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Archived At Home with Ailsa
December 7th - December 1st, 2003.
Sunday, December 7th. Hello, Darling! Man, you're looking lovely, today! Are your Eyes sparkling, or are they Pure Glass?? ha,ha! At the most, you maybe have one Glass Eye... One way or another, I don't want you to glaze over like I do when Dwight starts in with the Plumbing details! har, har!
Have you started your Holiday Shopping, yet? We were out at Costco to get a good handle on our Christmas Shopping, then I'll do the rest on-line. Do you know it's much less expensive to buy on-line than it is to go into the Store? You know why? It's because when you go int the Store, you see a million things you instantly feel you must buy. I call it the 'Gotta Have It' Syndrome...and I got it, Baby!! I'm endlessly amazed at the few people who can walk out of Costco with 2 or 3 little Items! How do they do that?? We can't seem to get out of the store without Two Full Shopping Carts -- ah, well. I'll put that down to the Party and Christmas...
Anyway, the rest of the stuff I'll buy on-line (through My Site, of course!! And I really hope you do your Holiday Shopping through me, too!!). I tend to go straight to the Products I'm looking for, or browse through a bunch of Sites until I find something really unique and cool, and not buy any pies or cakes along the way!! ha,ha!
You know the Gifts I was telling you about giving to the Needy Families in our Town? Well, it dawned on my last night (about 2:00 am when I was working on my Site!) that I had missed a really large gift for the Donation. I put 2 and 2 together and remembered that Aidan had said to me quite casually the HE was a 'needy child', and I had told him that all the Gifts were for children who really needed the toys... well, wouldn't you know it? I asked Aidan in the morning if he could quickly run and get any gifts we might have missed to take them into the children, and he ran to his room and brought out three more presents...! That Boy! He's a little trickster...! So I got them all back, and I'll take them in, tomorrow...
We're in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and we've had a lot of Road Constructuion, lately. A brand new Freeway just opened up a few miles from our House, which does wonders for making our Commute much faster (WooHoo!). Well, we took the new road to Costco, today, and it shaved 25 minutes off the drive because the road by-passes the City... it's a beautiful new road (yep, we love roads!!), and the Views from the Road are spectacular, especially down by the River. So of course all I could think of was the Future Housing Developments that will be sure to shoot up around the new road! Can't wait!
Here's an extra little Tip for you -- whenever you see a new roadway go in, watch carefully for new Developments to crop up, then go see if there's some Land you can Buy in there... You might even consider moving from your current home into a Brand New one -- the Home Values shoot right up in Brand New Developments! (YaaHoo! That's a great way to make a big pile of money! Which reminds me -- Aidan has been going around these days with a handful of coins, saying he's "Filthy Stinking Rich!!" Isn't that hilarious?! I bet he will be, too, what with all the personal positive affirmations, 'n all!! ha,ha,ha!)
Tip of the Day: Today's Tip is a Parenting Tip, but really you can use this through-out your life... Whenever you need to know the Truth of a Matter, or need absolute compliance ("Could you run and get me those Toys, please??"...), use a quiet voice, and talk as calmly and rationally as you possibly can. Trust me, this is a learned behaviour, but it'll get you far better results than immediately going down the 'screaming loonie' path! ha,ha! Sometimes it's next to impossible to pull this off, but try it a few times and see if it works for you.
You know one of the key 'people' this works for -- Tia, our little dog!! ha,ha,ha! She's a nervous we thing, and if she's been a bad girl, and she knows it, shell immediately do 'a widdle' all over the floor when you even walk toward her to give her a row! (A 'row' -- ryhmes with 'cow' -- is a Scottish Word for 'getting into trouble' or 'a scolding') So we've learned from Tia to talk gently and get her to understand -- otherwise, we'd be running after her with our bottle of Oxy-Clean and a towel!!
Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it, already, Oxi-Clean really does eliminate any 'Pet Messes' or any other Stains -- it's the most amazing Cleaning Product on the Market, bar none. I would never be without it! I keep a big Tub of it in my Laundry Room, and make up Spray Bottles that can easily be grabbed for an 'Emergency Spill'.You know what's funny? Dwight is a total Clean Freak, and he was beside himself that someone was going to spill on the carpet at the party, last weekend. Well, someone did spill -- can you guess who it was? That's right -- Dwight! He's surprisingly forgiving with himself, though ... what would make him really mad if someone else did it is completely okay if Dwightie does it!! Aidan and Dwight -- they're two peas in a pod!! ha,ha,ha!
Now here's your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!
Here's Aidan, Tia and Dwight -- that's Tia's look when she thinks she's in trouble! Isn't she cute?? ha,ha,ha! That's Aidan and Dwight in our Master Bedroom looking through the Sunroom. The Third picture is of the Three of them out in the Garden -- that's actually the View from the Sundeck and the South and Front of the House. I couldn't get that in the shot from the other day... so here it is, now!
