Bucket of Snowballs

We've had the odd dusting of snow here the last few days...and it helps to put folks in the Christmas spirit!  The other evening, when Liesel and I were out for our walk...we saw our first fully lit and decorated Christmas tree as we were walking by a home.  And since then...we've come across a couple more.  It's a bit too early for me...we wait until the first weekend in December...and that's plenty early enough for us.

I spent all of a few minutes putting together a cute bucket of snowballs for sale.  Any takers?  They won't last long at this price...haha...I considered using spray adhesive and rolling them in sparkles...but we have enough sprinkles and sparkles once the tree picks come out!!

I picked up a few of these adorable decor items at Wal Mart...

I found a gorgeous red truck loaded with a Christmas tree on line at Canadian Tire.  As luck would have it...there are none in stock at our local store...but I was able to order it on line from their Summerside store.  I will share photos when it arrives.

I came across this adorable dachshund card....it will be perfect to tuck a gift card inside.  Do people even still send Christmas cards anymore?  With the cost of postage and all.  I have never been of fan of sending or receiving cards...I'm certainly no Scrooge...but just find them annoying and what do you do with them afterwards?...in my opinion...they are just clutter.  Growing up...my parents received hundreds of them!!  (and sent just as many out).  Even then...I thought it was silly to send cards to folks that live right around the corner!  But...it was a sign of the times....and don't even get me started on the "Christmas letters"....enuf said. 

And look who I spotted?  These are certainly larger (and less expensive) than mine...and are already framed! And you get both...the front and adorable back view!   I was thinking for the nursery...(since dachshunds do love rabbits)...but the room has very little wall space...one wall will be the mural...the other two have windows...and the third has a large closet with double doors.  For now,  we'll stick with a couple of dachshund prints I have...once I put them in suitable frames.   

In other news...physiotherapy is certainly making a huge difference in my knees!  They are getting stronger and hurt way less.  My only regret is I didn't start sooner.  Currently I have two appointments each week...and they are about an hour long.  On Tuesday...squats were added to my routine...I sure panicked when I heard that word...hahaha.  I have an appointment with an ortho surgeon in April...but the goal is to not require surgery.  So I have a few months and more leg work ahead of me.  

And speaking of leg work...it's going to be a decent day for Liesel & I to get out walking.  Have a great day where ever you are!!

New Hand Rails and Baby News!!

We had a very busy and exciting weekend.  I'm so happy Mr. Seventies installed two railings on the front and back steps.  (I showed the back steps railing in a previous post).   Not only are they required for building code (not that we have any building inspectors here...can you believe that?)...they are a safety issue for me now that my knees are strong enough to use stairs again.

I wanted the railing at the front entry to have more of a rustic feel...and Mr Seventies did not disappoint!  We don't use the front entry as much...but it is a huge help to me when someone does come and I can get down the steps with greater ease now.

The cute cushion I won from the dachshund rescue auction arrived!  Remember the t-shirt?  Apparently I wasn't the high bidder...someone sniped at the last minute...lol!  No big deal...just happy to help rescue raise much needed funds.  I adore the cushion...and the flip side matches the fabric on the bandana and hat the doxie is wearing.  

On Saturday evening, our daughter and her husband held a gender reveal for our new grand baby.  His parents were there, as well as his brother and fiancé on FaceTime!

How about this cake?  Perfect for them...as Dad to be is a huge football fan and Mom an adorable dancer!

This is the card the ultra sound technician placed in a sealed envelope...which was dropped off to the bakery...and would reveal either the cake would be blue or pink!

Now I was probably the last person they asked to video the cake cutting...once the colour was revealed...I tossed my phone!  Excited was an under statement!!  Tears of happiness and hugs went on for at least ten minutes!!

And the new arrival is a .....

A baby girl!!  Now...let it be known...that I was the only person in the family...who guessed (and secretly hoped) a girl!  Everyone...including Mr. Seventies was convinced baby was a boy!  Even the parents thought boy....but are over the moon to be expecting a daughter!   I am the only one, in my family to have girls....and my girls have girls!  My beloved sister has a son, my nephew Geoff and my brother Reid has my other nephew, Ritchie.  Both my sister and brother have passed on...but I am always in close contact with my nephews and Ritchie....has...two boys!!  

Daughter and I decided to do some shopping for "pink" on Sunday afternoon!  

I couldn't resist this cute outfit though it is not pink...she will still be the beloved big sister to doxie brother Benson...how perfect is this little outfit?

And daughter found these adorable bibs...how awesome that they snap close...instead of tie.

Mr. Seventies attached the change pad to the dresser....here's a sneak peak....although it currently sits in their guest bedroom until everything gets set up in the nursery.  And my friend Martina is doing a gorgeous doxie mural on one wall...likely sometime in February...since baby girl's arrival is due in late March.  Three days after my birthday....so she and I had a little chat...and I requested she make her debut on my birthday....as I did on my grandmother's birthday....all those years ago!

