

      We had our first ....and record breaking...snow storm of the 2011-2012 season last night.  While we were lucky and didn't have to go our anywhere, many had to make their way home from work, pick up children from sitters and safely drive home again. We're thankful that all of ours made it home safely.

     

During the storm.

Day after the storm.

On Being A Grandma-Nov. 21, 2011

           Sometimes Togetherness is Not Always Best.

My husband & I have been married over 41 years, so we often ‘do things’ together. But this was one thing I never dreamed we’d be sharing. We both ended up with separate grease burns on our hands.

Let me tell you grease burns are...verrrrrry....painful!!!

My husband had his misadventure with a pork chop in a frying pan and splattering grease, last Wednesday.  So I’d been doing all the nurse things like, keeping it cleaned and dressing it once a day, knowing we’d be seeing our family doctor today.

What I hadn’t bargained on was getting a similar injury myself, just yesterday. (Good thing we already had the appointment) I was cooking bacon for breakfast, something we rarely do anyway.  And being environmentally conscious, I decided not to pour the grease down the sink. So, with fry pan in hand, I reached for paper towels, to sop up the grease, with my free hand.

There was my folly!! The fry pan tilted and poured the hot grease over my hand, hitting the top part of my index finger as well as a few small splatters in the same area.

Immediately, I dropped the pan (on the floor) and ran my hand under cold water, then, proceeded to soak my hand another 30 minutes in a pan of cold water. When the pain began to subside a little, I wrapped it up, elevated it on a pillow as I lay down, and with the help of a couple of good strong medications, managed to sleep until the pain was gone.

Lessons learned:

*Pork chops cook just as well at a medium temperature.
*Leave hot grease in the pan until it cools
*Be grateful for 'small' injuries

Things we already knew but, obviously, needed reminding.

Today, both ‘accidents’ were seen by our family doctor and all will be good soon. But the moral of this story is not to be trying to, ‘everything’ together.

Kathy

Wordless Wednesday - Nov 16, 2011

Just a few quick 'words'...seems strange, to us here in southern New Brunswick, to be putting Christmas lights and decorations up in such mild November weather.

While the nice November weather is great for my little herb garden....

....it seems strange for the green grass to be reflected in the window of our door surrounded by Christmas lights.

Wordless Wednesday - Nov. 8, 2011

                                  " Lest We Forget"

Then......

My two Uncles in their military uniforms and their brother, standing tall with them. (1940's)

My father-in law in England in WW2


.......and Now

My daughter in the militia 1992

My grandson in the militia 2012

   

Halloween - What Do You Do?

 When we were little and still lived in the country, our Mom and Dad would dress us in anything they found around the house, from old blankets, feed sacks from our grandfather's barn, old dresses from our grandmother's, to old coats and hat's of our grandfather's.  We'd pile in the car and go Trick or
Treating at the neighbors houses. They'd invite us in and even if they knew the car, would pretend to not know us, and guess until someone gave up and told them. There was always good treats to be had and lots of fun.

In those days there was usually a few  tricks pulled by the local folks, too. Things such as overturned lawn chairs, upended dog houses, toilet papered trees or even once there was a toilet papered covered bridge.

Then later when we moved to the city, we still used home made costumes. Brothers dressing like sisters, old clothes and our faces painted to be a hobo, complete with a handkerchief hanging from a broken branch over our shoulder. Sometimes we'd be the sheet ghost, or a doll with pigtails made from braided nylons.

Then we'd walk in groups around the neighborhood. But we always had to stay on our own street. And there was never any fear of strange or dangerous things being placed in our candy. We carried pillow cases and had to come home when they got too heavy to carry or we were tired, whichever came first.

My own children usually wore home made costumes put together from things collected over the years, old jewelery, wigs, faux furs from older coats, dresses saved that didn't fit anyone or things found at a local Frenchy's  store.

Since we were back in the country again, we had to drive the children around. Usually that was my job. I loved the little packages of  rockets and would take them from the children's bags to snack on as I waited for them to go door to door.The children would always come home tired and ready for bed. After such a busy evneing Mom and Dad were usually pretty tired, too.

Now days, Grammie and Grampy have to go to visit the little ones on Halloween or rely on their parents to take photographs for us to see later. The costumes are usually bought from a store, but are combined with make-up and home made item to make the costume unique.

What is your Halloween like?

Wordless Wednesday - Oct 26, 2011

 Brooke & little brother Barrett, planning their next move in a friendly family soccer game.

Wordless Wednesday - October 19, 2011

Bringing Home the Christmas Tree 
Taken in 1991,this is one of my favorites of my 4 girls.