HELP...my brain's getting tired

I hardly ever used my cell flip phone, but just before Christmas I wanted to call someone.  Got a message that I didn't have enough money on the account to make the call.  Over the holidays I pondered whether I should just put more money on the account or if I should splurge and get one of these new phones that does all these wonderful new things.

Started looking into available plans and they start talking "data", "megabytes", "gigabytes", "plan"  and a whole lot of other lingo that I had no clue what they were saying!!!  They may as well have been talking Greek to me!!!  I finally talked to enough people and asked enough questions to understand them a bit and found a plan that I thought would work for me.  Ended up with an IPhone. The salesman's theory was that I'd used an IPad so I would be more familiar with the format...he was soooo patient with me and all my dumb questions!!

Then came the fun of trying to figure out how to use it.  Did pretty good till it came to texting.  No matter what I tried and who I questioned it just didn't work, so back to the store and after an hour or so of changing SIM cards and numerous other settings, it came down to me having to keep my old cell phone number...disappointing because the new number was sooooo much easier to memorize!  Now I've got to keep my phone number written down so I remember it but I've got  a phone that tracks everything I do, walk, sleep, eat...you name it!!!!  But.....I'm beginning to enjoy it!!!

If that wasn't enough brain exercise....we decided to upgrade our internet and TV package, including Netflix...more to learn.

Puzzles

We have an alcove downstairs where we have table and chairs set up to do puzzles.  There's a window for some natural light and there is a recessed light in the ceiling right above the table with an nice bright energy efficient bulb in it, so gives lots of light.  We almost always have a jigsaw puzzle on the go.

I have a Santa puzzle I do every year.  I've done it about 4 or 5 times so I'm getting a bit tired of doing it.  In mid November we'd received a little catalogue from Bits and Pieces in our mailbox and found some interesting puzzles in it.  Phoned and ordered them.  They were mailed out by Canada Post so one day we got a key in the mailbox.  Used the key to open a bigger compartment near the bottom of the tower, took out the box, locked the compartment and put the key in the outgoing letter slot...such a neat system!!!  The best part is that we didn't have to worry about someone stealing our parcel off our front porch.

We got 4 puzzles (750 pieces each) and we've already done 2 of them.  They're free form puzzles and so much fun to do because you can't really tell what is an outside edge...no squares or 4 corners on these ones!

For Christmas our eldest daughter got us a 1000 piece puzzle of Christmas ornaments  so we started it on New Years Eve.  Some of our guests were intrigued so we spent quite awhile working on it.  We got it finished later that week. It was a lot harder than it looked but not so hard to be totally frustrating!

We've got another puzzle on the go now.  It is quite the challenge, on the border of being frustrating, but when we get it finished I'll post a picture of it ...... then, we can start on the other two free-form puzzles!

Power Outages

Our power went out about 3:30pm on Tuesday December 19 and didn't come back on until 12 hours later.  We seem to have a lot of power outages in this area.  We're on the same grid as our church so quite often the Pastor will call and ask if our power is off or on.  He doesn't live very far from us but they and the people behind us have power when we don't.  It's quite disconcerting for us to be in darkness only to look out the back window and see their lights and TV on!!!!

We're blessed that we have 2 gas fireplaces...one upstairs and one down, and we have a gas cooktop.  I light the cooktop burner with a match then turn it down to the very lowest setting and put a big kettle of water on it, then I can cook whenever I want and always have nice not water for tea or for washing dishes.  I was really glad we had power for Christmas Eve!

On Dec. 28 we had an ice storm in the area.  Our lights dimmed and brightened a couple of times then the next day it got worse and worse.  I was about to get up and phone B C Hydro when poof...the power went off, even the houses behind us were out.  This time we were without power for a day and a half.  The night of the 30th we were wondering what we were going to do...we had invited 4 couples over to help us ring in the New Year....we can still do it...we've got heat, lots of candles and flashlights...it could be fun!!!.....BUT...the power came back on about 4:30am....didn't know whether to be disappointed or happy!!!!

Our church had cancelled service but when the power came back on they quickly put it all together and we had service! As we were driving to and from church the scenery was spectacular!  The trees looked like they were clothed in diamonds.  The ice had completely surrounded the branches and the sun was shining on them!  So beautiful, but also there were lots and lots of branches and whole trees down! The pictures really don't capture the beauty of it!

Our friends came tonight, we had a great time and welcomed in 2018.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Eve 2017

Christmas Eve was on a Sunday this year so we went to church then came home and got stuff ready to have our family in for dinner.  We always have a meatless meal on Christmas Eve.  This started many years ago when hubby was attending a Catholic church.  At that time in the Catholic faith meat was not eaten on Christmas Eve, or Fridays.  They changed those "rules" shortly after we got married and hubby said, "I'm so used to not eating meat on those days.  I don't mind if we eat meat on Fridays but could we please keep Christmas Eve and Good Friday meatless?"  Sounded good to me and he said "please", so why not??? We have egg, fish or seafood instead.  In the last few years I have also cooked a ham (mostly for my son-in-law) but we won't have a piece of ham until after midnight!!!

This year there were only 10 of us for dinner because our son and his family were enjoying a white Christmas at his in-laws, but they were with us in spirit and we all fit around the one table!

Notice the "heavenly host of angels" hung under the dining room light.  I made them many years ago and every year they hang under the light at Christmas!  All these little traditions is what makes the Christmas season extra special as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

 

N

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Early Christmas

Usually we go to a Christmas party that our former church puts on then because we don't want to drive home that night we stay at #1 daughter's overnight, but this year I double booked ourselves so couldn't go to the Christmas party.  Our daughter wanted us to come in anyway so I could help her and our son-in-law wrap gifts and we could make some shortbread.  They also played on the keyboard. We always have such a fun time and it's fun to work together.  Our son and his family are going to be away visiting her parents and will also be away over New Years so our daughter said she'd invited them in for brunch the next day.  It was good to be together!

Christmas Parties

Started off this morning by going to my Ladies' Bible Study group for our Christmas windup party.  We all brought food to share and our leader and her helper set up the room really nicely. It looked so nice and Christmassy!  We had a great time and exchanged gifts.  We each got a number and when our number was called you could either choose a unopened gift or "steal" someone else's gift.  It was great fun with lots of laughter!

I got hubby to drop me off then come and pick me up because we had to go to our Food and Friends Christmas party right after and we didn't have much time to spare in getting there!

At the hall we had a delicious catered turkey dinner.  The Quilter's Guild had a bunch of placemats there as gifts for us...we each got 2 placemats.  The pics show the front and back.

 There was a 50/50 drawing which we didn't win, but there was also a drawing and I won this lovely gift basket that was chock full of all kinds of goodies!  We are so blessed!!!

Gingerbread Houses

Our church bulletin said they were going to have a Christmas Party and we'd make a Gingerbread Houses, sing songs, watch a skit and have cookies and hot chocolate.  Sounded like fun, so I signed my husband and I up for it!!  Took the sugar cookies to share with our hot chocolate.

In all my years, I've never made a Gingerbread House! When our kids were young you had to mix the dough, roll it out, cut it to the right sizes, bake it, make the royal icing, then try to put it all together, hope it all fits and decorate it...I don't think so!!!  Now they come in kits AND the houses are pre-assembled...WOW...how easy is that???  Found out it wasn't quite that easy...the little "Christmas lights, holly leaves and other decorations are slippery little things to pick up...and the icing squirts everywhere, except where you want it to go! But....it was a LOT of fun!!!  And it made a lovely holiday centerpiece for my kitchen island!

Ends up hubby and I were the oldest people there, but we didn't let that stop us from enjoying our evening!!