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Archived At Home with Ailsa

More Archived Updates!

November 30th - November 24th, 2003.

Sunday, November 30th! Hey there, Baby Cakes!! Are you lolling about in your Bathrobe, enjoying your Sunday?? Hope so! I'll be cleaning, and getting the Food all set up for the Party ... can't believe it's Party Day, already!! You think you have everything done, then you go to see if yo' spouse has covered their area, and nope, not done... so you have to start in on that, too! I left the 'Hard Liquor' Drink Section up to Dwight, since he's more familiar with that than I am (I'm in charge of everything else... whatever...!!), and last night I went to set the Drinks out and he had two bottles available! Two Bottles!! I have reems of stuff, but he thinks he has enough -- looks like there'll have to be a 'Liquor Run' -- man, I gotta learn about Hard Liquor -- now where's the Course I can sign up for that?? Maybe they have a Masters Program, and it takes up a whole weekend a month!! ha,ha,ha!

I've set up two more Tables upstairs in the Dining Room (it's big, so no worries about space...) -- one in front of Each of the Big Windows. Oh, crap -- just remembered I have to go take the Shrimp Rings out of the Freezer!! Good thing I'm telling you about this! ha,ha! Anyway, one Table is for the Cakes and Assorted Treats, and the Punch Bowl, and the other Table is for the 'Real Food', like the Shrimp and Veggie Platters. Wonder what kind of Drink I should put on that table?? Must think of something, and fast!

I have a nice new somewhat slinky Black Dress for the Party -- it's always good to be comfy and look great! With any luck, maybe someone at the Party will actually take a picture of MEEEE, so you can see what I look like now, as opposed to the pictures from last year! And then all I need to do is get my crazy Videowave III to let me in to work (those programs drive me up the wall -- unless they're working, in which case, I love them!! Much like a partner, no?? ha,ha,ha!)...

I hope the 'Giving Tree' works out well -- I'll let you know how many gifts we get to give to charity. Have you thought about doing that at your own Party, or your Office Party? Just think of all the Gifts (or Food or Money...) we could give if we all did this at a Holiday Party! It would really be amazing!

In case you're new to the Site, a 'Giving Tree' is a little idea I thought of adding to our Party, this year, so our guests could bring a Gift for a Needy Child (and hopefully an Item from their Pantry, too!!) to put under our Tree. Then we'll take all the Gifts down to the Local Fire Station for the Fireman's Fund. Great idea, eh?? Simple, but I think it'll be really effective. I'll take some pictures of the Gifts, too, so I can show you what we collected.

Tip of the Day: When you're giving a great big Party (we hope to have well over a hundred people at ours...), make it easy on yourself by creating 'Serve It Yourself' Stations. It takes a bit more time, initially, to set them up, but once the Party gets started, your Guests can mingle about and help themselves to anything they like! And you can get stinking Drunk! No, no, no! Just kidding! You should maybe put on some perfume, if you think you might even stink a little... but you should feel free to imbibe ...after all, you're already at home, so you don't have to worry about Drinking and Driving (for God's Sake, don't do that!! And make sure your Guests don't do that, either -- we have extra beds made up, in case the Party runs into the night, and some people have to be poured into bed!!! ha,ha,ha! It's always good to be prepared!!).

So I'm calling this Party (because I have an unusual need to 'name' everything!!) a 'Mingle & Jingle' or 'Booze 'N Schmooze' Party!! Doesn't it sound like a whole lot of fun?? Maybe next year we can get some sort of gigantic Hall, and we'll all have a Big Party, together!! Now wouldn't that be fun??

And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

Here's the Dining Room -- that's Tia in every picture -- she follows me around the house -- it's really cute! She's going to spen the day in Dwight's Truck (windows down, of course...), in the Garage, which is heated...she loves the truck, and it's better for her not to see so many people -- that's just outside of Tia's comfort zone!!

