Happy New Year! Welcome 2015

Wishing each and everyone of you a very Happy New Year!  Welcome 2015...

Happy New Year

Wishing each and everyone of you a very Happy New Year!  Welcome 2014...

Merry Christmas

I would like to take this moment to wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas!  May the peace, joy and magic of the holiday season be with you always.

We spent October at our vacation home in the sunny south, returned home for almost three weeks then back south for another five weeks.  Like many others traveling home for the holidays, we were on the road for two days arriving home Monday evening.  That left us Tuesday to finish up any Christmas shopping, do a massive grocery shopping and start prepping the house for Christmas.  Our large family gathering is on Boxing Day (Dec 26).   We are spending a quiet Christmas Day together, wrapping presents and finishing up the house.  We have steaks out for dinner.  Barbequing in the snow is very much a holiday tradition for us.  After dinner we will bundle up and take a drive around our little corner of beautiful Ontario, enjoying the gorgeous Christmas light displays.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Canada Day!

146 Years Young

Strong, Proud and Free

Oh Canada!

Treading on the Thin Ice of Political Correctness

My husband and I just returned home from a wonderful two and a half week vacation stay at our vacation home in the sunny south.  Well actually the first two days were spent visiting family in Wisconsin then we flew from there to Florida.   During our stay my frequent comment was Happy Holidays while my husband's was Merry Christmas.  I gritted my teeth but said nothing.  Surely the diabolical looks to give a hint that he was not being politically correct should have been enough AND those looks were not coming from me!  He'd say a cheery Merry Christmas and some looked at him disdainfully as if he had just picked his nose while scratching his butt. 

We were shopping yesterday after a rather eventful flight the night before.  We stayed over night specifically to do a bit of shopping.  Here we are two and a half weeks later and my husband asked me why I said Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas.  Talk about a woosh!  So I explained to him that saying Merry Christmas was no longer politically correct as it could damage someone's physic or something.  Then I told him that not everyone believes in the Christmas spirit or spreading good cheer or simply extending good will to their fellow mankind and Christmas AND they don't want to be reminded of that by someone saying Merry Christmas.  His response was BAH HUMBUG!

Bah humbug indeed!  We as a society take offense to wishing someone a Merry Christmas.  We take offense at using the word gay in a Christmas carol - true story as a teacher changed the word because the students laughed when the word was sung.  We can no longer enjoy children's Christmas concerts in the schools or allow our kids to enjoy anything Christmas in the schools become some kids do not celebrate Christmas.  I don't even decorate my blogs for Christmas any more lease someone takes offense.  Bah humbug!

AND for those not offended

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

A Bit of Sightseeing

My husband and I decided to do a bit of sightseeing to enjoy the delightful, cheery sights of Christmas.  It was daylight but we still enjoyed it.  Years ago we bundled up our first born, then only a couple of months old, and went Christmas sightseeing.  That was the start of many years of taking one or more Christmas sightseeing trips.  We usually do one during the day where we will stop at a Christmas open house or take part in a Christmas home tour then another to take pictures of all the fabulous light displays.  We did a historical home tour today.  It was amazing so I will talk more about that later complete with pictures.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Celebrating with Family and Friends

This past week was one of celebration.  We attended the 65^th birthday celebration of a very good friend during the afternoon on Canada Day (July 1).  It was wonderful to be able to share in this happy event! After the birthday celebration we went to another friend's house where we enjoyed a barbeque with him and his young daughter before we all headed out to enjoy the community fireworks.  We had a perfect view of them from another friend's side yard.  More friends some with their children joined us for a fun filled evening.  The fireworks were amazing, filling the night sky with gorgeous colours celebrating Canada's one hundred and forty-fourth birthday.  What a great way to enjoy time with family and friends!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Happy Canada Day

Today is Canada Day so I would like to wish all of my Canadian readers happy celebrations.  We will be enjoying a wonderful day spent with family and friends.  