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Oh, and you can really see the Berber Carpet, too! Berber is very easy to live with, and particularly easy to clean, on the off-chance that somebody spills on your carpet!
Thanks for Swingin' in for a Wee Visit!! See you, tomorrow!!
Later, Baby! Ailsa!!
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Hi! This is a very useful Program -- I had the worst Worm in my computer in the summer, and this is a good source to ward against losing your material on your computer... :)
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Saturday, December 6th. Hi, Honey-Babe!! I hope you got to sleep in, this morning!! It's always fun to relax on the Weekend, until you have to get started on all your Weekend Projects... I think we'll have a look at the Fireplace Surround, this afternoon. I'd rather get that done than the Countertop on the Bar -- besides, Dwight still has to pick up a Bar Sink and Install it before we can Tile the Countertop, anyway. So the Fireplace it is! I'll let you know if I can convince the Boy to get it done!! I guess I'll be making French Toast for Breakfast -- that usually works in my favor! ha,ha,ha!
I finally found a place to bring in all the Gifts and Food we got from our lovely Party Guests for our 'Giving Tree' last weekend. It turned out the the Fire Department in our little local Town doesn't do that (the vast majority of Fire Stations in Larger Centers do accept Donations, though...), but they were very kind when I went in to see them, and they directed me to our Local Community Center where there is a Community Outreach Program.
So I went in and talked to a very lovely woman, Sherri, who is a Co-ordinator with the Okotoks Healthy Family Resource Centre, and they already have 39 families in need of Donations this Christmas. It was wonderful to be able to go in with our Baskets of Food and Gifts -- my hope is that tons and tons of people will pick up on this idea of having a 'Giving Tree' at their Holiday Get-Togethers so we can all raise a ton of stuff for people in need.
I need to give the Manager at WalMart a shout -- I think I saw a Donation Bin there, so I'd like to know if people who do have these Giving Tree Parties can easily drop off their Donated Items there. It would be great if we all had a really easy way to Donate our stuff. I'll find out and let you know. Everyone but Paris Hilton knows where WalMart is (ha,ha,ha!), so that would make a really good Drop-off Point. Plus, they always do wonderful things in the Community, so we'll see if that might work...
In the mean-time, go ahead and take your Donations to your Local Fire Station or Community Center. Sometimes Grocery Stores and Shopping Malls will have a Drop Off Location, too. the important thing is to get as much stuff as we can into the hands of those who need it. For the Holidays, and then the rest of the year, too...
Tip of the Day: Do you have an old Brick Fireplace that smacks of the Brady Bunch House? Not that Mike Brady didn't design a fabulous house, that's for sure...!! But if you want to bring your House up into the wild and optomistic future (2004!!), consider Painting the Brick. It's really easy to do, and makes the world of difference to the look of the Fireplace. You have to start with a Primer to coat the Brick -- it soaks up a lot of Paint. Then put your Chosen Color on -- one or two coats ought to do the job, and whammo, you're in the Present!! And then your friends won't constantly hum the Brady Bunch Theme under their breathes every time they come over, anymore!! ha,ha,ha!
Here's your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!
These are some 'Before and After' Shots of the Fireplace in the Great Room. I can't get enough of that picture -- I really love it. I hope I can solve that annoyink problem with my Videowave III so I can show you the Brand New Living Room Shots... with Drapes 'n Everything!!
This is an Extra-Large Fireplace, since the area is so large -- a normal sized one would have been dwarfed in this room, and looked silly. It's the same Fireplace Downstairs in the Lower Living Room. With any luck, and considerable persuasion, the Lower Level Fireplace will look like this by the end of this Weekend -- wish me luck!! (Note the goigeousLandscaping Fabric we used as Drapes before we put up the fabulous Window Treatments from Linens 'N Things!!)
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This is the Lower Living Room Fireplace -- looks just a tad plain, right now, don't you think?? This is pre-plants and other decoration, too!! Ah, well... you've got to start somewhere!! (Oh, the giant Elephant in the room, so-to-speak, is Aidan's 'Mimi' -- his favorite stuffed animal. He drags her all over the house, and occasionally makes her eat the dog's food, which Tia really appreciates! ha,ha,ha!)
And hey, check it out! I finally found the picture of the Christmas Tree reflected in the Mirrored Cabinet Door in the Kitchen! I looked everywhere for that the other day!! And, it still works with today's theme because you can see the Fireplace in it! Scooore!!
Thanks for coming in for a Visit!! See you tomorrow!!
Later, Baby! Ailsa!!
