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Archived At Home with Ailsa

More Archived Updates!

November 2nd - October 27th, 2003.

Sunday, November 2nd. Hey, Sweet Baby! (Okay, that is what I call our wee Dog, Tia, but tha's because I love her soooo very much, so it's a good thing, right??) So, how's yer weekend coming along? Getting any Projects done, or are you one of the lucky ones who can kick back and relax on the weekend?? I like to be a little of both! I've been reading my new Dave Barry Book, Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Life, which is hilarious, so I try to steal a few minutes here and there to pop into the Sunroom for a wee read. It generally doesn't last very long, since 'people' tend to follow me around the house, from room to room, so I don't get much time to myself! Good thing I'm so very fond of them!

Oh, yeah, That reminds me... the new Ellen Degeneres Book came out (ha,ha -- that's seems more than appropriate, for her book to 'come out', as well...!) last week, and if you haven't read her work, yet, it's hilarious! Laugh out loud funny! Also, if you want to make any kind of donation at all to the California Fire Disaster, Ellen has a whole page devoted just to that on her website, which very funny, too... click on, see if you can help...

I think I'll try to get Dwight to help me grout the Tiled Floor in the Sunroom, today. Then that's the whole Main Floor Done, in terms of Tiling. Man, that's soooo much work, but it's gorgeous when it's done. Hey, did I tell you that Dwight put in Radiant Heat in all the Tiled areas (except the Pantry, cause then the food would go bad, like a bunch of crazy criminals...), so it's very pleasant to stand on in the winter. It's a very nice feature! Especially in the Bathrooms, where you want your feet to be toasty in the morning! It's right throughout the whole Lower Level Floor, too. You put it down then pour the concrete right on top of it, so it's literally 'right in the floor'! Cool, eh? I'll get some pictures to show you.

Well, it's Sunday morning, so that means everyone will be waiting for me to come and make them a fancy scmancy Sunday Breakfast, so better get going! Hey, have you ever tried making your eggs in the Microwave? Sounds painfully simple, but I just figured this out a couple of years ago, and wish I'd been doing it for years... Try this : In a shallow dish, break about 8 eggs and a bit of milk -- maybe 1/3 of a cup... -- and whisk them all up. Put a lid on the dish and pop it in the microwave for the same number of minutes as the number of eggs you used. Just cut the eggs when they're done to look like 'Scrambled Eggs', and Voila! You've made the eggs without extra butter or oil. Of course, that'll give you more space for all the sausages and bacon! yuff, yuff!

Tip of the Day: This is a relationship Tip -- and you can guess where I thought of it! ha,ha,ha! Never fight with your spouse or 'significant other' or 'insignificant partner', as the case may be (!), in the car. It's never a good idea to distract the driver, even if you're mad. Just wait 'til you get home. Or say what you need to say in a relatively calm manner, so as not to disrupt the driving...I'm all about safety, honey! The older I get, the more I realize that safety is really the key... I mean, really, has anyone ever really resolved anything in the car?? Other things happen (not when you're married ... but you know what I mean...!), but not generally resolutions!

You know what? I wrote a whole lot of 'MarriageThings' a while back, in my 'bitter period' (only lasted a few years...ha,ha,ha!), but often 'bitter' turns into 'funny', so I'll have to poke around and see if I can find it for you!

Here's your 'Daily Pics Fix'!

See the Red Tubes? They run under the Tiled areas on the Main Floor, and all under the Cement Floor on the Lower Level. The Center Picture is what the 'Control Panel' looks like in our Furnace Room. It's a very cool system, Radiant Heat. That's Dwight in the green shirt and Steve on the Ladder. (Steve just finished his last day with Dwight's Company, D.K.Mechanical, and he's off to Toronto to pursue his big Comedy Career! Good Luck, Steve! We'll miss you!)

In the last picture, you can see the Two Water Heaters -- we never want to run out of Hot Water! (We're on 'Town Water' in the country, which is practically unheard of and wonderful, so no fear of running out of any water! WooHoo!) The thing behind the Water Heater is the Coil for The Air Conditioning. It gets very cold and very hot up here in Calgary, so you need to be prepared for both! That's what Dwight does -- Heating and Air Conditioning -- and that's how we were able to save up for this great big house!! ha,ha,ha! So 'extra hot' and 'extra cold' is good for us!

