First Sighting For Me

Yesterday a flash of ruby red caught my eye outside our patio windows.  I ran for my camera before it was gone.

First sighting for me of a Spring Robin.  He is a beauty, is he not?  Another sure sign of Spring was one I heard, which was the return of the Sandhill Cranes ... a cool noise if you have heard.

For those who have not heard the call of a Sandhill Crane.

Today I got going on the usual household chores, however never managed anything over and beyond the basics.  What I did do though over and beyond was make a "new to me" salad by the Podleski Sisters,  Janet and Greta.

Of course Bandit & Portia had been right there taking an interest in what I was doing.  Each got to try a grape tomato.  Bandit made it very clear he did not care for them.

Yes I will definitely make this yummy refreshing salad again.  I LOVE Chickpeas & Feta.  I did not have fresh Dill, so I omitted, and I used Feta instead of avocado.

Recipe please?  FOR A PRINTABLE RECIPE PLEASE *CLICK* HERE.

This afternoon my neighbour and I went for another 1 hour walk.  I am happy to say I have taken 8657 Steps so far today, which equals 4 miles.  I didn't feel like going today as I felt so tired, but happy I made myself go.  Sometimes we have to push ourselves a little harder then other times.

Thought I would share a little Hometown nostalgia from my Father's Hometown of Hepworth, Ontario, that I had came across on Facebook.

Transaction from the Hepworth Furniture Factory in October of 1942.  My Father, Fritz (Harold) Masterson would have been 21 years old at this time.

I thought my Father's only two living sisters, my Auntie Gladys and Gerry would be interested in this tidbit of history from days long gone by.

Tonight's Dinner was "grab" whatever you can find night, which suited me just fine.

A thought in my day was ....

... not to forget to give kindness freely.

I am off and running to have myself a hot hot shower for my achy muscles, and ready myself to watch The "Voice" this evening, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Aussie Antics & A Walk

I most certainly was happy for Rob to be home this morning.  I could barely move to get out of bed with my neck and shoulder pain.  He was kind enough to take care of the Aussies this morning before he went out on his calls, and I was left to stay in bed until 8 pm, a very rare occurrence for me.  

Too much last week I suppose, regardless I broke down and popped 2 Tylenol 2's and 1600 mg ibuprofen, as I needed some relief.  When the meds kicked in I did get some relief and began my day.

I began with the usual then went on to getting the floor swept up of Aussie hairs.  First I picked up the toys, putting them in a box and up on their chair.

Despite my efforts the Aussie antics began almost immediately from knocking the box of toys off the chair, to helping herself to scrap papers from the burn pail.  Thank goodness Bandit is old enough to know better as Portia is enough Aussie to handle at this age.  She does make me laugh though.

 I really didn't get much done, but then again tomorrow is another day.  I am not going to make plans for it as whenever I do my plans somehow always get sabotaged either by something else coming up or some kind of pain or headache preventing me to carry through with them.  Best not to jinx myself.

I did decide this morning I was going to hand deliver my Mom her Easter Card, and stay to have lunch with her.  When I arrived down in her room she was not only surprised to see me, but really delighted as well.

Mom has always enjoyed getting occasion cards early so she can enjoy them before hand.  I think she was also happy with getting a chocolate Easter Bunny too.

Lunch today at the Gateway Haven Nursing Home was very yummy.  Cream of Vegetable Soup, Mom had a deli sandwich, while I had the Broccoli & Mushroom Strata.  Dessert for me was Lemon Pudding, and Mom had a piece of homemade Carrot Cake thanks to my Auntie Gladys.  The piece was 1/2 more then what is in the photo, as I remembered to take the pic after Mom had already consumed some.  She really enjoyed the cake, and I really enjoyed our lunch together.

After my visit with Mom I had to mail a couple cards then head on over to the Wiarton Chamber office to have the girls upload some photos for the new WDCC member presentation folder that is being created.  My goodness I didn't get home until after 2 pm !!!

After a bit of a rest back home I called my friend Pari to see if she would like to go for a walk.  Even though the wind was up the Sun was out and it was 10*C (warmer then usual).  Off we went, taking Portia along with us to train her on walking, at 3 pm downtown Wiarton.

I am happy to say we walked 3 km in total !  not a bad start to hopefully a daily routine (fingers crossed I have not jinxed myself by thinking that out loud).  So far this day I have taken over 7400 steps, which is over 3.5 miles.  Whoohooo !!!  I need to loose some weight before my Son's wedding in July, so I MUST MUST MUST keep focused.

