Sunday, December 26, 2010

A Waste of My Waist(line).

What's a girl to do? With the new year just around the corner now, I'm starting to think of resolutions and how I could improve my life and health. A diet is my perrennial favourite. I mean who doesn't think that they could stand to lose a few pounds? But just look at the picture below. Between the presents Hubby brings home from his customers, goodies I make myself and lots of Christmas gifts we have a ton of temptation sitting down in the pantry cupboard. Very tasty temptation. too! People know all our favourite treats and weaknesses and send us only the best. So it's not like I'm just going to chuck it all out or something but while it's in the house I'm going to be feeling its pull just like a high-calorie black hole in the middle of the house. It's not just me, either. Hubby apparently had half a bowl of Bridge Mixture with his morning coffee before I even got out of bed!

How do I resist eating all these goodies?
How do I resist eating all these goodies?

So today we packed it all up into a box and tucked it away in the farthest reaches of the pantry underneath the bottom shelf and in amongst the garbage bags. We did reserve three of the nicest boxes of chocolates to pass out to the friends who are coming over tomorrow evening. Hopefully this won't ruin their diets! I haven't even thought until now about all the Christmas cookies I baked and the Yule Log, what about my Yule Log?

I'm clearly going to have to come up with a different resolution this year. I mean was it any more successful last year? Maybe I'll just give up eating tripe and eggplant instead. Yeah, I think I can stick with that one!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Even puppies deserve presents at Chritmas.

I'm hoping you are surrounded with family and friends and having a wonderful day.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Gingerbread Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

 Gingerbread Girl
The Gingerbread Girl and some of her suiters!

As you can tell from the pictures my Christmas baking has started of course, and just look at how happy this gingerbread girl is in amongst all her cute male suitors. She’s probably going to need to remind them to take off their muddy boots before coming in the house! So far I’ve completed all the gingerbread and some of the shortbread cookies and even a pan or two of Rice Krispie Treats. Hopefully I manage to find the time to get more baking done. Let me see, there’s the orange-oatmeal cookies, the lemon flavoured sugar cookies, maybe a Yule log still yet to get made. Maybe I’ll save all the calories and just stop now!

 These cookies are some of my all-time favourites.
These cookies are some of my all-time favourites.

The Turkey Drive challenge was a huge success. The Turkey scoreboard was completely full. Our original goal had been 25 birds and then it was increased to 50 and then 100 turkeys but we exceeded even that. By Friday morning we had collected enough money to provide 160 turkeys setting the bar very high for anyone else. I was so proud and still have a tear in my eye for all the kind and generous co-workers who really pulled together to make this huge donation happen. The stakes have been raised for next year and I know we will exceed them because that’s just the type of team spirit we all have. We may even have to have two Turkey scoreboards!

 Just a few of the donated turkeys on the front doorstep.
Just a few of the donated turkeys on the front doorstep.

 We may need a bigger scoreboard next year.
We may need a bigger scoreboard next year.


I have included a few pictures of our Christmas decoration as we have been busy getting ready for the Holidays. I have lots more to get done before the big day which is closing in rapidly. Just remember, only 10 more sleeps everyone!!

 The Christmas tree was almost finished.
The Christmas tree was almost finished.

 This owl guards one of the crystal snowflakes.
This owl guards one of the crystal snowflakes.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

CBC Turkey Drive

I’m still glowing with all the positive feedback from you, my readers, to last week’s post. So this week I’m going to tell you about another way to help others in your community.

Here on The Witch’s Island the local CBC station runs its “Turkey Drive” every year to help the food bank provide a turkey dinner for every family in need. We have been contributing to the drive for the last few years usually by dropping off a bird at one of their collection points. This year I’m doing something a little different.

I’ve been making the suggestion at work for a couple of years now that we should donate as a group and challenge other companies to do the same. They finally decided that they would go with the idea and set a first goal of 25 turkeys. Instead of bringing in an actual turkey it was determined that a donation of $25 would be enough to buy one. By the time I got upstairs to buy mine there had already been 8 people in ahead of me!

My turkey!

The girls in Human Resources did a great job in organizing the collection. They made up a “Turkey Scoreboard” to keep track of the number bought. Everyone who contributed got to select and sign a paper turkey on the board. By lunchtime they had revised their original goal of 25 to a total of 50 turkeys and by the end of my shift the turkeys were almost to the edge of the board. 75 turkeys donated in one day!

 Turkey scoreboard.
Turkey scoreboard.

This was, in no small part, the result of some good natured competition between the different departments in the plant. E-mails flowed back and forth between the departments and HR all day with challenges offered and met. It was a lot of fun!

The scoreboard with the revised goal.
The scoreboard with the revised goal.

At the same time as we were doing the turkey challenge we were also holding a bake sale and a Christmas ornament sale with all proceeds going to the same cause.

Christmas ornaments for sale
We also held a sale of Christmas ornaments.