Thanks for 'Clickin' In'!! See you tomorrow!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!

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Saturday, November 1st! Wow! November! Hey, Baby! Are you 'undressed', yet? From your Hallowe'en Costume, I mean!! yuff, yuff! Aidan had a fabulous time out 'Trick or Treating'! After every house ( and we don't have very many in our little Estate Area, but for Aidan, there were millions of houses ... he was squealing, "Happy Hallowe'en" all night! ha,ha,ha! He started the day with his Batman costume, switched to his Caterpillar costume, then actually went out as 'The Hulk'. When you live in a Cold Climate, you always need to be prepared with a costume you can throw over your kid's giant winter coat -- so Aidan really did look like a little 'Hulk', because he's like a marshmallow in his winter gear! ha,ha,ha!

Dwight's home (he had to cancel his Hunting Trip -- WooHoo! The geese are safe for another year!!), and he's watching a Real Estate Show....there's a big surprise! It's either a Fishing Show or Real Estate! There are a few recurring questions that a lot of people have about Real Estate. The bottom line is that Real Estate is always a great Investment, and try to buy your own home (whatever size...) as soon as you possibly can, and that anytime is a good time to Buy or Sell Your Home. No need to 'wait 'til Spring', or think the only time to marlet your property is at the beginning of the summer. The concern there is generally from parents, who don't want their children to have to switch schools in the middle of the year.

I'll tell ya, as a teacher and a parent, it's not the end of the world if a child switches to a new school -- at any time. Sometimes it can be beneficial to the child (like a big move can be beneficial for you...). The Change affords you or your child the opportunity to 're-invent' themselves, should they want to. Especially in a situation of bullying or crazy stuff in one environment, can be eliminated by switching your environment. Sometimes, solving a big problem like that can be solved by one move.

If there is some aspect of the child you need to alter before the 'start fresh', make sure your child knows the problem and makes a concerted effort to change it. In a new school, they won't be dealing with long, long memories of past behaviour, and they'll stand a better shot at overcoming the problem. Plus, they'll learn how to make new friends, and adapt to a new environment, and these are skills essential for success later in life!

I'll have to transfer the Hallowe'en Pictures from my Video Camera to the computer so I can post them for you. And I took a couple of shots of some deer who were outside the Kichen window when I got up the other morning, but the sun was barely up, so I'm not sure how well you can see the deer. It's fun to wake up to stuff like that!

Now that it's November, and all the Christmas Holiday Stuff will be coming out, it'll just be a matter of time before I start to put up the Christmas Decorations. I am particularly fond of the Christmas Tree. I get around the 'It's too early for that Tree' from Dwight by gradually putting it up -- first the bare tree, then a few little lights...followed by an enormous amount of lights, then finally the decorations. My morning routine always involves a big 'circle, where I turn up the heat, turn on the kettles, switch on the Fireplace ,,, and soon I can add 'Turn on the Tree' to my little ritual! Can't wait!

Hey, when you have your Holiday Shopping to do (Christmas or Chanukah), swing in here for your Holiday On-line Shopping! Both of my Shopping Pages are full of cool stuff to send. I just sent Flowers to my Auntie Joyce through my site (FTD -- they're great!), and it was sooo easy. That's my new favorite way to shop! That and Costco!! ha,ha!

Swing into my Waaaay Better Shopping Page for FTD.com and Holiday Shopping!

Hey, you know what they had on the FTD Site, that I hadn't seen before? They had a Breast Cancer Awareness Bouquet that comes with a little Breast Cancer Awareness Pin -- lovely gift idea! It's in the '$45 - $55 Range -- you can click on the amount you'd like to spend and they'll show you everything they have in that range -- fantastic selection, too! I'm like a walking advertisement for them, but I really do like them a lot! I'll get you the link so you can check it out.

Hey, Dwight just switched onto a show about Cuba, and my parents happen to be vacationing there, right now. Man, it's gorgeous! My Dad looks a little bit like Castro, so that's pretty funny! It'll be interesting to hear what it's really like over there...