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Friday, December 5th. Hey, Sweet Thang!! How you doin'?? Friday, already! Where does the week go?? I was going to place an Ad in the Local Paper to Sell Our House, since we thought we'd 'Play the Market' (test the market to see who's buying -- we do that when we're sort of ready to sell, but not quite sure... that way, if there's a quick bite, fine, and if not, you pull the House off and wait for another Month to 3 Months...). But I could not get Dwight to commit to a firm Yes or No on that one, so I'll have to leave it until next week. The House looks gorgeous at Christmastime, so I think it would be a good time to Show it...
Did you watch Survivor last night? We love that Show -- all those Beaches and Bee-otches, if you know what I mean!! ha,ha,ha! I do not like Sandra, but she might end up the Winner... I am very fond of Burton, but that's mostly because he's soooo good looking! I'm deep, that way!! ha,ha,ha! I always love that no one ever seems to know how to spell the person's name that they're voting out... of course, the last thing you want to hear on your way to Tribal Council is,"Say, how do you spell your name, again??" har, har!
Hey, you know what I was thinking when I was packing up the Toy and Food Donations we got from our Generous Guests from our 'Giving Tree' at our Holiday Party, last Sunday? I was thinking that if each School, Business, Company, Library (and Holiday Parties, of course!!) -- anywhere that People Gather of Go Regularly -- and set up a Giving Tree and Food Baskets. Just think that if even 50% of all Students, Employees, Visitors gave one Gift and/or Food Item, how much Stuff we could Donate. Often people want to Give, but don't know where to take it, or they have a little bit of Money to Spend, so they feel like they can't Donate until they have a huuuge amount... We should change that because every little bit counts, right?
Oh, yeah. That reminds me -- you know what one of my favorite Fundraising Ideas is (aside from the Buffs -- I'd still like to see them for Every School and College, not to mention Teams and Groups...) the 50/50 Draw. Our Local Lions Club is holding one to Raise Money to Support the Alberta Games 2004 next Summer -- it's Sports-related... I don't get why these aren't used all the time for pretty much everything. Here's the very simple way the Lions Club put this Raffle together -- they have a little locked Box with a Stack of Tiny Envelopes and some pens beside the Box (in a Store). People who want to Support the Cause put a Loonie (a Canadian Dollar in Coin Form... -- not trying to shove some idiot into the envelope -- I tried but Dwight wouldn't get in! ha,ha,ha,ha!) into the Envelope, Seal It, then write your Name and Number on the Envelope. See how Easy??
At the end of the Day, they do a Draw for Half the Money they've taken in, then all that's left is to count the Money they have left and do it again... No Muss, No Fuss. Now I know there is a 'Gambling Controversy' in this type of Fundraising, but I'm pretty sure God's Okay with raising Funds for Good Causes, AND someone else can benefit, too. And the person who wins can always Donate their Winnings right back to the Cause, if they feel that way. I'm thinking He's more concerned about Criminal Behaviour and people cheating at Scrabble, or something...! ha,ha,ha!
Well, Dwight came home early, yesterday, to have a good look at the Hot Tub... that boy's craaazy! He was mad that it won't hold Water, and it's too cold to really work on it, so he says he's gonna 'Rip the Whole Thing Out...' There's considerably more swearing involved, but I'll spare you the details!! You probably won't recognize the words, anyway, because it's been soooo long since we've all seen The Sopranos...! yuff, yuff! So after he calmed down, I said to him that we were NOT going to Rip anything out -- I am going to call 'The Hot Tub Doctor'...I hope he exists, since I already told Dwight that I'd seen his Ad!! Ah, well. It's frustrating dealing with outdoor problems when your hands are frozen!
Oh, you know what's been happening, lately? I've been developing Allergies to a lot of different kinds of Foods and Drinks. I'd heard about that, that if you didn't have any Allergies as a kid that you could develop them in your 30's and 40's. Now here's the weird thing -- I can't Drink Apple Juice or Orange Juice Plain, but add some Alcohol and I'm good to go!! ha,ha,ha! So, of course that leaves me with no choice but to add Malibu Rum to my Orange Juice and Spiced Rum & Vanilla Rum to my Hot Apple Cider! No wonder my weeks are flying by!! ha,ha,ha,ha! But it must change the Molecular Structure -- that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it! har, har!
Tip of the Day: Well, I have a wee boy, as you all know, so Today's Tip is a Toilet Training Tip -- how exciting, I know!! But if you're a parent of a 'challening child', this might make your life better! If you're having a tough time Training your Child, have them make a trip into the Bathroom every 15 minutes. Gradually increase the time -- 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour, until your Child recognizes on their own when they need to head for the Bathroom. And keep plenty of Pull-Ups in stock!! They're a life saver!