The CBC will be in our city this Friday as part of their Turkey Drive and that is when my company will be presenting our contribution. With almost another week to collect donations who knows how much there will be. Anybody out want to try to beat us?

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Food Bank Challenge

Recently Sam from "An Ostrich Named Sam" wrote:
”Many of us are so fortunate in being able to buy what we like at the grocery store and never having to choose between putting food in fridge or paying for rent. If you can, please give to your local food bank this Christmas. A box of pasta can make a difference to a family in need.”

and:
”Actually how about a challenge people? Give to the food bank and post your photos the month of December! Anyone in?”

Well, I’m up for your challenge Sam! In fact it was going to be pretty easy to do because donating to the food bank is something that I already do every year anyway. I was a volunteer at our local Salvation Army for over 10 years. They ran their Thrift Store and the food bank out of the same facility so I got to see some of the people who were using the services and hear some of their stories. Some of the stories were very tragic and they convinced me that I have been very fortunate in my life to be in a position to help others. So, among other things, I donate to that food bank regularly.

Also, once a year for the past dozen years or so, Hubby and his co-workers collect food donations from just about everyone in town and take them to the same food bank. I help with this too by driving Big Red while Hubby goes to the door to pick up food. We almost always bring in an entire truck load of stuff because people are so generous. The Salvation Army is always very grateful. It’s the single biggest donation they receive and it keeps the shelves stocked for months.

 The back of Big Red was full again this year.
The back of Big Red was full again this year.


 Ready to off-load.
Ready to off-load.

So Sam, here’s my response to your challenge. I’m a little early but that’s just my nature! I included lots of KD, soup, peanut butter, spaghetti and sauce, beans, sugar and Kleenex. I look forward to seeing everyone else’s donations.

Okay Sam here’s my contribution.

 Lots of KD because who doesn’t like KD?
Lots of KD because who doesn’t like KD?

 All boxed up and ready to go!
All boxed up and ready to go!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Rememberance Day Walk

We were both off work on Thursday this week for Remembrance Day and, unusually for this late in the year, it was a beautiful day. We decided to take a walk down to the stream to see how it was coping with all the heavy rain that fell since last weekend. We ended up touring around some of the farm fields back there, too. We took a lot of pictures to share with you and, just for fun, I’m including a map to show you where they were taken.

 The letters on the map corresponds to the letters at each picture.
The letters on the map corresponds to the letters at each picture.

 The privacy walls are complete.
The privacy walls are complete. (map"A")

We started off at the gazebo to check out Hubby’s latest efforts. He has completed (!) the two solid walls which face the road now and you can really see how the finished building is going to look. The white of soffits and trim nicely offsets the cedar shingles and spindles. Next we went down to the garden to talk to the pumpkins which are slowly disintegrating back into the ground. The crows are helping. There are a bunch of new holes where the birds have been pecking them.

 The pumpkins are slowly melting into the garden.
The pumpkins are slowly melting into the garden. (map"B")

We started down the path to the stream and were once again surprised at just how big the trees are getting. They have only been in the ground here for 6 years and some of them are already over 10 feet. There are lots of wild volunteers sprouting up, too. It’s always good to have some diversity.
When we got down to the stream we could see that the water level was high, almost as high as during spring run-off, but it didn’t seem as if it had flooded over the banks. It was running nice and clear, too. We even spotted some trout swimming in some of the deeper pools.

 We started our walk on the pathway to the woods.
We started our walk on the pathway to the woods. (map"C")

 The stream was very full because it rained almost non-stop for a week.
The stream was very full because it rained almost non-stop for a week. (map"D")

 A weird looking fungus was stuck to this tree trunk.
A weird looking fungus was stuck to this tree trunk. (map"E")

 Even though there has been a huge amount of rain this week the water in the stream is still nice and clear.
Even though there has been a huge amount of rain this week the water in the stream is still nice and clear. (map"F")

It was a fantastic day to walk in the woods. The wind was calm and the sun was shining. The trees still have some colour as well, just like this beautiful maple tree which was blazing in a clearing. We didn’t see a whole lot of wildlife, just some chickadees and blue jays, but we did scare one snowshoe hare out from cover. He was half way through his change from his brown summer coat into his white winter fur. He didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to get away. He had probably heard us crashing through the brush for an hour and knew right where we were.

 This maple tree was a beautiful splash of colour in the darkness of the woods.
This maple tree was a beautiful splash of colour in the darkness of the woods. (map"G")

 The birch trees have really taken over in this section of the woods.
The birch trees have really taken over in this section of the woods. (map"H")

 The dog wood bushes make a nice contrast to the golden colour of the grass in this fallow farm field.
The dog wood bushes make a nice contrast to the golden colour of the grass in this fallow farm field. (map"I")

Once we got to the top of the hill we to the opportunity to look back and see the house from a distance. The gazebo looked good at the side; its white trim really stood out. I just hope it doesn’t start falling apart like the grape arbour down in the fruit tree meadow. That poor old thing has lost almost its entire upper arch and the grape vines were long ago eaten by the mice. We found a couple of ripe pears on the ground under the pear tree. I had no idea that it had matured enough to actually produce fruit. Maybe there’s hope for my peach trees after all. After all they’re doing much better than the cherry tree which is not only dead but is now playing host to a weird fungus, too.