Tip of the Day: When you are Selling Your Home, do your own Advertising. You can add your Realtor's Name to your Ad, but getting your information out there is critical. We hear all the time that "The Realtor has me on MLS -- that's enough"... nope. Not always enough! Advertising On-line and in your Local Paper is a great addition to MLS. Don't forget the value of 'Word of Mouth'. Tell everyone you know that you're selling your house ... you never know who else they might know who is interested in making a Home Purchase! You always want to keep in mind that you are ultimately in charge of the Sale of your Property, and you have every right to do what you need to in order to Sell Your Home.

I'm going to get your 'Daily Pics Fix'! Be right back!!

I'm baaaack!! Here's what our Hallowe'en looked like! That's Aidan in his Caterpillar Costume, and Cara in her 'Disney Princess' Costume! And, yes, my children were born really far apart -- Cara was born in '88 and Aidan was born in '99! Very careful planning, indeed! ha,ha,ha!

Here's Aidan Drawing the Face(S) on the Pumpkin! Safe and fun!

And here's 'The Boy' in his Hulk Costume that he actually wore to go out, and his 'Loot' from Trick or Treating! Lots of Fun!!

Thanks for swingin' in! See you tomorrow!!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!

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Friday, October 31st! Happy Hallowe'en, you cute little monkey! That's what you're dressed up as, right? No?? Those traits are from your Mother's side? I should have said, "You hairy little fiend"... yes, yes. That's much better! ha,ha,ha!

Well, what did you dress up as, today? And what are the 'chilluns' wearing?? Let me just say, I love a man in a tutu! They're just sooo 'delicate'!! Aidan drew a couple of faces on his Pumpkin, this morning -- if you have small children, and you want them to decorate a pumpkin, just have them draw on the clean pumkin with Black Permanent Marker. It's fun for them and no knives are involved! Aidan is standing beside me while I'm working, and he keeps saying, "Mummy, I'm trying to warn you there's a werewolf out there..." Seriously! That's the sort of thing Aidan is concerned about! ha,ha!

Dwight installed the new Blower in the Lower Livingroom Fireplace, last night. Man, that thing really gives off a lot of heat, which we need because it went to -17 Degrees, last night! Yikes! Those wee 'Trick or Treaters' are going to be freezing, tonight! Anyway, if you want to increase your Fireplace Heat Output, a Blower is a great idea. Now, Dwight had pre-wired for this, so I would think it's a good idea to ask your Mechanical Contractor or Builder to add this in while you're at the Building Stage, to make this easier to install. Still, it should be a fairly simple process to add into an existing gas fireplace.

Two of my favorite Design Shows are on this morning -- Designer Guys and Designing for the Sexes. They both have fabulous Designers, and there is a fair bit of heavy-duty Renovations, which I like... pulling out a kitchen or bathroom, and completely re-doing it -- that's the sort of stuff I love to do!

Are you thinking about updating your Kitchen or Bathroom? I have some great Tips on my Tips & Recipes Page, but here's a couple of 'quickies' that you can do to make a big change for a relatively small amount of money. Switch the Hardware on the Cupboards. You can do this on your Bedroom Furniture, too. It's surprising what a small thing like that can do to the look of a room. You can find all sorts of cool Handles and Pulls on-line or at your local Hardware Store. Remember to measure the distance between the holes of the current Handles so the new ones will fit without drilling (and filling!) new holes.

I'll put in some pictures of our Kitchen, so you can see what Tiled Countertops look like, and I'll tell you how to do that, tomorrow!

Tip of the Day: When you're thinking of Renovating, or you're developing a brand new area, think of the Room as a big empty space, and draw out the room as you would most like to see it. Then, depending on your budget, see what will work for you that fits with your new vision and your budget. If you want to keep your existing Cabinetry, but you want to brighten it up, you can always paint it. We did this, once, and it was a lot more work than I had planned on ... especially the Interior of the Cabinets! Next time, I would hire a Company that can 'Spray' your Cabinets. You can also just replace the Cabinet Doors -- just be sure to take very careful measurements! Hey, you can spray your Appliances, too, and the Bathtub, as well!

And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!

Here's the Island in my Kitchen. It's about 9' X 5 1/2', which made it big enough to put in Double Dishwashers. I think I will always figure out some way to put in two Dishwashers in any future house, too, because the convenience is great! And that's my view from the Sink -- there's a beautiful Mountain and Tree View from the Island and from every window on the West Side of the house.