It's a very strange thing when you're in a really nice Executive House when you have to Toilet Train. Definitely, you want to avoid any 'accidents', 'cause you don't want anything to get wrecked up, so it's a little trickier... So many of us are parents at a 'later' age when we have more 'stuff', and you want to make sure it all stays clean...
And Puppy Training is a little like that, too! You know what I would do with a new Puppy when you're training them? I learned this when Tia was really little, and we took her for a walk down to the River and she ended up getting a bug from the water she accidentally drank... Poor wee thing -- she was really, really ill, so I sent Dwight down to the Drugstore to get some Diapers, and put them on her. Solved the problem while we were waiting for that horrible bug to get through her... So the Puppy Training Tip is to go ahead and get some Diapers (we call them 'Nappies"!) and put them on your Puppy. Maybe not a bad idea for really old dogs, too, just in case!
Oh, did you see the new Ad I put on last night for Cornerstore Hardware? They're at the very top of this Page. You can follow the Link and then you can Ask Any Home-Related Question you like! You can ask me, too, of course, but it's great to have different Sources for Information!
Now here's your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!
These are shots of the Sunroom Deck -- it's fun watching the Progression of a Build. There's a Steel Frame underneath the Hot Tub so we could build it right into the Deck, which is cool. I took the 'Side Views' out of Aidan's Bedroom Corner Window.
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And the middle shot is from the Sunroom Deck looking back toward the Sunroom, which I love! It's hard to pin down which Room is my favorite, because every room is sooo very nice, but the Sunroom and my Office are right up there at the top of my List!!
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It's hard to see the Views from this Deck, since what we see with the naked eye is quite different that what the Camera captures, but it is a spectacular View, particularly if you like Trees, which I do!!
Thanks for coming in for a wee visit! Thanks you so much for clicking on my Advertisers, too! I really appreciate your Support!! See you tomorrow!!
Later, Baby! Ailsa!!
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Thursday, December 4th. Good morning, Sunshine! I hope it's a nice cheery day for you! The sun is just coming up over the Mountains, here -- it's all pink and light blue -- very pretty! (I can see the Mountains from my Office, when I'm not watching Ellen or my keyboard!! Must learn to type without looking at the keys! Aaah, that'll never happen -- I don't have that kind of time!!) We have a massive amount of Snow already, this year -- the Mountains are completely covered -- they look gorgeous! It's great for the Skiers -- they love it, and I think there's a good 2 feet in the Mountains, if not more. That's a lot for the beginning of December! We still have another 5 months of Winter!!
Oh, that reminds me -- there's an ad on TV late at night for a Mountain Resort out here, and they have a nice website you might like to have a peek at -- www.kickinghorseresort.com . It's fun to look at stuff like that!
We are having the worst time with our Garage Door -- Dwight actually got stuck on some ice on his way into the Garage last night, then after we finally got the Truck into the Garage, the Door wouldn't close with the Door Opener, so Dwight had to disconnect the Opener and close it Manually... so Dwight called the Company where we bought the Doors and they're going to come out to see if what the real problem is. Apparently there's some thing called 'cross-talk' (like on The View when all the 'girls' talk at the same time...! ha,ha,ha!). It can happen when you have more than one Garage Door and the Signals from one door get crossed with the signals from the other door. What happens is the litle Signal Lights at the bottom of the Doors feed over to the opposite door, so one door says to Open, but the other door sends the message to Close... so the Door gets stuck and someone ends up swearing...
Hey, have you heard about the new Male Birth Control Needle thing? I heard about it on the News a few weeks ago, and have been meaning to look it up on the Internet. According to the News Report, it's an Annual Needle and must stop Sperm Production for the whole year...must look into that -- wouldn't that be huge in preventing Teen Pregnancy?? That would change a lot of lives if we could, as a society, get kids into Full Adulthood before they had children of their own. And it would be great for women over 35 who really shouldn't be on the Pill anymore, if their husbands are too afraid to 'get fixed'... You know the phrase,"Let me fix you up" can carry a scary message for the 'Over 35 Male'!! ha,ha,ha,ha!! (You might be surprised at how much I'm laughing over that!! ha,ha,ha!) Drop me a line if you know anything about this new Birth Control Needle (it's out of Europe -- Spain, I think...), and I'll get it on the Site.
See how we're not just Building, anymore?? ha,ha,ha! But we're always Building -oriented, of course!! Did you see the new Show Extreme Makeover : Home Edition, last night? Ty Pennington is the Main Guy (you know Ty from Trading Spaces -- he's the very good looking and incredibly talented Carpenter...), and they took a '60's Home that badly needed Renovation and completely redid it -- it was amazing! Cara, our 15 year old, is the one who made us watch it -- it's wonderful to have a Teenager who has an interest and solid understanding of Real Estate and Building. That kind of knowledge will set her up for life, so we're thrilled! (If you know any Teenagers or Young Adults, please send my Site along to them -- the earlier you get started saving your Money and buying property, the better off we'll all be! More Money = Less Crime = Greater Happiness = Better Parenting, and the cycle continues...!)
