Monday, February 22, 2016

GoTTa LoVE iT!

"Love is a great thing, great good in every way; it alone lightens what is heavy and leads smoothly over all roughness."
-Thomas A. Kempis

"Love doesn't make the world go round, love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
-Author Unknown

"Live every moment, Love beyond words, Laugh everyday."
-Author Unknown


Here are a couple cute pics Jana sent me by text of her kids
this past month.
Beau lost his very first tooth  a couple weeks ago…
and was pretty pumped.
Mariah is always dancing and kicking her legs in the air…
she had something to celebrate this past month, too…
she took her Grade One CDTA Tap exam and got a
wonderful score of Highly Commended on that,
 making her Grammie D pretty darn proud!

...YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!

The kids and their dog, Jazz, were all excited to reunite
after their little get away for a week to Vegas.
We kept Jazz and he was a good doggie,
...but I was also excited to
downsize our life back to just our doggie , Shuffle once again!

The day after Jazz returned home again …
our lives began a different kind of turmoil!

What began as a dishwasher leak last November,
caused many renovations to begin…
from new floors in our kitchen to the front door including
main floor bathroom.

There ended up being more water damage than expected
so I was doing dishes in bathroom while kitchen was torn apart,
now we wait on bathroom renos…
due to undiscovered water in there at time of insurance claim.

(More on the big renos… in the blog below!!!!)
Once again... Gotta Love it!

One of the diversions for me this month was
a visit with my good dance buddy, Brenda and her hubby, Vern.

My niece, Rowen, performed in a big number at this year's
STARS OF HOPE fund raiser dance show to raise
money for cancer research.

Later  that week Brenda took that same group of dancers to compete
and perform in Disney World in Florida… and they
just recently got home after an amazing and fun trip…

Gotta Love it!

While our house was in chaos and torn apart
we chose to do some painting too!
Our good friend DAN, came on very short notice to paint our entire kitchen,
a week or so later… we decided to paint our bathroom
the same colour as the new kitchen colour…
Brian did the edging and I painted the rest of the bathroom.
Thanks to Dan for doing our kitchen… he did an awesome job!

I do love the new colour, too… called
"Touch of Grey"

While our house was torn apart and our kitchen next to
non functioning…
our good friends, Jacquie and Bob invited us for a pre-valentines'
meal at their lovely home.
They love to entertain and pay close attention to all the little
details from decor to delicious-ness… and
they are such gracious hosts!

Thanks to them for a nice night...Gotta Love it!

We also shared an evening out with good friends, Joan and Gerry
dining at Manos's restaurant.
They shared a very thoughtful little Valentine Date Night gift
with us as well as a nice evening of friendship and catching up!

Also I received a Valentine in the mail
from both of my kids in-laws… You Gotta Love that!

A Pugs and Kisses card from Nels's parents,
Nancy and Arvid.
A crafted card from Caro's parents,
Colette and Jean-Paul.

I loved and appreciated all those special gestures…
thanks from the bottom of my heart to all of them.

Jana and Nels gave us a cute bedding set with pugs on it
for our spare bedroom
as a gift for looking after their Dog, Jazz for a week…
It looks PAWS-itively adorable on the bed… and it is the room
where the dogs and I slept for that week, too.

Our date night gift had a cute card, some valentine jelly beans,
some m&m popcorn, chocolates, gum and a movie theatre pass.

I also received a cute little colourful and thoughtful gift in the mail
from my cousin Dawn… a colouring book and pencil crayons,
all packaged in a polka dot brown envelope...
along with a lovely special card.

Thanks to friends and family near and far…
Gotta Love it!

Valentines Day… I snapped a selfie of Brian, Shuffle and me!
I even made some Valentine cookies in spite of kitchen disorder!!
They were pretty tasty, too,  if I do say so myself!!!

We enjoyed a day full of LOVE with family and friends!

Also on Valentine's day…
I shared an afternoon tea with former dance student,
Stephanie and her sister, Shauna.
These two girls have recently had babies…
Stephanie has a little girl, Daelyn,
and Shauna has a little boy, Jackson.
The girls are dance studio owners in Toronto now,
so were just home visiting their mom, Sharon…
so glad they connected with me, too,
I enjoyed the visit and meeting the new adorable babies!

Gotta Love it!

We were invited to Jana and Nels's place for Valentine's Supper.
After a stop to see my mother-in-law, Blanche in hospital…
we were well entertained  by Mariah and her friend, Drew…
making up dances… and later by all the kids and the dog,
out for a little evening skate!