The Counters are all done in a Emerald Pearl 12" X 12" Granite Tile. It's gorgeous! The Granite Tile on the Countertops was no more difficult to lay than regular Tile -- it goes on much like you would do Wall Tile in a Bathroom. We matched the same Tile for the Fireplace Surrounds, and the Bar in the Billiards Room. Very nice accent to the Maple Cabinetry.

Thanks for droppin' by! See you, tomorrow!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!

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Thursday, October 30th. Hey, you Sweet Thing, You!! Only one more day 'til Hallowe'en! Have you got the Costumes ready, yet?? Aidan asked me, yesterday, to "Sew me up a Superman Costume"! He has 4 different 'potential' costumes, but all of a sudden, it's Superman! Ah, well! Cara is planning to be Sailor Moon and A Princess. She was going to be a 'Goth Princess', but that Black Lipstick was just a bit over-the-top! She's stickin' with 'Pretty'!

Hey, given that it's Hallowe'en, 'n all, tomorrow, this is a good time for you to delve into the 'paranormal', which is not the same as 'abnormal' (like the 'Abby Normal Brain' in Young Frankenstein!)... There's a new site I've just come across in the last week. I had just 'put' the 'Moon Over Mountains' pics on this At Home Page, then I clicked onto Rose's Site, and wouldn't you know it -- her Front Page is -- get this -- 'Moon Over Mountains'! Cool, eh? Anyway, it's an Astrological Site with the best Forecasts I've seen in years -- I think you'll get a kick out of it. She does Readings, too -- maybe I'll do that, again. The last time I did that, it was a truly amazing experience, and it was amazing how much clarity it gave me. I never scoff at anything until I try it (then, I might scoff, but never before! ha,ha,ha!)

Her website is www.rosemarcus.com. Go ahead and have a wee look -- it'll be fun! You know my bottom line on Astrology (Western or Eastern)? If it makes you feel good about yourself, points out some of your positive Traits, and might help to lead you in the right direction, then it's all good! And just in case you're interested, I'm Pisces and a Rabbit (in the Chinese Astrological Calendar!). I hope to God that means I'm a Lucky Schmuck!! I could use a wee bit of extra luck my way!

Here's the funny thing -- you know where I first came across Rose's Astrological Forecast? In a Financial Magazine that we get! Whodda thunk that??

Personal Horoscope!

We're still mired in snow, up here in Calgary, so all the Country School Busses were cancelled, so it's a 'Freebie' Day for Cara! And she still wants to go to school! Now that's dedication! We used to pray for Snow Days!!

Did you see Ed and The Bachelor, last night? I call it my 'Ed & Bob Night'! Seems appropriate. That's the closest I'll ever get to 'dating two men in one night', again! ha,ha,ha! I took careful note of 'Ed's' real name -- I thought it was Tom Cavanagh, I just wanted to be sure. He went to Queen's University at the same time that I was there -- cool, eh? It's a great Show, and I love the David Letterman 'Tidbits'!

The Bachelor is endlessly fun to watch -- Dwight loves it, too. It's a great Family Show, no??? ha,ha,ha! Good for Cara to see what dating can sometimes look like... Dwight primarily likes the Hot Tub scenes -- now there's a big surprise! And, of course, I am just as fascinated by the Blue Uplighting behind the Plants as I am by the Human Drama! But that's just me! yuff, yuff... But I thought fer sure that Meredith would stay another week -- I'm still rooting for Kelly Jo, though. She looks like really good 'marriage material'!

Tip of the Day: This is Garage-Related, because we had Phil here, yesterday, to fix our Garage Door. He was telling me about a terrible accident where two wee boys were playing in their garage, and the older brother pulled the Release Cord, causing the door to crash down on the other poor wee boy. Horrific story. You can easily prevent tragic accidents by being aware of the problem, to begin with, and taking actions to prevent them. The Tip is to Get on a Ladder and Duct Tape the Release Cord to the Door Opener. Make sure that everyone in the family knows not to play in the garage, and to make sure there are never any pets or children anywhere near the garage door when you're going to close it. Even with a 'Safety Sensor', it's better to err on the side of caution, right?

The other Garage related Tip is if you ever had a situation where the Power went out, or there was an Emergency and you had to get the Door Open Quickly, you (the adult!), can pull the Release Cord to Manually Open the Garage Door. Just good to know!