They had a little blurb at the end of the Show about where you can go to get more info about the Show or to put your own name in for a Possible Reno on your home ... Go to www.abc.com , Keyword: home makeover . Hey, someone has to be picked -- why not you?? ha, ha! Oh, and Oprah has a Home Makeover with her fabulous Designer, Nate, that you can put your name in for on her Site, too. Click on www.Oprah.com and you'll find your way around, no bother.
Tip of the Day: Today's Tip is a Decorating Tip! When you are wondering what kind of colors should you redo your House, or Decorate your Brand New House, look to your favorite Artwork. The colors that you are drawn to are most likely found repetitively in the pieces you love the best. We have a very large Picture in the Great Room that has all of our House Colors in it -- it's a Stevenson. Even the Landscape here is reflective of the Picture! I didn't realize that until we moved in, and it was a rainy day -- the road looked like a river (the shim of the water on the road...), and it was almost identical to the picture! Cool, eh?
Let me go see if I can find a shot of that picture...I wish I could figure out how to get my stooopid Videowave to let me capture my new shots to my computer... then I could just go take new shots. Ah, well.
And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!
Well, That's the closest I could find to a picture of 'The Picture' ... it's the picture to the Left of Oprah (see how it's all tying together, what with my earlier reference to Oprah!! ha,ha!). It's a Deep Brown Frame that had a picture of a Spitfire Airplane in it -- not happening in my Living Room, so I switched when Dwight was out one night (I was pregnant with Aidan at the time, and did things like that all the time!!) with a Stevenson Print. Much, much better!
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And the pictures of Tia are not only hilarious (Tia is endlessly entertaining to me!! ha,ha!), but she's looking right at the View that reflects the Stevenson Print in the Great Room. She's hangin' about in Aidan's Bedroom in these shots.
Thanks for coming in to se me, today! See you tomorrow!
Later, Baby! Ailsa!!
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Wednesday, December 3rd. Hey, Sweet Baby! How you doin'? Mid-Week, already ... and only 22 Shopping Days before Christmas! Yikes! Must get my Shopping done...over the last few years I've done my shopping Early, but this year things are so much 'up in the air', that I have done very little... I tend to buy a lot of stuff on-line (that's why I like my Shopping Pages so much -- I use them myself!!), then head into Costco for all my 'Local Gifts'. I love their Gift Baskets and have already said to Dwight numerous times to (For God's Sake, I always add...!!)get me the 'Tower of Chocolates' for Christmas, and a really great Book. That's really all I need to have a great Christmas Day! That and stuff for the kids, of course!!
Last week when I was shoping at Costco for our Holiday Party, I picked up a Dart Board. I used to love playing Darts when I was a teenager (then sporadically after that...! Mostly in Bars! ha,ha,ha!). My Dad and I used to like playing 'Around the World', where you have to get the Dart in each 'section' around the Dart Board. Back then, I would spend countless hours learning and practicing any new skill until I perfected it... I played the Flute (also the Clarinet, but that was when I was much younger... and the Piano, but never that successfully..), too, and spent at least 3 hours a day practicing. I think that's a good Life Habit -- to work on whatever you're doing, or enjoy doing, until you're really good at it. Why not? You never know where your Gifts are unless you work away at them, right?? (No ... not your Christmas or Chanukah Gifts ... your Personal Gifts and Talents... ha,ha,ha,ha!)
Getting back to the Dart Board -- so I wanted Dwight to put it up in time for the Party, but he refused... He says people might miss the Dart Board and get the Dart right in the wall. So then we thought we would get some sort of giant Cork Board to hang on the wall behind the Dart Board, then the whole thing got waaaay out of hand and the Dart Board is still in it's box in my Gift-Wrapping Room... Ah, well. I'll never change Dwight... But I do have the perfect spot for it on the opposite side of the Bar.
Hey, have you seen this week's Episode of The O.C.? Man, I love that Show. They have a running gag on celebrating 'Chrismakah', since one of the Main Characters, 'Seth', has a Jewish Dad and a 'Waspie' Mom!! ha,ha! Sooo funny! The O.C. airs on a Wednesday on Fox, I think -- we have Satellite, since we're in the country, so our favorite shows are typically on over and over again...! They deal with all sorts of controversial topics, too, but it's an incredibly well written and well acted Show. I hope it stays around for many, many more seasons!
