Mr. Seventies did an awesome job carving our weenie pumpkin!!!

Have a safe & fun night of trick or treating!!!

Eventful Road Trip!!

So, yesterday my BFF and I took a road trip to the mainland.  Usually, we take her SUV and I do the driving.  But she noticed a leak coming from her vehicle (thankfully in her driveway)...and discovered her gas tank had a leak.  And Mr. Seventies needed our vehicle...so that left my friend's second vehicle...which is an old clunker her husband drives.  Oh my...I was very hesitant to head out on the highway with this tug boat...as the driver door would fail to close sometimes...every warning light that could be on the dash was lit up...and it drives like a wandering tank.

But I said a quick prayer for safe travel...and we got away about 20 minutes late.  Although the weather here was calling for a lovely day...when we reached the other side of the Confederation Bridge it began to rain....and it rained all day!

We made it safely (and slowly) to our destination and after her appointment and a delicious lunch at a local restaurant...it was time to browse a few of our favourite shops!!  Oh my..the beautiful Christmas home decor was amazing!!!   There were so many gorgeous framed Christmas prints...

So many red truck prints to choose from!!  *swoon*

These adorable snowmen....were on clearance...$9.99 each...I picked up these two!!

Mr. Seventies would have gotten a chuckle from this sign!! He might know someone like that!!  

Love these little wooden plates...perfect for leaving cookies out for Santa!!

Another beautiful framed print...wish I had room for them all!!

Right next door to this shop....is Pier 1!  My all time favourite store..keeping my fingers crossed one opens up here in Charlottetown!

Oh, so much gorgeous Christmas goodness!  Beautiful dinner and tableware!  Notice the adorable dachshund?s  One on the roof of the red truck on this plate!

Another beautiful pattern...and a sweet doxie in a Santa hat!!

Even place mats, napkins and runners were available!! 

And a few other dachshund goodies!! An adorable candy dish!

I picked up a package of these cute napkins...great for use next summer!

Were it not for my huge collection of plush dachshunds...this cute little guy would have come home with me!!

And the item I am most excited about..this top hat tree topper!! Last year I searched and searched everywhere for one...to no avail!!  I even tried online to find one.  Nada!  Pier 1 had two in stock...I was thrilled to get one for our tree this year!!  They also had a huge selection of tree picks...but I have quite an assortment of picks...so I had to restrain myself.

Next we visited Mod Choc...a home decor and fashion store.  Keep this store in mind...as it comes back into play later in this post!  We were a bit disappointed the store had very little in Christmas home decor...only one little section of ornaments...

As it was now mid afternoon...we decided to wrap up our day with a stop at Costco (for my BFF)...and while she was fighting the masses there...I decided to check out Home Sense.  And it was there I discovered....I had lost my cell phone!!!

Anyone who has experienced losing their phone....knows the panic that sets in!  I was convinced I had it sitting on my purse in the cart!!  I began frantically looking in every aisle...when these two awesome ladies offered to call my phone...perhaps we could hear it ringing.  But...we heard nothing and the phone went to voice mail.  Not to be deterred...she dialled my number again....and a woman answered it!!!  

Now...one important factor in this equation...is there is a language barrier!!  There are mostly french speaking folks in Moncton...and the woman who answered my phone...was very difficult to understand.  But she was able to answer my question...where was she with my phone?  At the customer service desk at Mod Choc!!!  I told her I'd be right there to retrieve it!!

I was so thankful to the two ladies who helped me!  In the meantime, my friend is texting me like mad asking me where I was...lol!!  I went to Costco to let her know the situation and I would be going to pick up my phone and be back to pick her up!!  There must have been hundreds in Costco...not an exaggeration...it was a zoo!!  I don't understand the draw to Costco...but Mr. Seventies and I are empty nesters...so a 45 gallon drum of peanut butter does not appeal to us!!

With that...we decided it was time for these two old gals to head for home!!  The clunker got us safely back on the Island. 

And we get to do it all again in November!!!  Can't wait!!

A Visit To the Woolen Mill

As mentioned in an earlier post, Mr. Seventies & I spent a day playing "tourist" and visiting MacAusland Woollen Mill located about an hour and a half from us.

The mill is family owned...originally a saw mill in 1870 and in 1902 they began to produce yarn  and thirty years later...producing beautiful woollen blankets.  When we first moved to PEI, we lived a few kilometres from the mill...but never stopped in.  As a newly wed...money was tight and we had to be frugal.  As years passed by, we had purchased beautiful blankets as wedding gifts for family and friends.

