Snoopy Louie and the ugly in UGG Boots!

Well this was taken early christmas morning. Louie decided he was going to be Snoop Pug and see if these packages needed inspection first prior to opening. He sure was sniffing hard, but decided nothing harmful were in these pretty packages except maybe and hopefully for some edible treats.

Well I got some really nice gifts from family and the hubby & dogs. And I thought I would share one prized possession of mine. They are the "Ugly" in UGG boots!! They are so comfortable and really like a pair of slippers to walk around in BUT they sure are "UGLY!" No style at all, but then I have "No" style either. So why not...why not walk in around them and look like a "toy" soldier marching around the house with my "UGGS!"

Hope you all had a nice Christmas, now let's look toward the "New Year!" til then..............

Some photos to share..Louie and the awful Snow!

Louie could care less about being Santa Pug and also about the weather!

Louie is just too bored with this all. Just pugleeze get me out of this clown outfit!

These photos were taken this morning after it started. It doesn't really look to bad from the photos but believe me it was no "picnic" out there. We are mainly having high winds that is blowing and drifting all this snow around. But later in the afternoon, it really got cranked up and right now it is really bad out there. We are having some white-out conditions along with the drifting too. I'm glad I don't have to drive in this even though the hubby decided to go into town and have a quick lunch. We only live a couple miles east of town but still it was bad. We have a lot of flat areas and it just drifts really bad.

I have some more photos as I took going into town and it was much worse then than these photos. So enjoy.

My Visit With My American Friend, Margie

This is my friend, Margie. She is from Winchester, Virginia and lives in Canada (Bowmanville, Ontario) Here she is coming out with some goodies to munch on during our visit.

This is Margie's christmas tree which has a little village at the base of it. I thought it was so pretty.

Margie in her kitchen getting the christmas snacks ready to eat.

Well on Tuesday, it was such a nice day, so I thought I would pay my friend a visit. Of course, I did call her up the day before to check to see if it was okay with her. We hadn't visited in quite some time. I got to take the new car out and it drove like a "dream."

Well since it had been some time that I had been at Margie's house...since we previously met at the local Timmy Horton's. So anyhow...once I drove onto her street..I just new I should have had the number to her house. My eyes quickly saw this house with an empty driveway..so I assumed that was hers. Well lo and behold, I got out of the car and things just didn't look quite right..even the color of the trim... I walked up to the door and stood there...just stared with my gift to her in my hand....and realized there was no porch and it was blue trim....a far cry from the orange/salmon colored trim her place is. So I knew it wasn't further down the road...so I looked back up toward the way I travelled...finally I spotted this car...which I knew was her hubby's...and yep...she was back 3 houses down. Boy, what a fool I felt like. I guess my "age" is creeping up on me. So I got to her place...and we had a really nice visit. She is travelling down to Charlotte, North Carolina where her daughter lives and will celebrate christmas there with her and also her son will be there too. He lives in New Hampshire. But it's really nice to have someone from the States to talk with..so I am glad I have a friend like Margie. :o)

Memories of Christmas Past

This is a photo of Donna and me. I'm over by the christmas tree. We both loved the dolls we got for Christmas that year. I think my mom said this was taken in 1957.

We are a bit older in this photo. It was another christmas of ours. I'm on the left, then Donna and Brenda...and Wendy smack in the middle. This was taken in 1969.

Well the photos might be small but these are part of the past when I was a child. We are all dressed here in "red" for christmas. Left to right: Me, Brenda, Wendy and Donna. Take out your magnifying glass and enjoy them. I'm guessing that I was 9 or 10 here...so 1962. Wendy was born in 1961...so must be 1962.

Well let's see how good my memory is. I remember as far back when most of our trees were "tabletop". Why is that? Well my mom said they had a big tall tree up and she heard a crash come from the livingroom and well, she found 2 tiny girls beneath the tree branches with broken ornaments lying on the floor. She puts the blame on Donna for bringing the tree down. Since most of the ornaments were broken from the lower branches...she had the tree cut down to fit our card table. So from that year one...we had tabletop Christmas trees. But once we were old enough...then the Big Trees came back.