Rob has been gone all day, however I am hoping he is home to watch The "Voice" with me tonight by 8 pm.  That is only 1/2 hour away from now, making it time to sign off from here, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

One Of Those Days

It had to be around 1 am, or shortly thereafter, I heard our Buddy crying downstairs from his kennel.  I went down to take him out, assuming that is what he needed, to hear water running.  Walking into our furnace/laundry room areas to find a pipe had let go and there was about one inch of water across the floor.

I pulled the plug to the pump.  Then I moved Lexus from her kennel into the whelping pen, taking Buddy into her dry kennel.  After I had the dogs settled I then went back up stairs to get Rob up.

We got the shop vac, dehumidifiers and basement wood stove going to get a handle on it to dry up.

Thank goodness Buddy woke me up as I never heard the water pouring out and onto our basement floor.

Yes after this mess to deal with at 1:30 am both Rob and I were very tired today.

With not much sleep between the both of us we waited to head off to the Wiarton Home Building Centre when it opened at 9 am.  $78 dollars later we came home with Rob fixing the problem.  I am very grateful Rob knows how to fix such things, as anyone can well imagine how much it would have cost to have a plumber to come in on a Sunday.  Thank you ROB ! xx

No Frills stores have Cook's Shank Hams on "sale" for .97 cents a pound this week.  I called my neighbour, and we headed on over to Owen Sound to do a quick shop.  Driving back, Rob called to see if we wanted to meet up at the Green Door Cafe to have ourselves some lunch.  I was exhausted and thought that was a terrific idea as cooking was not on the top of my list today.

We were all very please, as usual, with our lunches at the Green Door Cafe.  They now are featuring their Spring/Summer Menu.  Pari had the Curry Chicken, I had the Ginger Chicken Salad, and Rob the Shepherd's Pie.  Oh YUM YUM YUM ... it was beyond satisfactory for my breakfast, lunch and dinner today, with some snacking the remainder of the day.

We had just finished up our lunch when my sister, Jeanne, and her hubby, Cecil, had came in to have lunch.  Too bad we were leaving, however we did get to chat for a bit before we left.  One never knows who they run into.  The Green Door is also frequented and enjoyed by one of my first Cousins, Bob, and his wife, Marlene.  Yes it is good food priced very reasonable for one's budget.

Since Rob & I both quit smoking, Rob coming up a year, and myself five years, and neither of us drink alcohol, we feel a dinner out is a very minimal expense in comparison.

This afternoon Rob had himself a sleep.  I cleaned out the upstairs wood stove later in the day.  A very huge mess, of course, with the fine dust settling everywhere.  It is unavoidable.  After two pails of ashes cleaned out I began dusting.

I lost my balance, in turn knocking something a top the china cabinet which shook it sending the 

Galileo Thermometer smashing to the floor. What a mess was that to clean up, as it is oily inside them, not water.

The good part of my day was admiring the one flower left from the bouquet the kids had sent me for my Birthday. There is always some good to be found in "one of those days", is there not?

The headache I had this morning still persists on being noticed within my being.

I am going to put my feet up with hopes of an early night and good sleep this evening, and dream of NOT having another one of those days again tomorrow, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

In The Blue

I might be in a lot of pain, but I am very grateful that I slept all night until 5 am.  Happy happy happy I was about that.

This morning I had errands downtown Wiarton.  I left the house at 9 am, not returning until almost 11:00 am.  It does not take long for time to fly by when you have a couple of stops to make, never mind popping in to see my girlfriend to enjoy a coffee with her.

I did get laundry done today.  Three loads to be exact.  I also made mental notes of what and where I am going to start purging and decluttering.  I started with Rob, as when I was putting laundry away I was taken back on how many pairs of jeans he possesses, and bought 2 more pair only last month.

Yes I was "in the blue" over the number of piles of blue jeans Rob owns.  All I got from him when I brought them all to his attention was "the look" as to say, "yes is that a problem?".  Out of these 5 piles (not including yet another pile on the top shelf in the closet) he managed to throw out one pair.  He is worse then a woman, as I am sure he has 3 different sizes for when he looses or gains weight.  *shaking head*

For some reason I got a chill this afternoon.  My feet, hands, and even my nose were all freezing.  I ended up having a bath as hot as I could stand, which actually did the trick of taking the chill from my bones.