I took a few minutes and admired the gorgeous colours of blankets and throws...these candy striped blankets were so pretty!!

There were many throw size blankets...you could either chose plaid or plain....prices were exceptional...$50 for plain or $56 for plaid....

And a variety of knitted hats, mitts and toys...

Nothing warmer than hand knit socks!! 

I chose this gorgeous plaid throw (and picked up another as a gift)....

I asked Mr. Seventies to pull over so I could capture a photo of this tree...covered with hanging buoys!  Have never seen that before...nor do I know the reason for buoys in a tree!!  

We had a great day touring about western PEI!  And stopped in to my favourite junk shop in Summerside...that's another post for another day.  

Today we celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary!!  Where have the years gone?  Mr. Seventies gifted me with a beautiful bouquet of roses and gift cards to my favourite shops.  He knows me too well!!    We plan to go out to dinner some evening this week!  He needed a new speed drill (romantic...I know...but it's 35 years folks)...and I ordered a sweatshirt from the university he attended and graduated all those years ago!  He was pretty happy with his gifts too!!

Off to the mainland today with my BFF!  Have an awesome day!!

Out and About

I happened to pop into the mall the other day...and that rarely happens.  There are only a couple of stores I visit in our local mall...and this is one that pops up every few months before Christmas.  Last year I was searching for replacement bulbs for our outdoor tree lights...and this was the only place that carried them!!  Most light sets now are LED...and we have the regular string of lights we use outside.

I decided to stop in and browse the store....these beautiful very large church pieces caught my eye. 

I've never seen these before.  It's a large slipper that holds numerous pairs of slippers...such a great idea for house parties...so your guests keep their toes nice & toasty! 

And when I came across these lanterns...I literally held my breath!  They are the exact ones I ordered (from Giant Tiger) and received last week.  Of course, I had to check them out and the sticker price shocked me!!  $59.99

That's $30 more than I paid for mine!!  Go figure!!  It sure does pay to shop around!!  And this is suppose to be a "discount" store.

I needed to stop into Canadian Tire...as hubby needs a certain hand tool...and our anniversary is next week...so no better time than that to gift him with it.  And look who is back in the Christmas decor section!!  It took all my restraint not to purchase him.  See....I saw him last year..and have been crushing on him big time ever since!  Two things prevented me from purchasing him....firstly was the price...crazy expensive.  Like over $200!  Secondly....where on earth do I store him the other 11 months of the year!!  But...oh I so adore him....

And a red Christmas tree?  I guess anything goes now.  My niece has a black tree...but she lives in a modern condo in a large city...it suits her home and personal style perfectly!  And this red one wasn't cheap...$259.99!!

I popped into Home Sense for a quick visit....how adorable are these doxies?  I did not pick one up...I have a huge assortment of plush dachshunds already...but these certainly are cute.

Mr. Seventies mentioned a road trip to MacAusland's Woolen Mill tomorrow....I've been wanting to go for quite some time.   The mill is located in Bloomfield, PEI...it's a couple of hours drive...but we will take Liesel and play tourists.   MacAusland's Mill produce the most amazing wool blankets and throws.  A great time to do some Christmas shopping!

Plate Chargers

I've been searching for plate chargers...I have one set..but wanted ones that matched my Mason's Pink Vista stoneware.

Oddly enough...they were putting these out as I was cruising quickly through Wal Mart...our store usually has very little decor items actually in the store!

I think they go well with my dinnerware.   I use these mostly at Christmas...

A bit of a rustic vibe to them...

And this was just too cute not to share....Liesel already enjoying the warmth from the pellet stove...

They Don't Make Em Like They Used To

Appliances, that is.  Remember the days when appliances would last 30-40 years?  Good times.  Well, that doesn't happen anymore...it seems things are made now so they have to be replaced every few years.

When we renovated our kitchen, about 15 years ago, we purchased all new appliances.  Since then we've had to replace the wall oven once and are on our third dishwasher.  We replaced the over the microwave just 22 months ago.  (The warranties, unless you purchase an extended warranty package, are standard one year.)  Which is why it was such a surprise when it died over the weekend.  It was not in use at the time...the panel started to flash 88:88.  As instructed in the manual...we unplugged it and it reset.  For about 5 minutes....then 88:88 flashed again.  Then all went black on the panel....and it up and quit!  No week's notice or anything.  It just up and quit!