So these are the Two Big Windows where the two extra Tables are Set up -- they look lovely. All the Drapes are from Linens 'N Things, in case you're wondering! I love that Store!! And I think the Kitchen/Great Room/Dining Room Area is about 1742 square feet -- I seem to recall figuring that out when I was busy re-drawing this house for a future build... and trying to scale it back a wee bit so it would fit on a City Lot!!

Hey, you know what I should do?? I should take pictures from each room in the House and give them each their own page...hmmmm...must work on that! I'll be sure to let you know when I get that done!

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Thanks for coming in for a wee visit! Always lovely to see you!

Until tomorrow!!

Ailsa!

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Check it out -- a Whole Year For Free! Can you tell I like those deals?? ha,ha,ha! I figure that if you made it onto my Site, you must love Homes (and perhaps Gardens...!), or at least know someone else who does, and the Holidays are quickly approaching, so why not see about this?? I really do love Free Stuff!! Then I can save my money to buy (build!!) an even bigger house!! WooHoo!

Contests & Free Stuff!

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Saturday, November 29th. Good Morning, Sunshine! How you doin'?? Can you believe it's the Weekend, already? Is time flying past you, too?? Better than it dragging along, I suppose! We had some crazy Chinook Winds, last night -- I thought some of the Windows would have blown in -- pretty scary... so it was NOT a good day to put water in the Hot Tub -- maybe today.

Hey, I was able to fix my computer, yesterday! WooHoo! Now I can work normally on my Site, again! I couldn't get any new Links on, add new letters, or reply to e-mails -- very frustrating... I went to www.pandasoftware.com and Ran the Scanning Program, and it cleaned all the infected files out of my computer -- isn't that great?? So the next time you have a bother with your computer, check that Site out and run the Scan My Computer Program. It's Free and it really works well.

I'm almost ready to put our House on the Market -- it'll be a hard house to leave, because we all love it so very much, but I think it would be best if we down-size and move into the City. It's always a tough call. We're mindful of it all the time, now, especially as we get ready for Christmas. We usually have a ton of Presents under the Tree, but this year we will focus on Giving to Others, and getting 'small gifts' for the kids -- literally, much smaller gifts, rather than the big things that I like to get...Aidan has enough enormous Trucks and things, and luckily, Cara is at the stage where she prefers CD's and 'Cool Things' rather than, say, a Play House! Cara's almost 16, so I think she'd rather have a REAL House!! ha,ha,ha! She's already checking out Apartments and Condos! Now that's my kind of Girl!! We're thrilled that she's interested in Real Estate!

You know, one of the reasons I developed this Site, in the first place, was to educate as many people as I could about How To Buy Their Own Home. It's something that is rarely taught in School, and is a key factor in doing well in Life. As soon as I figured out how to do it, I had a burning need to tell everyone else...that's the Teacher in me!! ha,ha!

It's next to impossible to stroll into the Bank and ask them how to go about Buying a Home, or even How to Save Enough Money (and if so, how much...) to Get that Home. Plus, it can't be boring, or no one will read it, right?? And then, of course, I thought Building a House was waaaaay cool, and everyone ought to know a little about that -- I love anything that'll make your life better, happier, healthier, and with a lot more money!! I've been dirt poor, so I know that ain't a better way to be!! That's a convenient myth! It's always much better to have Cash in the Bank!

Well, better go hang some more Pictures before tomorrow -- the Big Party! There are a lot of Cakes and Treats in the Fridge, ready for the Party, and Aidan is beside himself waiting for them to be served!

Tip of the Day: I had to make my Onion Drink, today, because with all the things happening around here, I felt like a might have a Cold coming on ... Dwight hates the smell of the Onion Juice, so I actually make it outside on the Deck -- I make it in my Electric Wok. The Tip is to use the Onions after you've drained off the Onion Juice (if you haven't tried this Home Remedy for Colds, give it a shot -- it's great!) in a Big Pot of Soup.

