Monday morning of Winter Break week

When the kids are on holiday, and we are schedule for a full day of childcare, it is easier for us to go to their house for the day. So Monday morning of March Break, we arrived bright and early to find the kids relaxing on the couch.

Dani is munching a piece of toast while she watches JJ do tricks on his Tablet.

Later that day, Dani got busy with her knitting.

Then we played a game in which we alphabetized all JJ's Skylander figures. 

After lunch, it was quiet rest time, and we said both kids could rest on JJ's new bed in the clouds as long as they were quiet.

Cute huh?  We could hear them laughing and giggle over a game they were playing, but there were fairly quiet, and Buppa and I rested, so all was good.

JJ's new bed

Somebody is as pleased as punch with his new bed.

Sure looks pleased doesn't he?

He can go up and down the  ladder like a pro.

JJ has a very small room, so there is no bottom bunk, just a a top one.  The space under the bed can be used for storage bins, and an open play area.   JJ thinks it is neat that he can play under the bed, or touch the ceiling when he plays on top of the bed.  Doesn't get much better than that.

Dragon walk

We actually had sunshine and milder temps one day last week when JJ was here for a sleepover, so we went out for a Puddle/Shadow walk.  Well, we thought it would be a Puddle/Shadow walk, but it turned into a Dragon Walk.

Buppa walked on the dry pavement, but JJ wanted nothing but puddles or snow.

We came across this fence with a very interesting hole in it, and decided that it was a special doorway for dragons.  JJ picked up a stone, but it was really a dragon's egg.  He carried it with him for the rest of the walk.  I think it was planted in our front garden when we finally got home. 

Special signs were left in the snow all along the walk.

Artist at work

What's this?  A dragon's den?  A wolf's den?  I had better check it out.

Oh Amma, I see dragons in there.

Oh joy...puddles galore.

Jumping for joy!

I kept trying to get the splash landing, but missed it every time.  At least I got this one with his feet in mid air.  I must get myself a faster camera!

Last but not least.

Danica had a Spark's sleepover on the weekend before March Break, so JJ came here for a sleepover on that night.  Sleepovers are fun, but one-child-at-a-time works best, and it is easier when the other child has something else to keep them busy so they don't feel left out.

As our children grew out of toys and games, I gave most of them away, but I kept a few favorite ones - namely -  the Fischer-Price Castle, School House and Sesame Street; the tub of  Lego; the bag of Constructs; and Ally's Transformers and Power Rangers. 

During this past sleep-over the last toy, the tub of Lego, came out of storage, and JJ was thrilled. 

This tub of Lego was purchased for Auntie Ally over 30 years ago,  and it still looks good as new. 

What a treasure.

All the Lego men had to join us at the dinner table that night. 

So, that's it.  No more toys in storage.  Glad I kept what I did, and the kids have both had hours of fun playing with all of them.  I wonder if they will still be around for their kids?  I'll keep them safe just in case.

Great-Grandma Pearl's Treasures

We managed to finish our week, of March Break childcare, in one piece, and sort of standing.  I was pretty knackered at the end of the week, but it was fun, and lots of happy memories were made, so worth every tired minute.

It is now time to catch up on some blogs, and post some long overdue pictures.  

AC posted a blog about JJ and Buppa's briefcase here.  This is the other half of the story.

After my mom died, my sister sent me mom's jewel case.  It was full of all her "treasures"...all costume jewellery and bits and bobs  of this and that. A wedding favor from one niece's wedding, a matchbook from another was tucked inside the box with all her jewels.  Memories swirled in the air each time I opened the box and pictured mom wearing different pins and earrings.  I wasn't sure what to do with  the box or contents,  so I tucked the case away on a shelf, and it collected dust there for the past 12 years, 

Danica spends lots of time looking at Great-Grandma Mary's silverware chest, and asks lots of questions about each butter knife,  pickle fork, salt spoon and other interesting pieces.  This year I decided to give mom's jewel box and contents to Danica.  I dusted it off, and presented it to her on the same morning that AC gave JJ his briefcase. 

Can you tell, Danica was more than pleased with this gift?

Here she is holding up a pair of clip-on earrings.

Oh my, what treasures!

She was enthralled with the contents, and the way the  bottom drawer opened when you opened the lid was amazing.

She carefully studied each piece of jewellery, and made sure to put it back in the same compartment in the box.

I am sure mom would be pleased that her great-grand-daughter has her treasures, and cherishes each one. 