Our niece's husband, Rich, is very talented with is own business of Ironworks.  Richcraft currently is offering a "special" which is 25% off, for a limited time only, pre-ordered weather vanes..

Yes this is one of Richcraft's amazing weather vanes.  I absolutely LOVE it, but then again I am a huge fan of both Rich & his work.  His lovely wife, Jenn, is also a gem, and we all know there is always a gem behind any good man.

For more information on Richcraft, please drop on over to the website by *clicking* HERE.

Dinner was not only easy with a Cottage Roll put into the Crock Pot earlier today, but it was very colourful and yummy as well.  LOVE ME that colour !

Rob and I can not believe since the weather was getting a bit nicer the past week, that our pain levels increased more then when it had been down in the minus double digits in February.  Yes dampness does a number on arthritis does it not?  Hot baths, a warm blanket and some good pain rub can go a long way some days .... damn getting old sucks does it not? but still I am certain I love the scenery on this side of the dirt then the other side.

Time to take a couple of Aussies out for the last time this evening, and look forward to maybe another good night's sleep, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Happy Birthday Lunch

What happened to Spring? it had been snowing and -13*C this morning when I got up at 5:30 am.  Everyone had been hep to the warmer temps last week, and now they have gone down, down, down.

I headed downtown this morning to do a bit of shopping, then returned home to a quick shower and get ready to pickup my friend, Pari.  We were heading into Owen Sound for lunch, drop off our books to the Accountant, and go to my appt. with the neurologist. 

I picked Pari up at 11:45 am and we headed out.  After stopping at Staples we headed over to Joe Tomatoes, where my Niece, Joanne, met up with us to join us for lunch.

We began with a Spinach, Artichoke, Cheese Dip, then Joanne and I had the Chicken Greek Wrap, and Pari the "hot" Chicken Wings.  I was surprised afterwards with the staff coming out to sing Happy Birthday to me with a Brownie topped with ice cream and whipped topping.  Thanks to Pari for spoiling me with this Happy Birthday Lunch today.

After lunch Joanne headed over to her boyfriends, while Pari and I dropped around to the accountants.  We then went on over to the Owen Sound Hospital where Dr. Young's office was located for my appointment.

Dr. Young went though some of my history with me, then did some tests.  He also checked the MRIs which have been done on my neck.  He concluded the problems of my experiencing dizzy spells, unbalance, headaches and of course chronic pain are stemming from the osteoarthritis in my neck.  His comment was, "you have a lot of arthritis in your neck".  Yes this I knew, and once again yet another Doctor has validated this.

Dr. Young said he was sorry there was nothing which could be done about what I am experiencing, however suggested a neck brace worn for short periods might give me some relief.  I tried a neck brace some time ago and it had caused me more or the same discomfort.  He also gave me some new meds to try for when I get a migraine, and to keep him informed of how, if, they worked for me.

I found Doctor Young to be one of the most modest empathetic Doctor I have met. His bed side manner is impeccable.  He listens, giving information directly and with suggestion.  Should I have to go back to Dr. Young, I surely will look forward to doing so.

Pari and I made two more stops, one at Sears, and the last at the Giant Tiger before heading home.

Pari had given me a nice grey purse and silver bracelet.  Oh yes some Ferrero Chocolates too which I put in the freezer as I do not need any temptation after the huge lunch I had.

It had been way after 5 pm when we got back home.  For dinner I had some raw mushrooms and curry dip which filled me right to the top.  Rob? he had leftover chicken wings and half a wrap from Joanne and Pari.

I am done like dinner, however once again grateful for having such wonderful friends and family. 

Oh yes is everyone still "in" on the 52 Week Money Challenge?  as I am working on it backwards, I deposited $40.00 today, and have a total of $625.59 to date in my account.  I am thinking on what we will do with the money when the challenge is over ... endless possibilities at our house.

Not certain if I would appreciate a belly rub with Rob's foot as much as Bandit does, however I most certainly know I would enjoy one on my back with his big strong hands.

This evening will be rest, rest, rest for my aching tired, but very happy, body, Just North of Wiarto & South of the Checkerboard.

Breakfast With The Mayor

Good thing I am an early riser as this morning I attended breakfast with the Mayor at 7:30 am hosted by the Wiarton District Chamber of Commerce.  Once I got all my Aussie duties out of the way, and myself ready, I headed out to first pickup friends, Wenda and Cathy, who own The Painted Turtle & Headquarters downtown Wiarton.  