Just leave the Onions in the Pot, add a pitcher of Water, a Tablespoon each of Montreal Steak Spice, Red Peppers & Garlic Spice, and whatever other spices you happen to like, then about 4 Tablespoons of Parsley and Chicken OXO, some pre-cooked Chicken (cubed -- I buy it Frozen at Costco -- it's sooo easy to cook with!), a bunch of Veggies (Frozen or Fresh -- just toss 'em in!), and then half a Bag of Soup Mix (in your Soup Section -- it has dried Beans, Barley, Lentils ... that sort of thing). Now, if you happen to love Barley, add another 3/4 Cup of Barley -- don't forget to rinse the Soup Mix and the Barley. I think Barley is an Aphrodisiac, so let me know if it 'works for you'! ha,ha,ha,ha!

And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

Look what I found! These are pictures of the Lower Level right after Dwight Laid all the Tubing for the Radiant Heat -- cool, eh? I had the glamorous job of trimming about a 1000 of the little Ties that have to go around the Tubing. I think there are three areas downstairs, and two upstairs, so you can control the In-Floor Heat in different Rooms.

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Thanks for swingin' in for a wee visit! See you tomorrow!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!!

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Friday, November 28th. Hey, Good Lookin'!! Are you chock full of Turkey (and perhaps a few other things, too!!)? Man, I'm having the worst computer morning -- it keeps cutting me out...soooo annoyink!! Ah, well. There oughtta be at least a couple of Computer Guys at the Party, so I should be able to get the problem solved this weekend ... I hope!

So yesterday I was able to get two more rooms set up -- Cara's Den will be the 'Dance & Music Room', and Aidan's Den can be the 'Play Room', since all our Parties are 'Family Friendly'. It's hard for parents to find a Sitter for their kids, and we love to see all the children, and there's plenty of room for them, so it's nice to have everyone come on out.

Dwight has been working away madly at the Bar -- he got the Top Bar Tiled last night -- looks fantastic. That new Green and Silver Marbled Tile that he got is gorgeous! When you're Tiling a Countertop or a Bathroom Wall, you use a product that is ready-made called 'Mastik', so it's less time consuming -- you don't have to spend so much time mixing the 'Mud' before you can lay the Tile. Dwight figured out a way to get a really close cut with the Tile Cutter (his new favorite tool -- it'll take up to a 24" Tile -- very cool little tool!) -- I'll make that the Tip of the Day!

We had a Chinook Wind blow in last night, so now it's warm enough to put the Water in the Hot Tub. We haven't turned it on, yet, so we needed to wait for a relatively 'warm' day (anything above Freezing is a warm day here!! ha,ha!) to fill the Hot Tub, just in case there's any problem with the Jets or the Motor. It's a 10 Man Tub, so I think it's a bigger system than we've had before -- our other Hot Tubs were the 8 Man Tubs, so this one is a foot bigger all around. I'd like to get the Water in before the Party, since I've already told some of our friends to bring their Bathing Suits! ha,ha,ha! (Good way to get to know your friends better! ha,ha,ha!)

Hey, I'm watching The Wayne Brady Show while I'm writing this, and they just mentioned Calgary and Banff! That's cool that Wayne has been up here! You know what's funny when you start watching these Morning Shows? They begin to feel like your new best friends! I'd have any one (or all!!) of them over for a Cup of Tea and a Biscuit anytime!! ha,ha!

Tip of the Day: This is another Tiling Tip, and one that Dwightie just figured out last night! He says that if you want to get a really Close Cut, put a piece of Duct Tape on either side of the Tile where you're going to cut it (the Cut line). The way you usually do it is to make a pencil or marker mark on either side of the Cut Line, but when you need a really close cut, the Duct Tape is the way to go.