And now for Your Daily 'Pics Fix'!

Here are some of the Trees we just put in at the Front Entry. There are 5 Big Spruce Trees on one side, and 4 on the other, interspersed with smaller Trees and Shrubs. Looks lovely! Can hardly wait to put the Christmas Fairy Lights on all the Trees! It's very tricky to get a shot of what we actually see with the 'naked eye'. It's remarkable how many Trees are all around us -- this Estate Area used to be a Tree Farm, before it was Developed, so we totally scored with that!

So, First Picture: New Trees at the Front Entry. Second Pic: View from the Front Entry (it's all windowed, so lovely to look at!). Third Pic: View to the South of the Front Entry -- this is a stunning view -- we thought our whole focus was going to be the Mountains, but this Treed Area is soooo wonderful to look at, too. Fourth Pic: How we see the Trees out the Front Door or from any of the Windows on the Southeast Side of the House, the Sunroom and the especially the Sunroom Hot Tub Deck. Not bad, eh??

Well, thanks for coming in for a wee visit! Always lovely to 'see' you! Hey, wouldn't it be fun to really 'see' what we all look like? Maybe we all have the same smile! Who knows?? You could send me your pictures and I could try and figure out how to get them on the site! Could be fun!!

See you, tomorrow! Later, Baby! Ailsa!

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Hi! It's a 'Mid-Day' Pics Fix! The Snow Started to Fall, last night, and when we got up this morning, there was a ton of Snow! So of course I've got lots of pictures for you!

Look who's shocked at all the snow!! And that's how Tia deals with stress -- lucky dog!! ha,ha! Hey, there's my lastest Dave Barry Book that I'm reading, Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage &/or Sex, which was hilarious!

Poor wee Tia -- she spends a tremendous amount of time just looking at the snow, trying to decide whether she wants to go out in it, or not!! Usually, the 'or not' wins out!! ha,ha!

And here's the View from my Laundry Room, today! Look at my nice new trees! They're all wind and snow-swept! Poor wee things! And there's the Hot Tub -- not so very 'hot'!! That crazy Dwight better order that Hot Tub Cover, today, because I'm getting a little tired of cleaning it out sooooo often. And there's the 'Snow Storm in Action' in the last shot. That's the Back Deck, and it's about 10:00 in the morning... in OCTOBER!

Well, the upside of this storm is that Dwight has cancelled his Hunting Trip -- not for me, but because the Geese are apparently a lot smarter than us and have left for the Winter!! So the Geese are gone and the Roads are bad -- the Boy's stayin' home. Good, 'cause I hate driving in bad weather, and we have a ton of stuff to do, this weekend!

Oh, and the 'Garage Door Guy' came and fixed the Garage Door, temporarily, until the new Parts come in. At least Dwight can get his Truck out of the Garage! And then I can get my Van back!! YaaHoo! Thanks to Phil from High Country Overhead Doors! I'll put him on my Business & Classifieds Page!

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Wednesday, October 29th. Hi, Honey! Welcome 'Home'!! How ya' been?? We've had a bizarre thing happen -- nothing too crazy, but it could have been a very bad accident. When Dwight got home, last night, and parked in the garage, the door wouldn't close properly. So, of course, he immediately got his tools out to fix it. And who was the helper? Me! So all through the 'fixing process', I'm saying to Dwight, "Take extra care -- this looks really dangerous..." Well, wouldn't you know it, after a fair bit of 'door manipulation', the double door crashed down from about 5 feet off the ground. Thank God I was up on the Stairs and Dwight was a good 10 feet away, but it was really scary.

Tip of the Day: (It's early, today -- Always call the Right Guy for the Job -- before anyone gets hurt. There are just some jobs that require a professional in the field, and the Garage Doors are definitely one of them. So Dwight called the guy and hopefully they'll be over today!

The Fires in California are all over the News, so I've been thinking about how you can prepare for a disaster. It's a hard thing to even think about, but it can make you feel better if you have a plan. God Forbid there were ever a reason you had to evacuate your home, but if you did, there are some key items you might want to take with you.

First things, first, the kids and pets! (Of course!!) Your Spouse (you'll need them to help carry stuff...!). Pictures and Personal Momentos -- not tooooo many -- just the really important ones. Legal Documents, including your Passports, Insurance Info, and other Documents that would be hard to Duplicate. Some Clothes and Toiletries. Just the Basics. It's surprising how much stuff we all accumulate that can all be replaced.