We got our Garage Door fixed, again, yesterday. We're having a terrible time with the Big Garage Door -- but it looks like the problem has been solved, now. Apparently there's a little button on the back of the Garage Door Opener (you have to get up on the Ladder to see it...), and you can change the tension of the belt that pulls the Door up. I like to have a professional deal with anything where I think someone might get hurt, so the guys come out from Phil Mosig's company, 'High Country Overhead Doors'. Those guys are great!
Tip of the Day: There are a couple of easy ways to protect your Drywalled walls from damage from a Dartboard (or other games involving throwing sharp objects at a relatively small target!!). One is to put a great big Cork Board behind the Dart Board, or a big piece of plywood with the Dart Board attached to it, leaned up against the Wall. And keep the small kids (and people too stooopid to know better) from running in between you and the Dart Board when you're playing... And then get some Zoloft for the person who can't cope with anything that might be fun to do around the house! ha,ha,ha!
Now let me go get you some nice new pictures!
Here's your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!
I was trying to find a cool picture I took a while ago (because my Videowave III is still preventing me from capturing my brand new pics to my computer -- annoyink!!) of the Christmas Tree reflected in the Mirrored Cabinet Door, because it's a good way to show you haw nice a feature that is...
Anyway, you can see the Mirrored Cabinet Doors in these two shots -- if I come across the other ones, I'll post them for you, or just take new ones! Now that the Christmas Tree is up, again, it's nice to see how many times it's reflected in the house -- in the Cabinet Doors, the French Glass Doors, the Windows and Artwork -- it's like having a zillion Trees in the room! Very cool!
One of the nice things about putting in Mirrors instead of regular or 'fancy glass' in your Cabinet Doors is (aside from being able to look at yourself all the time! ha,ha,ha!) that you don't have to worry about how neat everything is behind the Cabinet Door... Plus, if you have a nice View, you'll be able to see it in the Mirrors. I love to look at the Mountains in the Mirrored Reflection, the TV (never miss a minute of any show, ever...! ha,ha,ha!), and the Christmas Tree. If you enlarge these shotsand peak 'into the cabinets', you'll see the Peak Windows reflected -- cool, eh??
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And since I've mentioned the Garage Doors so often, lately, here they are -- that's the Front and Side Views of the House. I think the Garage is 36' X 26', so an Over-sized Triple Attached Garage. The next time we build a house, provided there's an enormous Lot and we have a ton of money, will have a Five-Car Garage, which I think is very practical, what with Two Kids, 'n all!! ha,ha,ha! Oh, and these Views are 'Pre-Trees' -- we've put in about 28 Trees in the Front since then, and a bunch of Shrubs and stuff. Looks very pretty!
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Thanks for swingin' in for a wee visit! See you tomorrow! Feel free to bring a friend!
Later, Baby! Ailsa!!
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Tuesday, December 2nd. Hey, Baby! What up?? Man, I still can't believe it's December! And this month always flies by ... Aidan and Cara started their Advent Calendars, yesterday -- did you do this when you were a kid?? I used to go mad for the '24th', since it always had a 'double window' and a great big chocolate -- you can see I've always been motivated by chocolate! ha,ha,ha,ha! One year I got Cara a gorgeous Advent Calendar with little Religious Sayings for each day, which she did not appreciate...that really only works with kids when the Biblical Message is accompanied with some sort of candy or sticker! Ah, well! We're goin' with strictly chocolate Advent Calendars, this year!
You know what? I had to wait and wait for that first Section (right above!!) to post to my Site, so I was 'flipping through' some of the Sites in our Favorites File, and I happened upon this cool Astrological Site. Cara must have found it and saved it to Favorites (I hope you Save Meee to Favorites, too!!). Anyway, it's a great Site and you might enjoy finding out a wee bit about yourself! <Astrology Online>
Remember I was telling you that I wanted to get the Hot Tub filled before the Big Party? Well, we filled it, all right, and it all drained away..."that not good", as our old Neanderthal Friend, Org, woould say! And it looked so beautiful, what with all the water in it, 'n all! When Dwight went out to turn the Hose off, we could hear a trickle, followed by what sounded more like a stream... ugh! So, of course Dwight was very calm about the whole situation -- he shouts, "Oh, Great! Now we gotta rip the whole **&^*%$ thing out of the Deck!" The $ sign has to be in there in the place of a sweary word, since God Knows every thing like this costs a bundle... That crazy Dwight! So I said, "Just wait a minute and let me come out to see where the leak is..." So I put on my Coat and Boots (and looked liked Nanuk of the North's younger sister!! ha,ha,ha! And this was a warm day in Calgary!!) and went out to see what the problem was.