Well, let me go get you some nice shots of Alberta! And here's a website you might like to have a peak at -- I met these guys at the Calgary Outdoors Show. www.rockymountainliving.com

Now here's your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

I was going to put on some of the Pictures from Elbow River Falls, because they're so gorgeous and smack of Alberta, but then I happened upon these two shots of the Last Chinook Cloud. It used to really freak me out when I first moved here -- the Chinook Cloud is a long Flat Cloud, but it arches right across the Western Sky. In most of the rest of the World, a long flat cloud marks a possible Twister, but here the Arched Cloud means that the warm winds are blowing in, and our snow will melt! YaaHoo!! So everybody loves when this Cloud rolls in!

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Thanks for coming in for a wee visit! Bring a cup of Tea to the computer (or Gin, I don't know all your secrets ... yet!! ha,ha,ha!) and it'll be like we're in the room together!!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!!

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Thursday, November 27th. Hey, Baby-Cakes! Honey Pie! Sugar Dumpling! It's the Day for Eating, so why not start now with some nice little names?? ha,ha,ha! Are you having a fabulous Thanksgiving? Poking around the house, back with your Family and Friends, maybe even having a nap later... see how your day goes!

You know, that crazy Explorer thing is still in my computer, so it keeps shutting me down -- incredibly annoyink!! I just lost a whole section -- I should have saved it every second word!! Anyway, I was telling you about all the stuff I still need to do before our Holiday Party on Sunday, and all the stuff I got, yesterday to keep people fed and 'happy' (yep, cases and cases of Alcohol!! ha,ha!) at the party.

Hey, I found some new Alcohol that I didn't even know existed until I was milling around the Liquor Store, yesterday. I had lots of extra time because when I arrived at the Doctors for my 'Pap test', they said my appointment was the day before, but the other Receptionist had told me the wrong day, then didn't call to confirm ... intensely annoyink since Dwight took some time off to stay with Aidan, and I had taken Cara out of school since she had an appointment, too...plus, I hate to waste a Doctor's time -- they're sooo busy, you want to get there right on time...and on the right day! It had taken me over a year to find a Doctor out here (we're just outside the city...), then 3 months to get the Appointment -- now a new one is scheduled for January 16th. What a pain in the shirt! Ah, well. At least I have an appointment -- many folks up here can't get in to see a doctor at all. That's the reality of the Canadian Health Care System.

Back to my little 'New Liquor Story'! I found some 'Vanilla Rum'! Have you ever heard of that? I've had Vanilla Liqueur, but not the Rum version. So of course I bought a giant bottle! My big plan is to put it out beside the Hot Apple Cider along with the Spiced Rum. I think that a little of the Spiced Rum and a Little of the Vanilla Rum mixed in with the Apple Cider ought to taste like Apple Pie, so I'm willing to be the 'Tester' -- as many 'Tests' as it takes to get the Drink right! ha,ha,ha,ha!

I actually got two big cases of Wine and a nice Variety of Other Drinks, including another Bottle of Godet -- it's a White Chocolate Liqueur -- have you tried it, yet? It's delicious! I really, really wanted to have a wee 'nip' of the Godet, yesterday after my very frustrating 'Doctor Episode', but wouldn't you know it -- I couldn't get the stoooopid bottle open! Aaaah! Then wight couldn't open it, and when Cara got home from School, she wanted to give it a try. No luck, so it's in the Cupboard waiting for a really strong guy to come over to open the bottle for me! ha,ha,ha!

Tip of the Day: Well, it's a 'Diet' Tip, since so many people worry about what they're going to eat, and how much, at Thanksgiving. My big Tip is to forget about all 'The Rules' and enjoy your Holiday Festivities any way you want to. It's not true that one day will ruin your physique -- that's ridiculous! Fuhgetaboutit!! It's never about 'One Meal' -- the problems happen when it's every meal, and quite a few snacks in between ... although I am definitely a 'snack girl'!! That's why I had to come up with the Apple Crumble Recipe, which is deeeeelicious, if you haven't tried it, yet.