The WDCC has began these breakfasts for Business owners within the Community to interact with the Mayor in a comfortable and casual atmosphere where Community issues and/or concerns can be addressed.  

A couple of subjects touched upon this morning were the "Big Dig" an upcoming downtown update to replace many very old water lines, etc, the Airport, which is jointly owned with Georgian Bluffs,  the possibility of Wind Turbines coming to the Bruce Peninsula, and Paid Parking at Sauble Beach.  

It was nice to be enlightened by the Mayor on these subjects instead of trying to read between the lines of newspaper articles and/or public speculations.

Host, WDCC President, Paul Deacon, introduced South Bruce Peninsula Mayor, Janice Jackson, to the invited group.

The businesses who are invited to a breakfast are limited in numbers (as too many people would not afford casual discussion(s) ), and include a mixed variety of people.  This breakfast meeting was the second one, with one more planned this Spring, and resuming again in the Fall.  It is hopeful a large part of the Business Community will be invited and attend these events in hope a good relationship is built and maintained with the Mayor.

I had never met Mayor Janice Jackson before today, and really enjoyed listening to her speak on the matters put to her.  I found her to be very positive about growth within our communities, as well as keeping the taxpayers tax dollars in mind with doing so.

I got home around 11 am, had myself some lunch, did the dishes and made the bed before heading back out to attend a Living a Healthy Life Workshop put on my the South West Self Management Program for 1 pm at the Wiarton Library.

This is a 6 week workshop for people with or caring for someone with a Chronic Condition, whether it be for Arthritis, Chronic Pain, or a Mental Health issue, just to name a couple.  The workshop is offered free.  Should anyone like anymore information on a future workshop you may do so by contacting South West Self Management at 1-855-463-5692.

Today's introduction was nothing I did not know already, as probably will be the case with the whole workshop, however I feel it is good for me to attend for validation of my own chronic pain issues, as well as knowing and meeting other people with the same or similar issues.  Even if I come away with one new learning tool I feel the one day a week for six weeks will be worth it.

We never stop learning.\

Can you believe Easter Weekend is only a week away from tomorrow?  hoping everyone has prepared themselves for it ....

Hahaha ! this was so cute I could not resist sharing it.

Tomorrow I have an appt. with a Neurologist, so we will see where that goes.  Not familiar with Fibromyalgia or its symptoms, please *click* HERE.

With a busy couple days behind me I have been getting the repercussions from them with pain from head to toe.  Hopefully I can sleep tonight and feel more rested for the day ahead of me tomorrow, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

DISCLOSURE:  This is my personal daily journal with all opinions being my own and not affiliated with any organization I might belong to or be affiliated with.

Lunching With Mother

More things ahead of me today there was.  Before I left the house I did get the dishes done and our bed made.

I had an appt. with my GP, Dr. Diodati, at 10:45 am.  He was a bit on the busy side this morning so I really didn't get in until 1/2 hour after my appt. time, and then back out to my vehicle at 11:37.  

The Doctor was quick to tell me how fantastic Rob has been doing with his weight loss and exercise.  It must be nice to see a patient be dedicated to going forward and away from getting diabetes, as Rob's numbers have dropped and he really is doing good all around.

We addressed my fibromyalgia and not sleeping issues again today by increasing the medications with another follow-up in a months time.  While I had been waiting for my appt. time Dr. Kaal's office had called me and booked me in for next week to address my stomach/liver/pancreas issues.  

A scan had also been ordered for Rob's back as it is full of arthritis, and also needed to be addressed.  

We are both very happy with Dr. Diodati, and his being thorough with wonderful bedside mannerism as well.

After leaving the doctor's offices I headed over to Gateway Haven to meet up with my Sister, Jeanne, and her husband, Cecil.  We had decided we were going to have lunch with our Mother today.

We had a nice bit of a visit together over lunch.  Mom is always happy to see us.

Not to mention what an awesome lunch we had.  Mom had the Egg Salad Sandwich with a Cucumber Salad on the side, with jello for dessert, while the rest of us had Chicken a la King with carrots, a Corn Muffin, and mixed berries for dessert. 

I got back home to enjoy a coffee before heading back downtown to another appointment I had this afternoon.  

I had been very happy today as Rob ordered the new window for our bedroom.  Progress is being made !  hooray !!!!  That should be a couple of weeks by the time it is custom made and come in.  After it is installed I will then be able to think about painting the room and putting the new carpet down ... maybe maybe maybe it will be all done before Summer?