We have found over the years that whenever there is a really big problem, it's best to have more than one person look at it, just in case one person is still rational! ha,ha,ha! So Dwight had already checked all the pipes under the Hot Tub, and they were all Dry, which was a good sign. A whole lot of water had pooled in the Base of the Hot Tub Frame, so I watched to water until I saw a ripple in the water, so I showed Dwight and it appears that the water was leaking through one of the Jets in the Base of the Tub. Dwight drained the Tub entirely, and now we'll replace the Jets and see what happens, next. The odd thing was that the Water didn't start to leak out until the Tub was almost completely full -- the weight of the water must have forced the jet to leak. Ah, well. At least Dwight didn't rip it right out of the Deck, right?? ha,ha,ha!
Oh, I just got a call from Geinow, our Window Company. We've had a couple of the really big Windows crack -- that wind storm last week was insane, out here. Our Soffit and Fascia Guy,, Peter, just lives up the road on another Acreage, and he had his Cistern Shed blown apart! Can you believe that?? (In case you're not familiar with a Cistern, it's a big tank for holding water, often found on an acreage where they might need extra water, depending on how many gallons per minute the Well delivers...) Anyway, Shawn Lenders is the fellow who is helping us with the Replacement Process, and he's really nice. They have a great Staff down there at Geinow. Apparently, they can replace windows up to -15 Degrees Celcius, so we shoud be okay -- looks like the weather won't be too bad for the next little while.
Tip of the Day: Whenever you have a 'Service Issue' that you need to deal with, be nice. A little kindness goes a long way. It's surprising how mean people can be, sometimes, and that rarely works out all that well. There is some mistaken idea that you can rant and rage, and people will work like mad for you, but it ain't the truth, let me tell ya' ... Soooo much better to be calm, rational and nice, and remember that you're dealing with another person, and they have a whole life to manage as well, so being mean or angry won't help anything along. Of course, if they are mean with you, then it's open territory, and you do what you gotta do, but go down that path last, and tread gently first...!
Now let me go get you some nice fresh pictures!
And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!
I've always loved Bow Windows in a Child's Room, so I designed both of the Childrens' Bedrooms with a Bow Window. Aidan's Room also has a Window at the Side, because the View is so gorgeous that we didn't want to miss it -- thus the extra window!
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The Curtains in Cara's Bedroom and Den are Burgundy, and the Curtains in Aidan's Bedroom and Den are Green -- Sage Gren for his Bedroom and Deep Green for his Den. The great thing about Full Length Drapes (other than the fact that they look great!) is that they block out the Cold Air, and lessen Extreme Heat from the Sun. Very useful in keeping your Heating and Air Conditioning Bills relatively moderate. And it all about Saving Energy and looking gorgeous, right?? ha,ha,ha,ha! (And that's why having a nap on a Sunday Afternoon is essential... or something like that...! ha,ha!)
And if you think you can see a Vault in this room, you're right -- there is a Vault in almost every room upstairs, except in the Main Hallway and Bathroom, where there is a 10' Ceiling, which ain't too bad, either!! ;)
So glad you stopped by during your busy day! See you tomorrow!
Later, Baby! Ailsa!!
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Monday, December 1st! Hi, Honey-Babe! Happy December!! It's always a nice month, what with all the Lights 'n Stuff. We had our Big Holiday Party, yesterday, and it was fabulous!! We had a really good turn-out, and got a lot of Stuff to Donate for the Food Bank and Gifts for Children in Need. Thanks to all our Guests for being so very generous!! We all appreciate that! It's great to be in a position to Give, even if it's only a wee bit. One of my favorite days in Los Angeles when I was down there Teaching was my First American Thanksgiving, and I had enough money to give some away to a Charity for Local Veterans. It's good for everyone to Give when you can, right?!
Did you have a great Thanksgiving? Lots of Turkey and Trimmings?? Our Canadian Thanksgiving seems so long, ago, now, since we celebrate it in October... now I'll need to run out and get my own Turkey!!
Our Holiday Party was soooo much fun! I had set up all the 'Centers' with different types of Drinks, that way our guests could mill around and choose any type of Drink they happened to like, and there wasn't a big crowd in any one area. It really worked out well! I love everything really well organized so that we can all just enjoy the Party, rather than the 'Hosts' (us!) having to run around serving everybody... it's more relaxing to let everyone be self-sufficient and help themselves. Of course, I feel that way about all lives in general -- the better organized you are, the more self-sufficient you can be, then the happier you can become... and then we can all teach our kids to be like that, too!
You know what I realized half way through the Party? I had set the House up just like I set up a Classroom -- I always used to put different 'Centers' around the room so everyone could always find something interesting to do (or Eat & Drink, in the case of the Party!), no matter what. Once a Teacher, always a Teacher!! ha,ha,ha!