Oh, yeah. Since this is 'Pie Day', followed by a 'Pie Weekend' (with any luck!!), try my 'Easy Schmeasy Pie Crust' ... it's delicious and Cholesterol-friendly -- not bad for any 'diet', either! (And you know how I feel about 'dieting'!! ha,ha!) Now, you'll need to 'scroll down' the Tips and Recipes Page, until I can figure out how to fix that, but it'll be worth it!!

Okay, one more thing -- I used to be dead set against using a Scale to weigh yourself -- I knew too many people who would let the number on the scale determine how they felt about themselves, which is awful. So I used to think it was better just to keep track of yourself 'in the mirror', so-to-speak. Now I realize that it's good to have a nice in-between, where you keep track of your shape in the mirror (check yourself out!!), and occasionally weigh yourself on an accurate scale. I think if I had done that in my first year in Calgary, I would have caught the weight gain earlier, then it would have been easier to deal with. And never worry yourself about a normal weight fluctuation of 5 to 10 pounds... but if you see yourself go above that, start eating the Apple Crumble and get yourself back on track. Or just eat it for General Health!! It's tasty either way!

Now let me go get you some pictures!

Here's yo' 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

Here's Aidan on my Total Gym -- I keep it behind the Couch, which is in front of the TV, of course! I love having my favorite Exercise Equipment in clear view and in a convenient location -- they get a lot more play, that way!! ha,ha!

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The Third Picture is the Kitchen 'Where da Party be at'!! Can't wait!! Now, must get some more cleaning done ... see you tomorrow!!

Thanks for coming in for a wee visit!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!!

And Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Wednesday, November 26th. Hi, Honey! Welcome Home!! Are you getting ready to Travel, today, or are you the lucky recipient of lots of Guests for the Thanksgiving Weekend? I used to love Thanksgiving in the States -- it's very different from the Thanksgiving up here in Canada. I was always amazed at what a major Holiday Thanksgiving was -- it's one of the few Holidays that absolutely everybody can celebrate, and it showed! At best, we get together and have a nice Family Dinner, but down in the States it was a whole long weekend of travelling, seeing friends and family, and many, many dinners... much bigger and better! So Happy Thanksgiving to all of my wonderful American Readers!!

Dwight has been working away diligently on the Bar, and it looks great! I think it may be done in time for the 'Big Party' on Sunday! He brought home a whole lot of the new 17" X 17" Marbled Tile, and it looks fabulous, so we'll probably lay that, tonight. Dwight put in an extra Electrical Outlet under the Bar so the new little Bar Fridge could slip into the Cabinetry with no wires showing. Looks great! There are quite a few 'computer people' coming to our Party on the Weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to commandeer at least one of them into my Office to see if we can't sort out the problems with my Computer and Video Camera, then I'll be able to show you the up-to-date pictures of the House.

Oh, yeah. Remember how I was telling you about some of the Companies I met at the Log Home Show in Calgary, Alberta? Well, here's another site you might like to check out -- www.hamptontimber.com -- their homes are spectacular. It's always good to see different styles of Homes to see what you really love.

Hey, did you catch The O.C. on Monday, or do you watch it on Wednesday Night? It's a great episode, but I won't say much more than it's an incredibly well written, acted and shot Show -- you won't want to miss it!

There, I had to kick Aidan AND Dwight out of my Office! Everywhere I go I have a little 'following'! Ah, well. And now here's Tia on my leg, waiting for me to play with her!

Today is 'Pap' day -- all the important tests in one week! Good to get them over with, and make sure all is well, right?! And I guess it's a little reminiscent of Thanksgiving! ha,ha,ha! These are the medical tests that can save your life, so make an appointment, if you've been putting it off!