Before I had went to my appointment this afternoon I had put a small roasting chicken in the oven for our dinner.  Rob had put potatoes on to cook just as I was coming home, and I steamed cauliflower to go along with it.

Dinner was not only simple, but had been simply delish too.

I have been thinking all day about what I am going to be wearing to my son's wedding in July.  I figured I was going to settle with the dress I had purchased a couple of months ago, deciding I didn't need a long Mother of the Groom's dress.

This is a Black dress with some nice "bling" on the neckline and will only require a nice blingy bracelet and sandals to finish setting it off.  Should I loose a significant amount of weight prior to the wedding then I might consider purchasing a different dress, however in the meantime I will remain my cheap frugal self and be satisfied with what I have and count my blessings for that.

Rob has already gone to bed as he had a very late night last night.  I will be not long heading there myself as I have to be out the door by 7 am  in the morning to attend a Breakfast meeting.  Rob will  have to hold down the fort for me first thing, as well as look after our Aussies, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

A Beautiful Day !

A very cold crisp morning but also an extremely beautiful beginning to the day.

Last night I had been speaking to Elizabeth.  She told me her and her cousin, who was going to be her Maid of Honour, were going shopping for Bridesmaid dresses today.  I so wanted to be part of it ... and expressed this to Rob.  He told me to phone her up to tell Liz I could go along.  We were all so excited !!!!

This morning I headed South down the highway to Liz and Paul's at 7 am.  I arrived in good time, but before I arrived Liz told me to brace myself .....

Mercedes' photo last Friday, and Mercedes' photo this morning ... YIKES !  Liz had taken her to the regular groomer for a "hair cut", but when they had picked her up last night she had been "shaved".  When they arrived back home the first thing the kids said was, "Grandma is going to be mad".  Hahaha.  Thank goodness it will grow back and she will look like an Aussie again, but in the meantime she will be freezing her butt off outside in the mornings, and she looks part Dalmation and Pitbull to me.  Still she is sweet and cute.

Liz and I were to meet her Cousin, Vivienne, at David's Bridal Salon in Cambridge at 11 am, and we were almost right on the minute when we arrived there.

We were all so excited, and I was so happy that I was able to go along with them today.  It really made my day !

We all were having so much fun the 2 1/2 hours were were there just flew by us... and we could have stayed longer if we hadn't had to get going.

After Vivienne had tried on a "few" selections, this one absolutely was "it" for all three of us.  The colour Liz chose will be Watermelon.  Liz loved this dress so much she found one in her size to try on herself.  Beautiful dresses for girls who are beautiful inside and out.

Once a dress was chosen for the "big" girls we went on to look at the ones for the "little" girls.  Liz will be going back down this Friday with Chloe and Briar for some fittings.  We had all liked this style below.

I had asked Liz is she was going to wear a veil.  She had thought maybe a hair clip with some very pretty bling, however I suggested while we were there, "what the heck, try some veils on".

The "perfect" veil had been found.  At the reception the veil can come off and the bling can stay in.  So very pretty to compliment the pretty girl who will be wearing it.

Just before we were going to leave I thought I would look at a couple dresses for the Mother of the Groom.

The second one I had tried on was the one all three of us loved.  As beautiful as it is, I can not justify spending $379.00 on a dress I will be only wearing for a few hours.  I am going to look at a couple more shops before I decide.

I wish I could go back down Friday, however I have two other commitments that same day.  It makes for a long day going down and back, however it had totally been worth taking pain meds and being tired, every second of it.

Liz and I had a quick, but very yummy, lunch at Meme's Cafe in New Hamburg.  We both enjoyed a Wrap with a small side Feta House Salad.  Should you ever be in New Hamburg, well worth the stop for lunch.

I had left for home a bit after 2:30, with one stop at Food Basics in Hanover I was home at 5 pm.

Tonight I am going to put my feet up, relax and watch The "Voice", Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Crazier Crazy !

I had a really crazy evening last night.  First off Rob got all the Aussie loving to himself.  Guess since I had been gone Friday overnight and taken Bandit with me I was "ground beef".

Never any lack of Aussie loving around our house.

Never any lack of Aussie wrestling around our house either.

The evening got crazier after I had fallen asleep, if that is what I should call it, as I had crazy nasty dreams that were "way out there", then at 2 am I had an asthma attack.  Rob woke up trying to help by rubbing my back.  Thank goodness I didn't have to search far for my puffer as it had been right on my bedside table.  Yes I was crazy tired today.