Beau and Jazz were really into the skating outing…
we didn't last long there
but glad we got a few pics.

Thanks to Jana and Nels for yummy supper, too.
Oh I also taught Drew and Mariah how to do the dance from the 70's
called "The Hustle!"

GOTTA LOVE IT… I loved the whole day!

We got a chance to go watch some hockey with Beau on another day as well.
He is quite the little skater… and loves when he has an audience to watch him play!

Love it… love him!

Last week we picked up Beau from his daycare
and took him to Boston Pizza for supper and back to his place
where he played for a while till his daddy got home.
His mom was away once again … this time for a shoe convention!

Beau loves his lego and his dog as you can see here!

Saturday Mariah went with her great Auntie Bev to
volunteer at another dog adoption for
"WE ALL NEED A RESCUE"… (WANAR).

The little dog she is shown with here was named LUNA…
not only did she love her…  Brian fell in love, too.
Brian was really wanting to adopt her and bring this doggie home
with us… but I knew we had enough with all the doggies we are
related to already… not to mention all
the other things going on in our world at present!

oh You Gotta Love IT!!!!!!!!!

It is no secret that Brian LOVES dogs…
and the dogs in our life LOVE  him, too!
Above he is seen with the two we lived with together
while Jana and Nels were away …
our dog, Shuffle and their dog, Jazz.

The bottom left pic is Brian looking like a hopeful kid
at the dog adoption when he wanted to bring little puppy,
Luna, home with us.

Instead I bought a colourful ball for Shuffle
and we brought that home instead…
and Shuffle is loving it!

Last week we had to go let out our grand dog, Jazz a couple times…
here are some pics I got of Brian and Jazz together…
they are such good pals!
...gotta love it!

This past month we have had a few visitors as well as a few outings.

Good friend, Robin popped by a while back to see us.
We have been to the hospital to see
my mother-in-law, Blanche, a few times.
We met friends Bob and Jacquie for a coffee and dessert at Calories.
And we have been to Fuddrucker's for breakfast a few times…
here is a pic from yesterday's visit with Alex, Robin and Ella…
across from them we sat with Bob and Jacquie.
We always enjoy visits there while we have our Sunday breakfast.

With our friend, Bob's birthday coming up…
we decided to treat him and Jacquie to a birthday supper at
Red Lobster last week… all tasty!… and a fun escape from our
reno chaos here at home!!!!

You gotta love it!

Here is a look at the start of our new cupboards and temporary
counter space…
still more cupboards to come and
a new counter top, too!
I am very happy with the new floor… it freshens things up
and it doesn't have warps to trip over like our old water damaged one did.

You gotta love it1

Sometimes it's the little things that keep me going from one day to the next.
Like winter BBQ's… fresh colourful flowers…
great TV shows like this one…
featuring awesome dancing in tribute to
the 60th Anniversary of Disneyland which aired on TV last night.

Sometimes I need to get out and just wander through the stores…
the other day I took a pic of this little dish in INDIGO which states…
"Embrace Change"…
 I thought it suited our
current circumstance, so snapped a photo of it!

February is definitely the month of LOVE…
and although our lives have also had lots of turmoil this past month
too… it is LOVE that has got us through it all.

Here are just a few LOVE- related  things on display here year round…
you gotta LOVE it!


Thanks for popping by my February blog post…
I normally write one more often,
but we have been pre-occupied around here as of late!


I do like to share some of the goings on in my life as they unfold and believe me there have been many things just these past few weeks going on here
as you can see in the photos above.


Brian had a surgery only one month ago and was told he would likely require at least 6 weeks to recover.
 I cannot get over the miraculous recovery he has made already. He is not only healing well… but gaining his weight and strength  back day by day. It is so nice to see him feeling so good again.


We have had lots to live through as well… what was going to be a floor replacement due to a water leak in our dishwasher pump last November... has snowballed into many other home renos as well. We now have new flooring installed in kitchen and hallway to front doorway…and this week will have new flooring in our main floor bathroom, too.
Due to more water leakage than expected…
our bottom cupboards and dishwasher
and kitchen sink all got removed for two weeks.
We then had to use the main floor bathroom
for dishes doing!
 But when that floor was torn out… water damage was discovered in there, too… and the list of renos extended… so to keep this shorter I will list in point form what will be done and or has been done in this extended renovation…

-new  kitchen flooring
(which followed installation of a new sub floor)
--new kitchen cupboards, and desk, all with new handles
  -new counter tops
- new sink, dishwasher, and over range micro wave
-freshly painted walls and new blinds
-flooring continues to front door and will include the main floor bathroom
-new toilet  and vanity in bathroom
-new wall paint in bathroom
-new doors on bathroom, broom closet, and door to basement along with new door knobs to each
-and many little incidentals along the way!!!