Tip of the Day: It's a Driving Tip, for all the Travellers this Holiday Weekend.A really lovely Secretary at my old High School in Los Angeles told me this one morning when I was running late. I was really upset about it, and she said with amazing calmness that there was absolutely nothing so important that I should risk my life to get there. That might seem obvious to some, but I hear her words in my head whenever I'm tempted to pull into Traffic when really I should wait, just to save a few minutes. It's never, ever worth the risk. And for anyone who worries excessively about what other drivers think of you, always put your own safety before someone else's convenience. They can wait, too. Not in a crazy "Maybe I'll be turning in 15 minutes" kind of way...just drive with extra care and get yourself there safely!

Now here's your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

Here are some really nice Sunset Shots, and one Sunrise Shot! Pretty, eh? I took all the pictures from the house! Not a bad place to live, at all!

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Thanks for Swingin' In! See you tomorrow!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Tuesday, November 25th. Hello, Darling! Can you believe it's only a month before Christmas?? See, it's not too early for me to have my Christmas Tree up!! It looks gorgeous, and it's wonderful to click it on in the morning -- brightens up the day from the very beginning!

I've been going through some of my old paperwork, lately, sorting things out, and wouldn't you know I found a ton of information about Log Homes, which I love. This house was originally planned to be a Log Home, but it works with any Exterior Finish (ours is Stucco), but I'll give you a good link to see a gorgeous Log Home. I met these guys at a Log Home Show in Calgary, Alberta, and their Show Home in their 'Hand-out' is stunning -- their Site is www.nevilog.com. I'll go through my pile of info and give you some more Log Home Sites, since they are a lot of fun to check out. Even if you're just dreaming about a home like that, in some deeply wooded setting, it's fun to check them out. Dreaming is good, right?? Otherwise, how would we know what we really wanted? ha,ha!

I've been going room-to-room this past week, making sure everything is going to be ready for the Party on Sunday. Today I'm going to figure out how I should rearrange Cara's Den to make it great for Dancing. It's a great big room, so I think I'll just push all the Furniture to the Sides and set up a table in there for Treats and the Music. And, of course, the Strobe Lights! Dwight is, surprisingly enough, opposed to this idea, so I'll set it up and close the door -- he'll never notice... and then the kids can have a lot of fun, too! I hope I can sneak into the 'Dance Room', too -- that might be one of the best rooms!!

Aidan has been running around making Forts all over the House, so the trick, this week, is to keep the 'Forts' to a minimum. Everytime I ask him to tidy up the area he's 'working' in, he says,"Yes, Sir!", quickly followed by "...but I'm not a clean-up boy, I'm a Scientist!" And lately he's been calling me 'Towel Boy' when he's in the bath -- so, of course I shout back (because I'm in the kitchen doing the dishes when he's in the bath -- there's a clear path so I can see him (he's 4!) -- "I'm a GIRL!" So now he calls me "Oh, towel boy-girl!" Ah, well! That's not the first time I've been called 'Sir'! I think it's funny and sweet, because I've taught many students over the years who have called me 'Sir' -- they just see it as a word of respect, and no gender is attached to it, so it's okay with me! And always good for a laugh!! ha,ha!

Tip of the Day: It's a Tree Lighting Tip! Do yourself a big favor, this year, if you haven't done this before, and get a Multiple Plug in Bar with a Foot Switch so you can put all your Christmas Tree Lights into the one Power Bar, then you can switch it on with your foot in the Morning or at night. Much easier than struggling behind the Tree to plug the thing in -- everything to make your life easier!!

Oh, yeah. You know a little trick to give your Christmas Tree more 'depth'? Put Ornaments on the inside Branches. The usual way to Decorate a Tree is to put the Ornaments on the very edge of the Tree Branches, but as soon as you add more color and sparkle to the interior of the Tree, you bring out the whole thing. I always put really sparkly SnowFlake Ornaments right in the center of the tree -- the lights reflect on them and they're absolutely gorgeous!

Now let me go get you some new pics!

And now for your Daily 'Pics Fix'!!