Sleepover fun

 As I said in the last blog, JJ came for a sleepover before March Break, and we all had fun.  Sleepovers always include a trip to the $$ Store to get a sleepover treat.  I try to point the kids towards a craft item, but in the end the decision is theirs, and JJ more often than not chooses some sort of action set.  We have archery sets, swords and lasers to help him fight the bad guys.  This past sleepover he choose a police set.  It had a badge, ID card, baton, handcuffs with keys, and a gun.    The handcuffs were the biggest hit.

Here he is watching the video he brought over to share with us.

Video is done, and he is on his way up to bed.

Time for a good-night kiss.  You can't see them clearly in this picture, but the handcuffs are around his stuffies.

You can sort of see the handcuffs around this stuffy.  He had two stuffies, and he used the handcuffs like collars to join them together.  JJ goes to sleep listening to music on his iPod, so his ear-phone are in place and he is ready for lights out.  He was sleeping within 15 minutes, and I came in and took the ear phones out and shut off the music. 

Next morning, he was snuggled down in the pillows and played on his Tablet while AC and I enjoyed our wake-up cup of coffee. 

Dance, dance, dance

Danica had her Ballet and Highland Dance exams this week. and they were both scheduled for times when Mommy was at work, so Amma fixed her hair, arranged her clothes, and Buppa got us to the dance studio on time.   

Little girls come in all shapes and sizes, and each one is absolutely beautiful.

All set, and awaiting admittance into the ballet exam room.

Next came Highland Dance.  Highland shoes are rather difficult to lace up properly, so one of the other mothers helped me with that task.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

All kilted up and ready to go.

Smiles ready, fingers perfect, and feet ready to dance

What a cute little Highland princess.

Regenia's side of the table at the party.

I just got this in the"mail" the other day, and AC helped me get the formatting just right so I could post it here on my blog for friends who wanted to meet Regenia too.  Enjoy...

Tea at Two

I believe it was 2010 when I began blogging.  At the time my brother, who was a long-time blogger, told me I would make online friends.  I didn’t get that so I gave it no thought.  I was going to blog to sort out thoughts, reflect on life issues that I do not understand.  That has been so good for me.  But the added bonus was just how right my brother was.  I have made online friends and totally enjoy having met them and keeping up with what they share about their lives via their blog posts. 

One friend from Canada suggested we “meet” for tea.  And we did just that.  Sue is in Canada (Ottawa, I believe) and I am just outside of Wilmington, North Carolina.   The many miles separating us made no difference.  We had only to confirm that we were in the same time zone and schedule our calendars.  So, this past Saturday, March 1^st we shared tea at 2:00.  I loved the idea.  So, of course, I really looked forward to it.  A fun aspect to our meeting for tea was that we were both using our mothers’ tea cups.  That made it not only fun, but, from my perspective, also touching.  Our mothers could never have imagined their tea cups being used for such a tea between friends.  But I think they would like the idea that their tea cups are still bringing people together.  

Sue has posted wonderful pictures on her blog.  And she did it so promptly!  I am here, several days later and I am finally getting the opportunity to share my part of the tea for two with her.  I had made blueberry scones for book group last week, with the intention of also having a scone with my tea.  

My friend Naazneen shared crumpets from Trader Joe's with me.

                             

                                             

I used two tea cups with my pictures as you can see.  Both can be seen in the picture below.  I keep this tray of my mother’s tea cups on my dinning room table.  These are only a few of her collection.  When she had to leave her home my sister and I chose some for ourselves but also set aside the remaining so my mother’s three granddaughters could have some of her cups.  

The fact that my mother’s tea cups are near her picture on the china cabinet gives me pleasure.  Next to her picture are two small angels she gave me early in my married life, maybe even in the first year. 

Sue shared that she read poetry while enjoying her tea.  So let me share what I did.  I was able to think over my morning.  Every Saturday morning I volunteer at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the regional hospital.  I usually help out between 8 AM and Noon.  This past Saturday I was there until 1:20 and just arrived home in time for our 2:00 tea.  (I actually had to tell the handsome little guy I was holding that I had to go for tea with a new friend!)  Anyway, I made notes for myself regarding “my” babies.    

That morning I had the thrill of holding a baby weighing 2 lbs. 13 ounces.  That was the smallest I have ever handled.  Usually the ones that small are in incubators and only the nurses touch them.  But this sweet baby girl no longer had respiratory issues. They were having difficulty, however, regulating her temperature.  So for several hours she and I snuggled, with extra blankets over her.  And guess what?  After our cuddling her temperature was normal. 