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Christmas Lights Reflecting in a Pond

Christmas Lights Reflection

December 30, 2010

Christmas lights are always so pretty with their cheery colours and twinkles.  I spotted this house all lit up but what made it even prettier was the house reflecting off the pond in front of it.  Don't you think it is gorgeous?

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

And So 2010 Draws to a Close

The old year is quickly drawing to a close.  My husband and I are celebrating the passing of a year well lived while welcoming in the new year with all it's promises in a very uncharacteristic style this year.  We have been married over 30 years.  While in our younger married life we went to a couple of New Year's Eve house parties we have never been to an actual New Year's Eve event.  The reason for this was basically we are home bodies rather than party goers.  Oh we could come up with so many reasons for not going out on New Year's Eve.  When the kids were young and my husband wasn't self-employed working New Year's Eve was double time and goodness knows that extra money went a lot further than partying.  We weren't into babysitters for the kids either especially before school age.  It was usually cold and we were tuckered out from the holiday season and had to get things ready for our New Year's Day steak and lobster entertaining.  Several years we were tucked in bed already fast asleep while others partied and yet it's the way we wanted it.  Greeting the New Year, fresh and relaxed, hung-over free ready to enjoy the day with family and friends was precisely our way of celebrating a new year!

Well this year we splurged.  We are going out to The Full Monte at the club house.  This is a dinner and dance community event.  Tickets were $75 per couple and features a night of entertainment with sirloin steak or chicken dinner, a bottle of champagne and a champagne breakfast at 12:15 am.  It should be a fun time.  I'm dressing in casual dress with new dress pants and one of two dressy sweaters I just bought.  One sweater has metallic threads through it so that will work nicely but I'll see.  I don't do sequined dresses, didn't bring a fancy dress and don't feel like shopping for a dress either.  My husband is wearing dress pants with a new trademark Hawaiian shirt.  Seriously, he wears Hawaiian shirts about 90% of the year!  While the attire sounds quite dressed down for a New Year's Eve event, trust me we will fit right in.

This should prove to be an interesting way to greet the new year.  I bid you a fond adieu and will see you in the new year :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Story of the Christmas Orange

Lights in the Park

December 16, 2010

 Merry Christmas to All!

Oranges have graced our holiday table since were newlyweds.  Way back in the recesses of my memory I can remember my Mom telling me how very important getting a Christmas orange was.  My Mom was 56 when I came to be.  Her husband died that same year.  My Mom had lived through a lot of hard times including the Great Depression.  She used to tell the most amazing stories of her childhood days and oh how I longed to experience some of that.  She came from a rather large family and while she never said they were poor, her family were farmers living in a small Ontario area so they certainly were not well to do by any stretch of the imagination.  Their mode of transportation was horse and buggy and while the family later got a Model T, she never learned to drive.  They heated with coal and one of my Mom's daily chores was to stoke the fire.  One day she suffered a nasty cut on her thumb while stoking the fire.  It became badly infected so one of her thumb bones (tip to first joint) had to be cut out to save her life.  She missed so much school that when she returned she had to start grade 2 all over again.  She quit school and never went back.  In some respects this explains her strong emphasis on getting an education.  I think she always regretted not getting one because she was smart as a whip!

Back in her childhood days Christmas was not so commercialized.  The only thing my Mom ever wanted for Christmas was an orange.  Back then getting oranges in Ontario was a lot more difficult and were considerably more expensive.  Year after year that is the only thing my Mom ever asked for.  Her Mom somehow managed to tuck an orange in my Mom's stocking, hung at the end of her bed.  She told us of how very grateful and loved that she felt that her Mom would save throughout the year just to be able to get each one of them an orange for Christmas.  That story always stuck with me.  The underlying message was to always be grateful for the sacrifices others have to make in life just to make you happy.  It taught me to appreciate the little things in life.  Once I got a bit older I always made sure my Mom had oranges in the house.  She so enjoyed them but I'll bet they never tasted as sweet as the oranges her Mom got her for Christmas.