 Looking back from the dog woods you can just make out the gazebo to the right of our house in the distance.
Looking back from the dog woods you can just make out the gazebo to the right of our house in the distance. (map"J")

Back in our own yard now you can see just how much the arbour has failed in the last year or two.
Back in our own yard now you can see just how much the arbour has failed in the last year or two. (map"K")

While we were checking out the trees in the meadow we discovered that the pear tree had actually produced some fruit. Who knew!
While we were checking out the trees in the meadow we discovered that the pear tree had actually produced some fruit. Who knew!" (map"L")

Right beside then pear tree the fox den was showing signs of recent activity.
Right beside then pear tree the fox den was showing signs of recent activity. (map"L")

 This tree apparently died a while ago and now this interesting fungus has colonized it.
This tree apparently died a while ago and now this interesting fungus has colonized it. (map"L")

We had a great walk, got some sunshine and exercise, had an opportunity to remember just how lucky we are to be living in this wonderful country and appreciate the sacrifices others had made to allow us to do so. I’m very grateful.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

A Perfect Guess!

Another Halloween has come and gone but it was great fun while it lasted.

It’s always tough to figure out how many treats to buy as you all know. We’re lucky that because we live out in the country however many trick-or-treaters there’s going be it is still going to be a pretty small number. The past few years we’ve had just 4 or 6 kiddies so this year, just to be safe, I made up 10 bags. Each bag had a couple of packs of chips and some chocolate and candies. We also had some loose stuff just in case we had a flood of customers but it wasn’t needed. Ten kids were what we planned for and ten kids were what we got. Perfect guess!

 Designing the treat bags is a lot of fun.
Designing the treat bags is a lot of fun.


 I like to add handmade tags, too.
I like to add handmade tags, too.


 Picking out the treats.
Picking out the treats.


 Making ten piles to fill the bags.
Making ten piles to fill the bags.


 The treats are ready!
The treats are ready!


How many kids came to your house? More than you planned for or less? More importantly, what did you do when you ran out of goodies?

Ten for ten
Ten treat bags and ten customers, perfect!


I also decided that we would only carve two pumpkins this year mainly because they take so long to get done that the whole day can slip by while the designing and carving operations are processing. Hubby apparently had other ideas and slipped in a third one completing it just a half hour before the first kid arrived. At least it kept him out of my hair while I did some baking. I made a big batch of Devil’s Food cupcakes and iced them with an orange cream cheese frosting decorated with black and purple sprinkles. Used my KitchenAid, too. I also roasted up some of the pumpkin seeds for snacking at TV time.

Devil Seeds are easy to make
Devil Seeds are easy to make.


Halloween cupcakes
Devil’s Food cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting, mmm.

Just before the kiddies arrived we rushed around pacing pumpkins and getting the lights set up. It was a lot easier with just the three; we even had time to dig out the giant blow-up spider and set it up on the front lawn. I don’t think anyone was scared or impressed with it though at least no one mentioned him.

Giant purple spider.
My blowup spider finally made it out of storage.


So, as Halloween 2010 fades into memory here is a few pictures of this year’s pumpkins. How many days until the next Halloween?


Mad Farmer pumpkin in the daylight.
The Mad Farmer pumpkin in the daylight.


 The Mad Farmer pumpkin at night
The Mad Farmer pumpkin at night.


 The Beaver on Halloween afternoon.
The Beaver on Halloween afternoon.


The Beaver at night.
The Beaver at night.


 Stars and Moons is becoming a classic here.
Stars and Moons is becoming a classic here.


 The front yard just before curfew.
The front yard just before curfew.


 Good job, guys!
Good job, guys!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween, Everybody!

A big orange snake is coming at you from the alyssum bed!

This guy is always putting his nose into other pumpkin’s business.

If you really want to know how to carve a Halloween pumpkin you should just ask Ray Villafane. So Ithought rather than post a long drawn out saga of pumpkin carving this year I would just post some pictures of our pumpkins from a couple of years ago. I hope you get some inspiration to create your own.

Talking about inspiration, a friend sent me this message in an email and I thought it was cute so I’m sharing.
In case you didn't know...


Women are Angels



Women are angels


And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly....







On a broomstick....






witch

We're flexible like that..





Here are a few more of our previous pumkins...


Spooky house pumpkin

laughing pumkin

Frankenstein pumpkin
In case you missed the link, here is a gallery of Villafane’s work.

Happy Halloween, all!