Not all of the above have been completed yet…
but like I say… it is crazy how one thing has lead to another… and the house has literally been torn apart on the main floor for the past over 3 weeks…
so we are living in chaos …
Thank goodness for our love and senses of humour
we are coping and dealing with it all.


Brian and I have really embraced all the home reno shows on TV lately and actually find ourselves picking out more ideas for our house from those…
too bad we do not have an endless supply of money!!!
Thanks to Blanche, though,
for helping us towards the reno we are on.
We had no idea what we were in for with that wee dishwasher leak back in the fall.
Water can do very significant damage!!!

You gotta love it…
 how one thing just leads to the next!

We are grateful that Blanche is getting the care she needs in hospital and that my two sisters-in-law,Bev and Brenda,
 get up to see her daily…
and we get there when we can as well.
We hope she will soon be living in a home with the care she needs for the next phase of her life.


Life never gives a person more than they can handle…
and a lot of the time it is in one's attitude
 how well things can go.

The winter here this year has been abnormally milder than most… so that has been a plus! You gotta love it!



I do love to write my blog, as it is a form of therapy for me… a way of recapping the fun things and the little things that make me stronger along the way.


2016 has sure got off to a RIP-ROARING start…
from birthday celebrating early January
... to hospitals and surgeries…
to dog sitting and babysitting grandkids
and cheering them on in their daily life…
along with spending time with loved ones in our lives….
to dealing with Brian's on going health issues…
and now the RENOVATIONS...
which we were not really planning on,
but into it now love it or not!
I do wish we could afford more and
we could turn our 80's dated upstairs into something better, too… but that will have to wait another decade or two!



I know there have been things during this long blog posting break I took that maybe didn't make into my blog…
my mind is actually foggy reviewing what we have
crammed in this past while.


I do like to mention celebrations
upcoming as well as past….

I do hope everyone had a day filled with Love on the 14th as you celebrated Valentine's Day…
on the 15th I hope you shared time with Family as it was Family day. My friend, Ella's dad, Bill turned 101 on that date, and he doesn't look a day over 80… WOW!
He was celebrated on his birthday with his dear family.

This coming weekend, our friend, Bob,
has a birthday on February 28th.
Next week my friend, Ella, will be celebrating
her milestone 60th Birthday, on March 1st.
So I will wish them HAPPY BIRTHDAY
as I likely will not get to another blog before then.


Thanks for stopping by to check out some of the many things we have been up to lately… oh and thanks to all the people who have made it easier to deal
with all the stuff we are going through.
I have to say all the trades people we have had
in our home this past few weeks have all been great too.
There have been a lot of them and the people who have guided us through the reno all have been amazing.
YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!


On that note…
here is my rhyme of the day!



What a month this last one's been,
So many dimensions I have seen.
From surgery to recovery… and doggie days,
From water damage on to home reno craze!
Valentine fun and so much more,
Lots of love and stuff to adore.
You gotta just love how things expand,
From one little thing to something grand.
Sometimes life's journey takes a wee turn,
So that we can fix and also learn.
For all those things... LOVE is the best way,
To help you through life…
day by day!

Monday, February 1, 2016

Many Acts of Kindness

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
-Aesop

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention."
-Oscar Wilde

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
-Mother Teresa


Today as I turned the page on one of my calendars…
it had the perfect saying …
"You can't beat the support and encouragement of a friend"
And how true that saying is!

We have received so many acts of kindness from friends
near and far lately…
above a couple cards received… one says
"The little things in life are the big things"
This was in a card from a gym friend and she shared a hospital
parking pass and nice message in that too.

The other card from friends Bob and Jacquie…
had a nice message and features two doggies and two shoes!

I received an adult colouring book from my good buddy, Ella,
and it was not only a wonderful gift and act of kindness…
it brought me some calm this past bit!

TRULY… The little things in life are the big things!

The day I wrote my last blog post, I mentioned going to see
SYTYCD live on tour with my sweet grand daughter.