Mom passed away several years ago on Christmas day so it is always a bittersweet day for me.  I would have loved to have many more Christmas days to enjoy with her, breathing in all the delightful stories of time long gone.  Ah, the memories and my Christmas oranges tastes just a little sweeter!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Silver Christmas Trees

Silver Christmas Tree

December 17, 2010

'Tis the time of year Christmas trees are everywhere, in every size and shape.  Silver Christmas trees are quite popular perhaps because they glitter so much whether or not they are lit up.  When lit with clear lights they take on the appearance of a multitude of icicles.   Isn't it pretty?

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Blog Your Blessing Sunday - Safe Travels

We have had house guests for the past week which has meant a fair amount of traveling showing them the sights.  The travels have all gone rather smoothly.  There were a couple of traffic delays and we ended up taking a detour or two but for the most part we were able to enjoy a lot of sightseeing without problems.  Yesterday's traffic was quite heavy.  I realized it was the last shopping weekend before Christmas which explains why.  What a blessing we have had to enjoy friends and sightseeing safely this holiday season!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

'Tis the Season

'Tis the Season

December 11, 2010

'Tis the season for all the pretty baubles and balls on brightly decorated trees.  Some keep their trees quite simple while others go all out.  For the past few years we have had a fiber optic tree with only small red bows.  The kids don't like it so we are going back to a real tree.  It will be nice sharing the history behind some of our treasured baubles and balls with the Grandkids.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Snowing

December 8, 2010

While many areas in souther Ontario were being bombarded with snow this past week we got off quite lightly.  A couple of days ago it was snowing nicely turning our area into a magical delight.  I honestly love the snow providing I don't have to drive in it.  It looks like we will be having a white Christmas, something I'm sure many were wondering about given the unseasonably mild autumn.  Isn't it a pretty backdrop for the Christmas decorations?

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

In Celebration of Victoria Day & Queen Elizabeth's Birthday

Have a happy, safe and fun filled Victoria Day weekend.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

On the Road

On the Road
November 23, 2009

The holiday season brings ample opportunity to be on the roads quite often in rather inclimate weather. For all the holiday traveling we have done over the years I'm always amazed we've gotten there and back safely leading me to to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that one or more guardian angels have been watching out for us. This year has been unbelievably lovely for traveling not that we've done a lot. Still we are very blessed to have our guardian angels watching out for us whenever we do travel.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Merry Christmas

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Friends

This
Xmas,
I would
like to put
up a tree in my
heart, and instead
of hanging presents,
I would like to put the
names of all my friends.
Close friends and not so close
friends. The old friends, the new
friends. Those that I see every day
and the ones that I rarely see. The ones
that I always remember and the ones that
I sometimes forget. The ones that are always
there and the ones that seldom are. The friends of
difficult times and the ones of happy times. Friends
who, without meaning to, I have hurt, or without meaning
to have hurt me. Those that I know well and those I only know
by name. Those that owe me little and those that I owe so much.
My humble friends and my important friends. The names of all those
that have passed through my life no matter how fleetingly. A tree with
very deep roots and very long
and strong branches so that
their names may never be
plucked from my heart. So
that new names from all
over may join the existing ones. A tree with a very
pleasant shade so that our friendship may take a
moment of rest from the battles of life. "May the
happy moments of Xmas brighten every day of
the new year". These are my sincere wishes.

source: Christmas Card Verses for Your Holiday Greeting Cards


Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Dear Santa

My Christmas List
September 5, 2009

Dear Santa,

How are you and Mrs. Claus? I do hope the elves and reindeer are happy, healthy and looking forward to this Christmas season.

I'm writing you early with my Christmas list because this might take a lot of room in your sleigh. I've enclosed a picture of the beautiful yacht that I would really love. It is the only thing on my list this year. I've been very good this year and if you bring this yacht I promise to share it with all my family and friends. I will even let my husband navigate occasionally. I promise to use it often and take very good care of my new toy!

Have a safe sleigh ride. I will leave you homemade peanut butter cookies and milk, carrots for the reindeer and a couple of jars of homemade salsa for Mrs. Claus.

Sincerely,

Garden Gnome

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009