You know what I could never really understand? Why don't they call in the Army at the first sign of serious danger from these devasting Fires? I don't get that. Maybe someone out there in 'Computerland' knows... I should ask my buddy, Wayne, who is a Major, what the deal is...

If there is information on my site that you think might help someone to rebuild their house, please send this along to them. Every little bit of help is good in a difficult situation.

So I was looking through some boxes for my old Resume, yesterday, in case I want to Apply for 'an actual job', (I'm thinking about it... my site is still not profitable enough, but I'm still working away on it...), and I came across a whole lot of 'old writing'. I used to write Childrens' Stories -- 'The Greed Monster', that came with a catchy little song, 'My Cousins Are Coming, My Cousins Are Coming', 'The Fairy Princess Ballerinas', a Recipe Book with Pictures of Muscle-bound men (!), an old Script for Ben Johnson -- all about him, of course(!), an entire Romance Novel --'The Color of Love'... and Three Simpsons Scripts... That's a lot of writing that I've done absolutely nothing with! Man! I wonder what I should do with it all? I just put it all back -- I still need to find my resume!

I'll let you know how the Garage Door Guy thing goes!

Meanwhile, here's your 'Daily Pics Fix'!

This is the View from My Laundry Room, where I spend a fair portion of my day -- I know, I know -- you want to clean all day, too! It's a dream come true, all right!

And here's the New Sunroom Deck with the Hot Tub.

Thanks for swingin' in! See you tomorrow!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!

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Tuesday, October 28th. Yo, Baby, How you doin'??? Have you looked out your Hallowe'en Costume, yet? Cara mentioned to me last night at, oh, about 8:00pm, that she was going to need two separate costumes... so I think I've convinced her to wear her gorgeous 'Princess Dress' that she got from Disneyland when we were there in the summer. Cara doesn't want anything to happen to it, since it's the first really 'big' item that's she's paid for with her own money! Isn't that cute?? There's no point saving something forever -- might as well enjoy it while you have it, right? There's a good 'life lesson' for her (and us!). So after I write this I'll have to go out to the garage and see if I can find all her old Sailor Moon stuff, since that's her second costume-of-choice...

Hey, guess what? Today's the Day when Ellen Degeneres's's's (Think'Homer'!!)... new Book comes out! WooHoo! Her books are absolutely hilarious, and she is going to donate a portion of the proceeds to three different Charities : The Susan G. Coleman Breast Cancer Foundation, The Peace Games Program, and the American Red Cross, to help the people dealing with the aftermath of the terrible fires in California. So you'd be getting a great book and helping out some great causes, too.You can click on My Book Page, and check out lots of my favorite books (I have a lot!). I'll give you the direct link, here, too... I'll just 'go get it'... (Hey, you know what? You can swing by Ellen's Site to have a few laughs and make a Donation on-line to help the folks in the California Fires!)

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The Funny Thing is...

There was a Section on the News, last night, about Trans-Fats (not to be confused with 'Trans-Gendered Fats, which is an entirely different story...!), and it turns out I was right to stick with my favorite Butter!! Yipee! Thank God for that, since I really love butter, and never did have any intentions of 'switching over'! It's always good to know what all the ingredients are in your food, right?! So here's how you can recognize 'Trans-Fats' if they're not identified on the Label -- they can go under the name of pretty much anything that starts with 'Hydrogenated', 'Partially Hydrogenated', and sometimes just 'Vegetable Shortening'... tricky, eh? I don't get why the Trans-Fats can't be identified as art of the Break-down of the Fat portion of the Food Item. Maybe Consumers can have a wee say about this...!