I also thought of “my” sweet baby girl, born at 24 weeks, weighing less than two lbs. and originally not expected to live. I love her desperately.  I had the fun of getting to help her coo for the first time and to smile, and to control my fingers so as to be able to control her “paci”!  That was SO much fun to watch.  Here is a picture her mother took for me the day that little sweetheart went home.  I have permission to share her picture with friends.  But because this is the internet I will block out her beautiful little face.   I hate to do that but it seems appropriate. 

Sue, we will have to do this again!!  Thank you for the idea!

You are most welcome for the idea Regenia.  It was fun indeed, and we will have to do it again.  It is so nice to put a face to the name now, and know a bit more about you and your family.  

Have a sunshine filled day, and give those babies a hug from me too.

Tea with Regenia

 Regenia is a new friend that drops by for a blog visit on a regular basis.  She commented on one of my posts, and mentioned her mother's teacups.  I suggested that we meet for an "across-the-miles" tea party, and use our special teacups for the occasion.  Let me explain.  We would each make a pot of tea, at the same time on the same day, and sit down at the same time to enjoy it.  We would be miles apart, she in her corner of the United States, and I in my small corner of Canada, but our thoughts would meet in the air somewhere in between.   We would both use a teacup full of memories and share a picture or two with each other afterwards.  So, we set a date and time - Tea for Two, at two, on the 1st! 

At 1:30 I set out a pretty teacup, tea plate, and napkin

A little before two I put a cookie or two  on the plate, poured the tea, and  brought my favorite poetry book to the party.

Right on the dot of two, I nestled into my favorite chair, raised my cup and toasted Regenia.

Ahhh, Mary Oliver poetry, a cyber visit with a friend, and a cup of tea.....doesn't get much better than this.

Hope you had fun too Regenia. 





 

Three cheers for Columbia Sportswear

A few years ago AC and I got hooked on snowshoeing at Riverwood during our winter holiday there.  At first we used Brian's old oval, woven snowshoes seen on the left in the picture below, and we wore any old winter boot we had on hand.  Soon we invested in our own snowshoes, seen on the right in the pic below.  Not as pretty as the old oval design, but easier for trekking through narrow forest paths.



We also invested in better winter boots that kept our feet toasty warm and dry no matter how long we were out on the trails.  I am not sure when we bought them, but it was more than 5 years ago.  In the pic below, AC's boot is on the left, and mine is on the right.  Both look fine don't they?

Without looking at them closely, I grabbed both pairs of boots off the shelf and packed them in the car for our winter trip to Riverwood this year. 

Here are my boots with my snowshoes all ready for an adventure.

What a shock I got when I picked up my boots to put them on and saw this on closer inspection.  The rubber on the sides of the boot, was all cracked and disintegrating. 

I was not happy about the demise of my boots, but they were 5 or more years old, so I  reluctantly salvaged the laces, and resigned myself to putting these fabulous boots out in the garbage. 

I set them out in the snow by the side door, and took one last picture before tossing them .  I really liked these boots, and didn't want to throw them away.  Sigh!  I took them back into the house to await garbage day.

That evening while sitting around the kitchen table I saw AC's boots on the floor next to  mine, and marveled at the fact that his were purchased at the same time as mine, were the same style, and had been worn the same amount of time, but his were fine.  My sister suggested that I take the boots home with me and send them back to Columbia to see if they were under some sort of warranty. 

I had only worn the boots for snowshoeing, so the treads were almost like new, as they had only been worn on snowshoes not clomping around city streets.  I had only worn them for a few weeks each year, as our snowshoe holiday only lasted for two to three weeks.  I thought Columbia might give me a coupon for 50% off my next pair of boots, or do something like that.

When we got back home, I contacted the warranty department at  Columbia, and they advised me to ship the boots back to them, so they could look at them to determine what was normal wear-and-tear, and what could be a defect in the boot.

Look what arrived in the mail for me this week...a brand new pair of Bugabootoo boots!  I was delighted! My old style no longer existed, so they sent me the new and improved Bugabootoo boot. 

Pretty snazzy huh?

My feet should be dry and toasyt warm in these beauties, no matter how long we are out trekking around in the woods.

Three cheers for Columbia.  They stood behind their product, and passed the customer service test with flying colours.  A big pat-on-the-back goes out to Mindy also, the customer service rep I dealt with.  She was nothing but pleasant and helpful all through the process.  

Thanks Columbia, I will continue to look for your label when shopping for outdoor gear, and will pass this good news along to one and all.