We soon realized how challenging it is to walk into a store and purchase any appliance off the floor....most have to be ordered!  And Home Depot...charges you delivery... to the closest store!  That's not home delivery folks...that is just to their store!!  You have the option of picking it up there or for a price...they will deliver it to your home.  Uh...no thank you.

Thankfully, one local store carries appliances and had plenty of microwaves in stock.  We were able to find what we wanted...and bring it home!  Like new parents...we were pretty happy!

Here is the old microwave (I know...it looks a lot like the new one...but they are different brands).  This brand was a Magic Chef...ironically from Home Depot.

And here is our new GE microwave.  Because the cook top is right under neath...the microwaves are required to be vented to the outdoors.  And I must say...I love this new one!!  It is so quiet!  I mean...I can hardly hear it running!!

You don't realize how much you use something or miss it...until you can't.  A number of times I'd go to pop something in...forgetting it wasn't working.  It was a long 24 hours folks!    Mr. Seventies and our son-in-law installed the new one yesterday.  

I'd be thrilled to replace the refrigerator but it appears it's going to last forever!!  

Snow Flurries and Christmas Decor!!

Nothing puts me in the Christmas mood more than a few snow flurries!!  And yesterday's flurry activity was no exception!  It's really chilly here the past few days....a sure sign of weather to come!

I was out and about and will share a few of my favourite Christmas finds!!    Firstly, remember the large lanterns I ordered?  They arrived...and I couldn't be more happy with them!!  They are a full 28" tall...and the solar candles are included!!  I haven't decided yet if I'm putting them outdoors or indoors...maybe on the hearth.  I'll decorate them up a bit, add bows, etc.

While I was checking out all the Christmas decor ...I did purchase a couple of gift bags.  I discovered these canvas gift bags last year...and purchased a number of different themed ones!  This year I picked up this snowman one!!  How cute is he?  As much as I love Christmas...the one thing I detest is wrapping!!  Gift bags are made for people like me!!  And the best part...I can reuse them (for prezzies under our tree!).

Luv me a singing reindeer on this gift bag!!

I have a number of Christmas items with the red truck decor!  Couldn't resist this gift bag!

If I didn't have a collection of Christmas cushions in my stash...this one would have come home with me!    It just might....next trip out to the shops!!

My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw this gorgeous dinnerware!!  Oh...I was so tempted!!  If I didn't already have cabinets full of dinnerware....

And the matching bowls and saucers!!  Heart...be still!

And how about these cute signs? "Tis the Season is my favourite one!

Nothin' cuter than a couple of snowmen!  I think I purchased a couple of these last year!

There in lies my problem...I can't remember what I already have til it gets hauled out!

More fabulous cushions!!  

So there are some of my favourite finds!  Can hardly wait til December 1st. to start decorating!!  

Have an awesome weekend!!

Delicious Fall Cookies

A few weeks ago, Mr. Seventies dug up some bulbs and shared them with our neighbour. (Jessie's pawrents...if you remember Jessie...the pooch who went for an early morning dip in our pool.)  Her Mom had complimented our flower gardens....and Mr. Seventies is always more than happy to share roots and cuttings.

Their daughter, a university student,  loves to bake!  And she is really, really good!  Just look at the details put into this delicious fall bounty!

Almost too pretty to eat!!  But aren't they amazing?  And Mr. Seventies reported they tasted as delicious as they looked!!

My order of clothing arrived...and everything fit perfect! I'll be needing those warm sweaters...flurries in the forecast for tomorrow!  

Upcoming Christmas Events

It's that amazing time of year again..next month the craft shows and Christmas demonstrations will be in full swing!  Here are a couple that daughter and I plan to take in!

I've been wanting to attend the Annual Christmas in a Barn Craft Show for the past number of years! Two of the participants work at Liesel's veterinary clinic!  The Barn is located in the country...cannot wait to take it in!

And this event is put on by a local interior designer!!  How much fun is it going to be to see how the "pros' decorate trees and homes for the holidays!!  Daughter and I have already purchased our tickets for this fun evening!

There will be more events and shows coming up in the next few weeks!!  Can't wait!!

PS - It is so windy here today! Typical fall in PEI!!  Northumberland Ferries have cancelled their crossings....and the Confederation Bridge has implemented a travel advisory which restricts high sided vehicles from crossing.