I was in the Kitchen for the vast amount of the Party, and I didn't even see Dwight until the very end of the Party -- I think he was on the Lower Level Playing Pool and hanging about the Bar area... it's a great House for Entertaining, since there's a different room for everything! And we had a ton of kids, too, but they didn't disturb the Adult Portion of the Party -- lots and lots of Fun!! Now I'm eating the Brandy Chocolates, since they happen to be on a little plate on the Island! They're delicious little chocolates all full of Brandy -- a perfect morning treat! ha,ha,ha!
Tip of the Day: Today's Tip is to Always to Live Within Your Means. I know, I know. that seems soooo painfully obvious, but living beyond our means is one of the number one reason people get into tremendous debt, then can't find a way out of it. It's a terrible way to live, because you can't relax and enjoy your life when you know that someone else technically owns it. This is not to say that you shouldn't ever carry a debt -- there are good debts and bad debts... A Good Debt is something like a Mortgage or Money you invest in you Education, or something that betters your life. A bad Debt would be stuff you accumulate that you really don't need that costs more than you can afford. It's a good time of year to be mindful of that, since things can easily get out-of-hand at the Holidays.
We used to know a family who lived in a very nice area of Town in a particularly nice house, but when you went in, they didn't have a stick of furniture. They were living there because they had a tremendous need to appear to have 'made it'. Sometimes that need is for others to see that you've made it, and sometimes it's because it's a deeply personal need to make you feel that way yourself. It's critical to look at your life carefully, without blinders on, to make hard decisions that are best for your Financial and Emotional Life.
I was watching Suze Orman a while ago (Do you watch that Show? She's great -- she has a really practical approach to money, and I really like that...), and there was a woman on who desperately wanted to own her own place. She didn't have very much money to put down, but was looking at homes in the $400,000. Range. That's crazy. I don't get that...it's soooo much better to find something in your very own Price Range, then work your way up to whatever your 'Dream Home' is by Buying what you can Afford, now, then Selling when the Property has gone up in Value (and you're ready...), then Buying again, selling again... like that until you are Mortgage Free. Typically you can become Mortgage Free in about 5 moves, if you play your cards right.
One of the keys is to buy in a Brand New Area -- those places (Condos and Houses) will go up in value faster than in a more established area. You will have to put up with the rest of the Construction around you, but that's not much to deal with to make your life a whole lot better. I'd love to see everyone Own Their Own Home and be Mortgage Free by Retirement. Wouldn't that be great?? You'd never have to worry about where you would live or how you wouold pay for it. Especially now when we can live to a very ripe old age -- and if you run out of Pension Money, you can sell the Home and buy a Condo, then you'd have another stash of cash in the bank to live on... It's all about making the right financial decision at the right time, so you always live with ease, instead of struggling to live like you used to or want to in the future, but aren't ready for yet.
Well, my little 'diet' has gone out the window! All those lovely treats upstairs!! I must remember to make some more of my Apple Crumble Mixture today, so I am more likely to choose that than the Nanaimo Bars!! But I think I will have a few chips, just for fun!!
Now let me go get you some new pictures! Be right back!
And now for your Daily Pics Fix'!!
These are shots of our Master Bedroom -- very pretty! And spacious, too!! You can see the Interior Window that leads into the Sunroom -- I left the Glass out of it so I can lean through to water my plants -- works for me!!
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And here's Cara wearing a Survivor Buff -- remember I have that cool Wholesale Buff Connection? It's a good time to Order them with your Logo for your School, Team or Group -- you can put in your Order, then sell them (or give them out...) to your Students or Members. If you had 2,000 Students in a School, and you added a $10.00 profit to the Buff Price, you'd raise $20,000. for your School. That'll buy a lot of Instruments, Computers, Sports Equipment or Uniforms. You can Sell them in advance, then place the Order, so you know exactly how many to Order -- just like you Order your Year Books.
Drop me a line anytime at buildyourownhouse@hotmail.com for more information!
Thanks for coming by for a wee visit! See you tomorrow!!
Later, Baby! Ailsa!!
Well, it's that time of year, again, when we need to get lots of Corporate Gifts! Lots of My Readers are Business Owners (that's what lets us Build Our Own Houses!! ha,ha!), and Others are 'Up There' in the Corporate World, so I thought this Ad would be useful for us all.
Check out Overstock.com for Anything You Could Possibly Hope to Find!
Recipes -- Cheesecake ,Cinnamon Buns, Salsa Chicken , Macaroni Salad ,Chicken Noodle Soup, Taco Spaghetti , Easy Pie Crust , Creamy Peach Pie , Great BBQ Marinade , 'Pass da' Pasta, Rosemary Steak, Onion Barley (an Aphrodisiac!), Stuffed Green Peppers, Fruit Puffs , BBQ Veggies, Apple Crumble for One , Barbequed Meatballs, Everything Else!!
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