After I had gotten the first Aussie needs of the day out of the way, I got a little sweeping and vacuuming done as our bookkeeper was coming to ready the Crabby Cabbie books for the Accountants.

The books, much to my surprise, were in fantastic shape with her telling me how much better I got at doing them.  There had only been 2 numbers turned around resulting from my moderate dyslexia, so my efforts of concentrating as hard as I could paid off last Year.  Truly though in a way it might have been better had I screwed up and declared I could not do the books anymore, as then I might have had a chance to get out of doing them.  Damn, damn, triple damn I hate doing those books, and just think I have 3 months that need doing within the next two weeks for the first Quarter of the Year.  *Sigh*...

Once the bookkeeper had left I headed downtown to do a couple of errands with a stop around also to the Chamber Office to drop off a Member's chamber's dues which had been passed along to me.  By the time I had arrived home Rob had been here and we had lunch together.

This afternoon I had to go back out again.  I stopped in at the Wiarton Home Hardware Building Centre to order a new window for our bedroom.  I am hoping once Rob gets a new window installed we can get the room purged of what we no longer need/use, painted and new carpet layed (which was purchased how many months ago now???).

The window trim came off, and put of course on top of our clean bed and expensive duvet, as the supervisor stood at the bedroom door entrance looking on, not saying a word.

What can I say? it is getting started and when it is done I will be very happy about that.

We had leftover Roast Beef from our Dinner the other night, so tonight our meal preparation was easy.

I made grilled Roast Beef & Cheddar Cheese for Rob, and grilled Roast Beef & Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese for myself.  They really hit the spot.

Tonight is one of my favourite evenings, especially since I get to watch The "Voice" at 8 pm..

Oh yes should anyone be looking for some Maple Syrup action, take a drive up our way this upcoming weekend, if you haven't already attended this past week, to enjoy "Maple Magic" in support of the Rotary Club of Wiarton.

On that note I will be calling this day a wrap, that is after I first watch The "Voice", Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Spring Has Arrived on the Bruce Peninsula

Not a good night's sleep again, but that is old hat around here.  I don't think Rob came to bed until 3 am., as he had a call at 2:05 am.  This morning I felt way over my 56 years, thinking to myself how long will I be able to keep up with the schedule of our Aussies.  Then I remembered if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been up and going lots of times.

I finally got going with the laundry around 10 am, getting to the bedding not too long after 10 when Rob got up.  Today we decided we would head to Owen Sound to Sears so we could shop for a new mattress (again) to replace our 6 month old defective Tempur-Pedic.

I had also gone online first thing to do a bit of research and review (again) on what Sears had to offer.  Lots of great sales on mattresses right now too affording us better savings then when we had purchased in the Fall.

The one I had inquired about when arriving at Sears was not as comfortable as I had thought it to be.  Next one we tried both Rob and I liked it, and it had been the one with the most coils and a gel topping .... a Kingsdown Distinct Ashworth Euro Top.  I also wanted to see and try a Zedbed Fantazia, however they are expecting one to come in within the next week or so.  Its description and 25 year warranty is more attractive to my likes and needs, more so then the Kingsdown 10 year warranty.

The sales person will be giving us a call when they have extended the mattress section with more sets.  Hopefully we will get something that will last as long as the very first set we replaced after 16 years.

Back home I continued on with the laundry, then we headed downtown to do a couple of errands.

Before returning home Rob swung down by Colpoy's Bay for me to take some photos:

 Zoomed in & cropped to bring in White Cloud Island.

More about the Colpoy's Bay Islands can be found by *clicking* HERE.  You won't be disappointed.

Turned around and on the way back up the Colpoy's Bay hill Rob made one more stop before heading home.

The run off from the escarpment is fast & furious.  The run off goes into a culvert under the road draining into the Bay.  

A sure sign Spring has arrived on the Bruce Peninsula.

We both had a light Dinner of a Salad and yogurts.  Rob has taken off to freshen up in a hot bath, and I will be heading to our bedroom to get our bed made up fresh before it gets much later here, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Home Again Home Again

Last evening, after dinner, we all  went for a walk, as in Liz, Paul, Aiden, Connor, Mercedes, Bandit and I.  I never took my camera along  so missed the "puddle" shots.  The other kids had been gone to their grandmas for an overnight.

Back home we all got ready for bed.  It ended up just Connor, Aiden and I staying up to watch the Transformers Movie.  Connor fell asleep so Aiden and I toughed it out to the very end.  I got all filled in on which transformer was which.  Now I really know who Bumblebee is, and which transformer dinosaur is Aiden's favourite, being the one with all the teeth and spears out of its back.