Well, I'm always making reference to Dwight, Aidan and Tia, so here they are out in the Garden (Lawn, if you're North American!!) Nice, huh?? ha,ha!

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Well, thanks for coming in for a wee visit! And thank you for Supporting my Site by clicking on my Advertisers, too! I really appreciate that!

See You tomorrow! Feel Free to Bring a Friend!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!!
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Monday, November 24th. Hey, Sweet Thing! Hope you had a great weekend! We got a fair bit of work done around here -- Dwight got the Top of the Bar Screwed and Glued in place, ready for the Tile. I've started counting up how many Wine Bottles (full of wine, of course!!) we have to get enough in for the Party this Sunday. I'll need to make some trips into 'Town' (!) to get all the Food and stuff.

I still have that incredibly annoying thing in my computer that keeps shutting it down in the middle of my work! It comes up as 'Explorer', then shuts the cursor down -- anybody else out there in computerland experiencing this? What an annoyink little bug!

Man, there's a lot to do, this week. I'll need to get outside and put the Lights on the Trees, and hopefully have time to wrape the Pillars with the Ribbon Lights. I found 6 Brand New Boxes of them in the Storage Room when I went in to get the Tree. I must have bought them last year, and couldn't get Dwight to put them up -- one year we hired The Light Kings, and they were great, but I don't think Dwight will go for that, this year...

Wow, Wayne Brady has the cutest little dog on, this morning -- 'Sweetie' -- this dog can do math -- no quantum physics, but still, that's a lot more than our wee Tia does!! And Ellen had Bernie Mac on -- I love him -- he's hilarious! I wonder what happened to his Show -- hope it starts again, soon. I have to assume it was not in a good spot, so hopefully we'll see it back on the Air very soon!

Let me post this to the Site before my computer shuts down, again...

Wel, since my stooopid computer shut off, again, I took the opportunity to run upstairs to make myself a quick bowl of my favorite Apple Crumble. It reminded me of a little trick I just learned to open jars, since I needed a new jar of Applesauce (Unsweetened, of course!). So that'll be today's tip! Hey, if you've been enjoying the Apple Crumble for a while, now, and have lost some weight, or seen a noticeable difference in your cholesterol level, drop me a line and we'll post all of our success stories on the Site! Won't that be fun?? It's great for Weight Maintenance and then just for General Health. Plus, it's really tasty!

Oh, hey. Since Thanksgiving is coming up, this week, you could make up a giant batch in a large pan -- just use the applesauce if you're in a hurry.... or regular sliced Apples if you have plenty of time...Your guests will be very impressed! ha,ha! Or try the Cheesecake, which is delicious, or the Peach Pie, which is unbelievably fabulous...

Yahoo! The O.C. is on, tonight! The sun sets at 4:30 p.m., now (!), so great TV brightens up our nights!!

And I put the Christmas Tree up over the Weekend, so I click on the Lights in the Morning, too, so it's more pleasant waking up in the pitch black! Maybe I'll have time to get some Ornaments on the Tree, then it'll look complete!

Tip of the Day: To open a stubborn Jar lid (and soooo many of them have an attitude, right??), gently tap the lid against a hard surface until you hear a 'pop'. That's the vacuum release, then the lid will open easily. Why, it only took me 40 years to learn that, too! But, you learn it, then pass it along... it's all in the 'better late than never' category of information!

Let me go get you some new pictures!!

And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

This is a funny little picture, because it's of the Deer Family through the 'Sunlight Panel' in the Front Door!

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And there's Aidan in the Front Entry Bathroom, right beside the 'door with the view'! The last picture is to show you the height in that Bathroom -- man, I love a Vault!! Too bad I don't have a shot of the Window in that Bathroom -- I love the Gold Curtains in there, but I think I didn't take the picture because I was mad at Dwight for not putting the Holdbacks for the Drapes up! ha,ha! Ah, well -- must make him do that!!

Thanks for Coming in for a wee visit! See you tomorrow!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!!

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