I love that books have been included....and they read to her so she should know the stories by heart when she arrives!!

And of course...not just any mobile would suffice...an amazing Etsy member makes dachshund mobiles!!  This is the one we ordered....in these colours...which are perfect!  Once it arrives we will have a better idea if we need to purchase the arm to attach it to the crib...or if it is large enough to hang from a hook on the ceiling over the crib.  The mobile can be personalized with baby's name stitched into one of the clouds....but our little bundle is un-named at this time.  

This mural is actually wallpaper I think...but we've decided to have a similar one painted on one wall...the dachshund will be Black and Tan..(the one shown is a red dachshund) and the star will be pink....of course.   Once baby is named....we will have her name added to the half moon!! (and I hope I'm not breaking any copyright issues showing this here....)...but it gives you an idea of how things are going to look.  

The crib, mattress, dressing table & drawers and a beautiful ivory glider rocker & foot stool will look amazing...along with the ivory Boucle area rug!  

Baby girl is going to have a beautiful nursery!  For the first few weeks...she will be in a bassinet in Mom & Dad's room...but any little girl would be lucky to have such an adorable room.  I have some dachshund prints to hang....but need to find some pretty frames for them.  Or maybe ones I find at the Mission store and I can paint them. 

Phew!  That's a lot of awesomeness right there!  Thank you for taking the time to celebrate with us!!

Lest We Forget

On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month...in honour of those who have fallen....lest we forget....

Mr. Seventies Garden Birthday Cake

We celebrated a wonderful evening with our daughter and son-in-law in honour of Mr. Seventies birthday.  After a delicious meal of Chinese cuisine, it was time to unveil the birthday cake!  Not quite sure the antics our daughter was doing to warrant these expressions...but we were having a great laugh!!  We are those kind of people who cannot force a smile...it looks more like a grimace of pain!  When Mr. Seventies laughs or smiles naturally...it can light up a room....I love it that much!

Rather than go with a sports themed cake...I chose his second passion...vegetable gardening!   You can see potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions...even a pumpkin done to perfection!  He loved his cake...and it was delicious as well!

In other news, he was able to get one hand rail installed...it has one coat of primer on it...and it really helps me using the stairs....

He is going to install another shorter one where there are two steps from the kitchen down to the back door landing...and in the front entry he plans to install one that is maple to match the hardwood flooring and steps.  

And look what I found at Home Sense!!  Remember the bunny canvas I stupidly passed on a few months ago? (and regretted it).  They thought I was having a seizure when I spotted it again...I was so excited!   And yup...it came home with me this time!!  I've always had a thing for bunnies....must be the floppy ears...and my uncle got me one when I was growing up!  We had to keep him at my grandfather's house...but I could see Peter any time!  He was an "indoor" bunny...trained to a litterbox!  He lived a long and happy life...and it was wonderful to hear him thumping around the house on painted floors!!

I must still be a kid at heart....I love the grinch!!  The Frozen character, not so much...but there is something about the grinch...guess you are never too old to grow up!

They are still calling for a messy weekend, but it looks like we may have more of a rain event,  Fine with me!  We have an exciting celebration to attend on Saturday!  A gender reveal party!  We, along with our son-in-laws parents...will find out if our new grand baby is a boy or a girl!!    I am so happy they chose to find out beforehand...makes shopping so much easier when you know the gender to buy for!   Mr. Seventies is adamant the baby is a boy....while I on the other hand...have only every known pink!

We will be ecstatic no matter what results are!  A healthy baby is what we have been praying for.  Come back Monday and I will share the happy news!!

Happy Birthday to an awesome husband, Dad & Grampie!!!  

Special Weather Statement and Other Stuff

Forecasters are saying we may get our first taste of wintery weather this weekend.  Snow, heavy rains and high winds.  Oh yay.  We had a period of about ten years where we didn't get any real winter until January...guess the good times are over.  It's looking more like a repeat of November last year.  Northern Ontario and parts of Saskatchewan are having winter weather as well.
It's November in Canada folks!!

Mr. Seventies has been able to finish all the outdoor yard work...from raking leaves, cleaning out the gardens, flushing the gutters and cleaning leaves from the storm drains.  Our contractor friend (hubby is usually his assistant)..injured his foot about a week ago...while terrible for him...it has given Mr. Seventies a chance to get some much needed work done around here.  For some bizarre reason Paul had his work boot off...and jumped down from something...right on to the claw part of a hammer.  Ouch!  He required stitches...and ordered to stay off his foot.   I think the sutures will be removed tomorrow...so they should both be back on the job.  They are currently working on a full home remodel....top to bottom.

While I had a willing counterpart...we tackled our linen closet...and other areas that needed to be purged!  I promise...this is not an edition of the tv show Hoarders!!  We sorted through dozens of sheet sets (we have two beds)...and narrowed it down to a couple of sets.  I picked two of my favourite bedding sets, my Pacific Coast Feather duvet and the current quilt and faux fur bedding on the bed currently and my Hudson's Bay blanket as my "keeps".   We did the same with bath towels, hand towels and face cloths, pillows, shams and blankets.