Sleep did not come to me between street lights, a furnace running and a light in the kitchen left on for the boys.  They were camping out on the floor and I was on the couch in the living room.  Yes the three of us were "roughing" it.  Bandit and Mercedes got to sleep upstairs in the bedroom, in comfort.

This morning both Liz and Paul left for work.  The boys had breakfast and played video while I cleaned up and got ready to take them to bowling for 9:15 am where we were meeting their Mom, Holly.

I had not been at their bowling before and was very excited to go.

We were having fun !

Aiden bowled 194 today !

Connor bowled 105, I think !

Not only are they in bowling, they are  also in soccer and going to also be trying out basketball this Year.

At 10 am I met my great nephew, Riley & his Grandma Sue at the New Hamburg Tim Hortons.  Riley drove back home with me.  He is excellent company and it went very quickly.

Actually Riley went back to watch more of the boy's games with me.  Before we left town we stopped in at the Maple Grove Cheese Factory in New Hamburg to get his Grandma Nancy & my brother, Al (Grandpa) some Limburger Cheese & Cooked Cheese.  We also stopped at the Pet store to get Bandit a bone for the ride home.

Poor Bandit was out of the door and first one in the van this morning as much as he loves the kids, he was going to make darn sure he was not going to be left behind !

Both Mercedes & Bandit were close by my side most of our visit.

Home again, home again,  we got home before 2 pm today.  Needless to say I am tired and I came home to a very messy house, but really it was all worth having the boys and seeing all five of the kids together for a bit of a birthday celebration.

Rob had called me this morning on my way home to tell me Sears had called.  We have had comfort problems with the Tempur-Pedic mattress we had purchased 6 months ago.  It had a 20 year warranty, and they had sent out a person on Thursday to check it out.  It had depressed 3/4 of a inch since we purchased it, which should not have happened, it was also "lumpy".

The reason Sears called was to tell us to come in to pick out another mattress.  Happy they honored the warranty, and so quickly within 2 days of someone being here.  Good show !  but I can not believe this will be our 3rd new mattress set with 14 months !!!!  Crazy, but really for the kind of money you put out on a good mattress comfort is important and should be the purpose behind a mattress.

I suppose tomorrow we will be going mattress shopping, with me cleaning and doing laundry as well.

Rob had a nice Roast Beef in the Crock Pot, along with potato, carrot and turnip, for our Dinner this evening.  Nice I didn't have to think about what we were going to have this evening.  Thanks Rob ! xx

My poor neck and fibro pain was out of this World today, between all the driving the past couple of days.  I hot shower late this afternoon helped somewhat, and hopefully a good night's rest ahead of me, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Another Birthday Party !

Aiden, Connor, Bandit & I headed South this morning after 10:00 am.  Since I hadn't been feeling well I thought it best to go down and stay over night then travelling down and back all in one day.  This way Rob didn't have to have someone cover for him while we were gone, and he was around for the rest of our Aussie Crew.

Another good reason, after we decided, was since Briar's Birthday is this Sunday, March 8th, and Josh's is March 30th, we would have ourselves another Birthday Party !

Aiden & Connor are watching Netflix, which slows down the internet, which is giving me grief on uploaded photos and collaging them so I will just share three of the main highlights of today, and more tomorrow hopefully.

We arrived down to New Hamburg just after lunch time.  We loaded up all the kids between the two vehicles and headed over to McDonald's for lunch.

Yes all five kids, along with Liz and I managed to get seats close all together.  The kids at two tables and us at a table across from them.  They were very busy enjoying their lunches as you can tell by this photo.

After lunch we headed over to the Mennonite Thrift Store where I was able to get a couple of really nice tops for my Mom and a couple stuffie toys for the Aussies.  Then we headed back to the house where Liz put a Chicken and vegetables on for Dinner before we all went for a walk around the block.

We also had to slip out to go to the store so I could get a Birthday Cake for the other two March babies, Briar and Josh.

Nice job on the Cake we picked up from Sobey's.  I really liked how the blue and green looked nice together.

After a great Dinner we all enjoyed a piece of cake ....

... the looks of anticipation are always priceless, are they not?

After Dinner another walk around the block with the beds, and now settling down before it is time to call it a night.