I received the tickets to this as a gift
from my dancing buddy, Brenda..
so kind… and generous  of her.

The night was very cold out…
and friends, Gailene and her husband. Bern,
offered to pick Mariah and me up to drive us to and from…
that was another act of kindness.
The show was great, too…
thanks Brenda for the tickets, and Gailene and Bern for rides!

On Monday, January 18th… we got a text from my nephew Jeff
to come and see him and his girl Jorja along with my niece-in-law,
Janelle and her daughter Brielle.
We enjoyed seeing the two great nieces
having fun at story time at the library…
I feel so blessed to have two adorable great nieces in the city,
as well as one in Vancouver, too!

I personally get photos daily of my little great nieces by email
on a site called Tiny Beans… which I also enjoy!

On January 20th… Brian was admitted to hospital for
an unexpected emergency surgery.
He is doing well…
 after a week in hospital, he is home again and recovering.

Jana came every day to see him sometimes with the kids,
and Nels and sometimes on her own.
She is truly a daddy's girl, through and through.
We also heard from our son, Colin
daily as well.
Our kids have been so supportive and loving.

Jana's store partner, Melissa, came many times
for visits… and always had something to share… she brought
a very special rosary she got in the Vatican,  Rome…
she said it has got her through tough times, so she paid it forward…
and it worked it's magic next on Brian!
She also brought a beautiful plant and many other things…
 from her tasty homemade soup... to many coffees, teas and treats.

She continues to share her acts of kindness always…
 and  has been such a dear friend.

Brian was a popular guy in the hospital with on going visitors…
some photographed and others not!
… one day he had 17 visitors in a day!

Here are a few I happened to capture during his stay…
Mariah with Jana's friend, Shelane…
Beau after winning the Hard Hat for hardest worker at
his first ever hockey tournament last weekend,…

Friends Vern and Steve…
who both brought coffees and donuts many times!

and Beau with Jana!

Thanks to each and everyone who came to visit and
 for all the treats and visits shared… so many acts of kindness.
Thanks too, to my friend Ella for many rides to and from the hospital.

Thanks to friend, Vern, for a few rides
and helping me transport Brian
home again, too!

We sure have so many caring people in our life.

My good friend, Cathy and her daughter, Megan,
 had me for a supper at their place one night.
Not only was it a tasty supper and fun visit…
she sent all the leftovers home with me, too.
I thought the little snowmen place mats were" snow" cute, too…
so I took a pic of them as well.

Another act of kindness among many
Cathy and Megan have shared with me.

Yesterday our good friends, Jacquie and Bob
brought us breakfast from Fuddruckers…
they joined us in a fun morning together…
they have been more than thoughtful through
our journey… and always ever so generous.
They recently had us for a sunday  brunch with them
in honour of my Birthday back on the 10th, too.

We had so many food options…
it actually did lunch and supper and today's
breakfast, too… thanks for your continued support
and acts of kindness always.

Jana and Nels and the grandkids have been away on a business trip…
which they added holiday time to…
They sent a couple photos from that trip
for us to see yesterday…
It looks like they are having fun!

We have their dog for the week while they are away.
Jazz is a good dog…thank goodness… but he takes up
a lot of room in the spare bed where Shuffle, Jazz and I have
been sleeping this past bit!

Here are the two dogs together… kind of like MUTT and JEFF!

Our dog, SHUFFLE gets along well with their dog, JAZZ…
They have been funny though when it comes time to eating,
they like to eat each other's food!
They have become real buds…
and good companions for my patient, as well.

Our friend Vern has been by a few times…
and Jazz has taken a real shine to him.
We will miss Vern as he is now away for 5 weeks.

This little saying showed up in a magazine I was looking at the day
Brian went into hospital… I took a pic of it… I do like quotes and often
they get me through tough moments!

My cousin Jan, who lives in New York…
has been posting some pretty
cute pics of her snowman, Francesco, on her Facebook page…
He has brought me SNOW many smiles… in his various stages,
he lives on through the many weather changes he has been through.
I don't think I have ever seen a cuter snowman!

I sometimes like to get some flowers and some Starbucks
as little "Pick me ups" and "Perks"
I loved the colourful bouquet so much, I got one for my friend, Ella, too,
for all she has done for me lately….and as a 'get well soon' to her.

I love the new Valentine's take out mugs at Starbucks, too
with the xoxo on them!