It is freeing to get clear of unused stuff...and all of it went to the Mission store.  Now my linen closet is completely organized...my cushions and covers are all in one place..neatly stacked.  It's awesome to know where everything is...instead of having things tucked here and there all over the house.

As I have mentioned before, I love burning tarts...and have two electric burners usually going at all times.  A gal pal has convinced me to try out a couple of candles...just for the evening hours while we are snuggled up indoors.  This particular brand is one she recommended...so I'm giving it a try.  My issue with candles is how quickly they lose their scent...I like strong scents...this one is pretty good...we had it lit last evening.

A friend of hers contacted me as she is a distributor for these candles...(which I wasn't aware until after I had ordered this one from Amazon)...apparently is a best seller and has really great reviews...I'll give it a try.  Due to fire hazards...I'm not a fan of burning candles...but will only light them when we are right in the room.

A doxie pal in New Brunswick stumbled across these cute sweaters...at Wal Mart of all places!  I checked our store here...no surprise none to be found.  She went to her local store and picked one up for me...and will pop it in the mail...it's not coming far so shipping should be minimal.  Now...I'm not a fan of Wal Mart quality...but I want this sweater to pull on with flannel sleep pants!  My go to wardrobe piece!  And anything with a dachshund on it...usually gets me every time. 

While I was scooting around the stores I came across some pretty awesome things...this cute cushion...in Superstore of all places (which...for a grocery store...has a great selection of home decor)...and for under $18 this cute cushion with mittens caught my eye!  Now it's fibre filled...which is why the price is low...as opposed to feather or down filled...which is my preference.

Now this beauty is feather...at Home Sense...I'm crushing on it big time.  But resisted...I have quite a few Christmas cushions in my stash...so will wait til it's time to bring all those goodies out...

And is it just me...or a gnomes hot this year!  They are everywhere...and I happen to love them!  Almost got this one...

Now.... you cannot blame me for not being able to resist one of these!  Somehow the one on the right made it into my cart...darn little things jump!   Adorbs...

I couldn't determine what this doxie's purpose is.  There are cookies on the package...yet there is a slot on the head...a piggy bank of sorts?  No clue...but it's pretty cute...

After weeks (months) of grumbling on my part....Mr. Seventies is installing a railing at the basement stairs!  Not only is it building code...it helps me get down steps easier!  I have an awesome physiotherapist who works with me twice a week with my knees (trying to keep me out of the operating room).  Since I've starting going to him...I hurt much less and am able to walk in a bit more comfort. 

The current wait time to see an orthopaedic surgeon here is eighteen months.  I was referred to see one in August, so we have about fifteen months to get my knees into good working shape!  My only regret is that I didn't start sooner. It's wonderful to take Liesel for short walks again! 

Tomorrow is Mr. Seventies birthday!!  Chinese food is on the menu and of course...the great garden cake I ordered.  Can't wait to see it...I pick it up in the morning.  

Have a good day everyone!

Yes it's officially November!  I hope everyone had a fun Hallowe'en!  The weather last evening was not great for trick or treaters...rain!   Our road is so busy...we seldom get kids to the door...but Mr. Seventies is always well prepared!!

We did have one special visitor...it's grand dog ....Benson-o-saurus!!

And Liesel was an unimpressed Tigger...

My son-in-law dropped my sled off (I'll get a photo of it)...it is perfect for my plans for it!  And...Coulson's...the junk/antique shop held a Halloween FB contest...winner receives a $50 gift certificate!  And I won!!  I can't believe it!!  Can't wait to take a short road trip and shop for goodies!!  

Another favourite shop...closer to home...Inspired Living is having a birthday sale...for the next three days!  Definitely have plans to check out the sale!!

A bit of my Christmas stash so far...I really need to go through what I already have.  But it's fun in the meantime...

I had ordered a dachshund paper towel holder from Amazon...while really cute...the quality is crap...and a spot of the finish had been scraped off.  One of the best things dealing with Amazon is their return policy...print a return label...paste it to the box and drop it off at the postal outlet.  Easy peasy.   I requested a refund not a replacement. 

Atlantic Canadian Dachshund Rescue recently held an on line auction....and I was the successful bidder on a couple of items.  A great dachshund t-shirt...

And two of my favourite things....a decorator cushion with an adorable dachshund on the front!!  The back is a pretty plaid...

Lastly...tomorrow is the funeral service for my beloved friend.  I can't imagine my world without her and I certainly never expected to be saying goodbye to her.  This was not what we planned...our plans included raising some hell in a nursing home!  Many years from now....

Never take one moment of this life for granted...it can change in the blink of an eye.  Rest In Peace my sister...until we meet again.  I will love and miss you always.