Tomorrow morning Paul and Liz are heading out to work, while Aiden, Connor, Bandit and I head over to the bowling alley to meet up with Aiden and Connor's Mom, Holly.  The boys bowl at 9:30 am.  I am to meet up with my Great Nephew and his grandma at the Tim Hortons so Riley can drive back home to my brother's with me.

Before Riley and I head back home we will go back to the bowling alley to meet up with Holly and watch the boys bowl.  I have never seen them bowl so this should be fun for me.

Another big day ahead of me tomorrow before I return home, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Too Much Birthday Party ???

I suffered all day yesterday with a headache, and woke up with a nasty one again this morning.  It was not the only thing I woke up with, as I had stomach problems again.  I haven't had a trip to the Emergency Dept. at the hospital since December, so I guess this morning had been long  over due.

Rob was out on a call first thing, however when he got home loaded me and the boys up and dropped me off to the hospital.

Dr. Uffen was on call, and I had him with this issue before.  He was very caring and informative.

After consulting Dr. Caulfield (who was in the Wiarton Hospital on Thursdays) again the thought was it might be the entry going into the Pancreas, which  the Gall Bladder had been attached to (when I had one), that might be having spasms causing me the pain.

Since the referral to Dr. Kaal had been made back in December I was told the wait was up into April this Year.  Dr. Uffen was going to dictate a letter to Dr. Kaal's office to see if I can get in earlier, hopefully with a scope preformed soon after.

I got "sprung" from the Emergency Department at 11:30 am.  While I had been gone Aiden & Connor had helped Poppa fill up a wheelbarrow with wood.  Needless to say we missed out going to the Library again, but they never even mentioned it.

I slept all afternoon.  The boys? they put together a Lego set I had bought them yesterday which took up the whole afternoon.

Dinner time I had finally gotten up.  Rob had put a Deli Chicken we had gotten in the Crock Pot to reheat, so we had it along with steamed broccoli, and of course, leftover Birthday Cake.

There had been an After 5 hosted by the Wiarton Home Hardware Building & Decor Centres this evening.  I quickly went up to take photos on behalf of the Wiarton Chamber, then came back home.  I won a door prize thanks to RAM Trophies & Sportswear for their donation.

I am done like dinner.  Maybe too much Birthday Party yesterday had its toll on me? too much cake?
 
Today is my Niece, Joanne's Birthday, as well as my BFF, Vicki's Birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS I hope you both had a super day !!!!  xoxoxo

I have lots of photos of the boys I yet have to share, but that will had to be another day, as now I am going to head back to my bed, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

A Fantastic Birthday It Was !

The Sun came out and it was a beautiful day to celebrate a Birthday.  Thank you to everyone who send me their wishes for this day.  Yes a fantastic birthday it was !

First thing this morning I opened all the cards from the five grandkids, Josh, Aiden, Chloe, Briar and Connor.  Lots of *smiles* when opening each and every one.

We hung around the house this morning, the boys having baths and playing, as after lunch we were attending an activity at the Wiarton Library for 1:30 pm.  We had lunch then arrived to at the library to realize I had the time for the Lion's Head branch, the Wiarton one had theirs in the morning.  I have the right time for tomorrow's activity down there. 

The day was not a loss as Mary Jane got a couple of boxes of Lego out and we spent 1 1/2 hours at the library while the boys built Lego vehicles.  Mary Jane loved them and displayed them at the front counter.  We then headed on over to the Wiarton District Chamber Office where the boys had their photo take with a previous Wiarton Willie on display there.

Rob got me Scratch Tickets, I got Birthday Cards from the kids, my Auntie Gladys & Uncle Basil, & my sister, Donna, and a Bouquet of Flowers from Liz, Paul & the kids.  I also got phone calls from my brother, Al, and sister, Jeanne, Aunt Gladys and my Niece Joanne.  And of course from Paul & Liz.

Rob was home before Dinner time to prepare dinner for all of us.  He made Jumbo Hot Dogs, Fries and green peas, then we had Chocolate Birthday Cake for Dessert that the boys had ordered for me yesterday.

Everyone ate a good Dinner !

The boys were telling me which piece of cake they wanted with what colour of flower.  Aiden and I had two pieces !!!!  Connor was full after one.

The Birthday Wishes I also received on my Facebook was overwhelming as there were almost 200 Best Wishes from many very nice people.  Thank you to everyone for their Birthday Wishes for today and all through the Year.

This Birthday Gal will not be far off from her bed this evening.  This is what happens when another Year passes, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.