I have been doing bulletin boards at BSOBAD dance studio since 2002.
I have also done dance exam themes… so managed a quick couple visits to
the studio for those updates… these are but a few of the boards…
Today the tap exams began… I hope all the tappers…
put their" best foot forward" and TAP into success!

I have been going through some old files…and came across the school
photos of my kids… and thought I'd share their Kindergarten pics from
years ago…
Hard to believe Colin turned 37 and Jana turned 35 just last month!
Where does the time go???????
I may be biassed, but I think they are pretty cute!

Today this memory surfaced on my Facebook page from five years ago
when I went to celebrate my Auntie Jean on her 95th Birthday.
Sadly she passed away later that year…
but is celebrating her 100th Birthday in Heaven today…
I hope the angels throw her a fun party because she was a special lady.




Happy February everyone!
January was such a whirlwind for us…
from celebrations to setbacks and everything in between… but I am forever grateful for the
many ACTS OF KINDNESS in my life
...not only last month but always!


I have shared only some of the many things we have been through in the past couple weeks since my previous blog post. I am happy to report my life is going along fine at present with my two dogs and a patient…
and I do take things one day at a time.


Thanks to our friends and family who continue to go above and beyond to help and support us daily…

Thanks to our neighbour Floyd for constantly removing the snow and putting out our garbage on the right days for us… he is a saint… and is always doing little acts of kindness.

Thanks to sisters-in-law, Bev and Brenda, for taking such good care of their mom, who is also in hospital now as well. Too bad her and Brian were not in the same hospital…
as it made for many hospital runs in different directions for the family. They not only were to see Blanche daily but made many visits to see us too.


Thanks to friends Ross and Trona… for the home made muffins in hospital and home made cookies when home again…and thanks to all the friends mentioned above in photos for their visits and kindness… and to the many others who stopped by either at the hospital to see us
or at here since home again.


I delight in little quotes and sayings on my calendars daily, and in other places like on cards and in magazines, FB and books. They sometimes are just what I need
to brighten my mood
...even if for only a little while.


I have received many messages by email, text, and inbox on Facebook, too… so thanks for all your ongoing concerns and  support… every message means a lot.
Every one is a true act of kindness and so appreciated.


I am grateful for many shows on TV... I enjoy either with Brian's company or on my own while he rests.
We have recently started watching lots of
 home renovation shows like
"The Property Brothers", "Love it or List it",
" Masters of Flip" and "Fixer Upper"…
after watching all those lately…
I am inclined to think we could use some
renovations around here, too!
Good thing we are getting one soon.
I mentioned in previous blog posts  that we had a dishwasher leak in November,
causing our kitchen floor to warp,
so next week we will be getting our new floor here,
and from there…
who knows what else we might tackle!
Time will tell I guess. We have lived in this home for
33 and a half years now…
so lots could definitely  be fixed up!


I am currently also watching the new season of American Idol. I think there are some talented contenders on that show. I do think the 3 judges on that show are genuinely passionate about what they do too… and we are all sad this is the final season of that show. I tape a few other TV shows but often do not get around to watching them…
seems lots is going on around here lately.


January was a big celebration month… not only did Jana and I have birthdays on the 10th and 11th… my son, Colin had his on the 18th… my sister-in-law, Brenda had a birthday on the 28th, my cousin Darcy on the 29th,  Brian's cousin Gail on the 30th, my cousin, Jan on the 31st.
Also TV icons and a couple of my favourites… Ellen Degeneres on the 26th and Oprah Winfrey on the 29th.
Happy Birthday to those many birthday peeps in our life…and any others I have missed along the way!


There were a few deaths as well this past month with losing some musical icons too… always sad to lose people we all know and enjoyed in one way or another…
from David Bowie to Glenn Frey to name a couple.


I thank my kids for being so positive and supportive in our life and checking in with us daily. They mean the world to us, and I am so grateful for their endless love and support.


I really missed my blog this past while as it is like a form of therapy for me to compile  my life journal and share it here…
it is my way of remembering  how good I have it…
even through the tough times.

 THANKS for all the ACTS OF KINDNESS!


On that note… here is my rhyme of the day…

Our lives have been hectic for the this past bit of time,
So I have been missing my blog and my rhyme.
From celebrations to setbacks and in between,
Oh what a journey our life has been.
But thanks to our family and so many friends…
And many acts of kindness… it just never ends!
I've said it before, and will say it again,
We know the best people from now… and back when.
When it comes to special, I really am blessed,
All the people in my life are truly the best!