I just checked my e-mail to my Site (buildyourownhouse@hotmail.com), and I got an Update from the American Humane Society. I have a link to them on Tia's Page (The Dog!), and they are very worried about the animals who are being affected by the Fires in California. So here's the Link to get some info on what's going on .. and maybe you'll see a pet you'd like to Adopt!!

www.americanhumane.org

Tip of the Day: Here's a little tip to help you clean out your Closets, Storage Area, or Garage (or all three!!) and help some other folk at the same time -- Did you know there are Bins all over your City or Town where you can drop off your gently used items? Now, don't be mean and throw out your spouse's favorite old Sweatshirt -- they hate that sort of thing!! Dwight threw out my favorite pair of Black Walking Shoes that I was just about to have re-soled, because he thought they were 'too old'. I'll tell you who's 'too old'...anyway, I was, of course, livid, because he was always throwing away my stuff, and never his own. Those days are pretty much over, now, because I told Dwight that he would be the next to go before any more of my 'stuff'... you say that sort of thing when you're married!! And then you go have lunch...but I'll tell ya, it's nerve-racking when you see Dwight strolling the house with a garbage bag!

Now back to the Tip! You can Bag up or Box any old clothes, blankets, toys, anything you have that would be useful to someone else that you no longer need, and drop it off in the Bins or a Local Drop-off point. Just a nice thing to do!

And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!

Here's Ron, The Landscaper (!), helping me put the Trees around the Circular Drive. It was a huuuge fight to get Dwight to agree to the Circular Drive, but we have the land for it, and it totally suits this house, so he finally agreed... and it looks great, of course!

Thanks for 'Clickin' In'! See you tomorrow! Later, Baby! Ailsa!

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If you're still looking for something cool for Hallowe'en, check out my Brand Spankin' New Shopping Page! There's a bunch of great stuff on there, and a whole section just for Hallowe'en Stuff!

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Monday, October 27th. Hey, Baby! What's up?? Can you believe it's almost Hallowe'en?? Cara loooves Hallowe'en, and Aidan likes the idea of it. Last year, he was all excited about the prospect of 'free candy' (!), but when it actually came time for him to put on his Costume (a giant Caterpillar...), he point-blank refused. Wouldn't do it. And he was very upset that other kids were coming to the door to get his candy... so the whole concept was lost on him! Ah, well. We'll try again, this year!

My favorite Hallowe'en Costume (and there have been a lot of great ones!) was the year I wore a Black Slip (yes, with a leotard under it!!) with a big Sash that read: FREUD. Yep. I was a 'Freudian Slip'... ha,ha,ha,ha! It's a great costume for a woman or a man -- I'm just thinking, it would be particularly funny for a man because of all the other implications! yuff, yuff!

Well, we got a tremendous amount of work done on the weekend. The whole Tiled Floor in the Kitchen, Dining Room, Laundry Room and the Pantry is done! Finally! I don't know why I couldn't get Dwight motivated to complete that job with me -- maybe because it seemed mainly cosmetic to him, but it looks fantastic, now! My knees are killing me, though, so no more kneeling for me for a long time! Lucky I'm Presbyterian! yuff, yuff!

Did you remember to turn your clocks back? It's my one opporutunity to correct the time on my computer -- without having to learn something new!! Dwight was going over his Insurance Programs again, last night,so it seemed like there were a whole lot of extra hours right there. On the upside of the Time Change, it's light out when I get up, now, and by the time it's dark again in the morning, the Christmas Trees will be up, so it's all good!

Tip of the Day: Surprise! It's another Grouting Tip! But you can use this to clean your regular Floors, too -- except for Hardwood Floors -- that'll take a team of experts... After you've Grouted your Tiled Floors, and the Grout has Set, wash them down with a Mop and a mixture of Hot Soapy Water with about a Cup of Vinegar in it. It takes the haze away from the Tile. I actually went over the Floors a few times to make sure the haze was all gone, to prevent 'people' from tracking the Grout Dust all over the house.

And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

Here's the Hot Tub before we were finished the Deck -- Tia is always strolling around it! The other two pictures are of the Hot Tub through the Sunroom, which is adjacent to the Master Bedroom. Oh, hey! You can see the New Railing through the Windows in the 2nd shot.

Dwight and I went out to measure the Tub for the new Hot Tub Cover, this morning. There was a 'discussion' over how to 'Trace the Arc' around the Corners, so here's how Dwight did it -- you get a large piece of cardboard (we used a pizza box from the weekend!), and hold it above the Arc. You trace the Arc from the bottom, by running the pencil along the edge of the Arc. I traced that picture onto another sheet of paper, then Dwight can Fax it to the Hot Tub Cover Guy, Bob, later today. We should get our new cover in a couple of weeks.

Okay. Better go get the dishes done! Thanks for coming in for a wee visit! See you tomorrow!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!

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