I also remember going to my Grandmother Odell's place on christmas eve...we would get together with my Dad's side of the family at her place. In later years, they would take turns. But when we got home... we would place our cookies and milk out on the table for Santa Claus. Mom told us he worked so hard thru the year that he needed his cookies and milk to help him make his rounds delivering toys around the world. Then we would get all dressed in our jammies and were tucked into bed...and then my mom would put on Christmas music for us to fall asleep to. Oh, I loved listening to the Christmas music, especially listening to Bing Crosby.

Then when morning came...and this would be like this year after year...we would wake up and run out to the tree and start looking for our names on the gifts. But we couldn't open them until our Dad came up from the barn. My dad was a farmer...so he had quite a few cows to milk. So we waited for some time til he was finished. But we got to open our gifts before we had breakfast. There was one christmas that was really good...we didn't get many things, but we enjoyed every gift we got. But there was this one year that I really enjoyed so much....I tell my mom about it...it was the year I got a silver flying saucer...(a sled) and a cash register box with money in it...toy money. Boy I think that was one of my favorite christmas's. Then we had years where my dad actually made us things for our dolls...he made each of us dollhouses for our Barbie dolls. Yes, we had good christmases. On Christmas Day...we would travel to our Grandmother and Grandfather Westcott's place and have our meal. (my mother's parents)

But I knew I would goof here....in between all this...we would prepare for christmas a few weeks prior by making homemade cookies and making decorations. Well my mom made the cookies and she made the decorations which we would put up thru the house. They made the house look so pretty. As for the cookies...yummy!...she made cut-out pressed cookies and we would put different colored icing on them and some sprinkles on them. She also made her datenut pinwheel cookies too. I can't think of the name of these cookies...but she would use a funny contraption and the dough would squirt out of the tip of it. But all her christmas cookies were delicious.

As we got older...we had our christmas meals at home and there was one year we had my Grandma Westcott up to the house on Christmas Eve. We fixed her a christmas stocking and surprised her with it. That was such a nice christmas with my grandmother to celebrate it with us. I miss my Grandma very much...also my Grandpa and my Grandmother Odell too. I wish I had met my Grandpa Odell but he passed away before I was born.

But I did and do have a lovely family and it is filled with so many memories......and this is one of them that I wanted to share with you all.

Some Christmas Things

Well this is my "tiny" 2 ft. fake tree that I use for Christmas now. Ever since I got my little pug, Louie...I need to have a small one or otherwise he would be attacking a bigger tree. So we opted for a "tiny" one.

I love this area...it's my coffee table and I have a new little tree I bought at a "primitive" store just up the road from where i live. I even bought the tiny ornaments for it. I enjoy christmas so much, I love to put out my decorations.

Getting Ready for the Holidays

Brian is getting ready to "unveil" the Christmas Tree at his Dad's place. Brian, Katie and his Dad went to Sipple Farms in Bainbridge NY ...which is also a Maple Syrup Farm too. They go every year at this time to hunt for their perfect Christmas Tree and then chop it down. They look for 2 trees...one for Dad and one for themselves.

Brian getting much closer to unveiling it. Clip Clip he goes with the scissors. They bind it up for them because it is easier to travel with.

Voila....there is the tree prior to the lights and decorations. His dad always finds the perfect tree each year. This year it is short and full. Plus easier to decorate.

Now the fun begins...and looks like they have some lights and decorations on. I wonder what he is laughing about.

Still busy with the decorations...boxes full of pretty ornaments. Maybe I should get them to come up to my place and help me with my tiny "fake" tree. (But actually mine is already decorated, it just needs to be brought up from downstairs) Well it looks like they had alot of fun.

Now it's time for them to go home and put their tree up to decorate! :o)

Look What Is To Be Expected Soon....if not already

Well we know winter will be upon us soon. Probably sooner for others. But this is a pic of my mom hiding behind some bushes with snow all over the place. This is not this seasons snow yet, this was from a past season. They get pretty good snow down there.

And this is what happens when people don't drive properly in winter conditions. This is my dad standing by this car that came around the bend and slid off the bank toward my parents house. Their house is just a few feet to the right of this car.

This is some winter scenes from my parents house. The top photo is looking north of their property (toward the main farm) and the bottom photo is looking toward the south of the house.

It is very beautiful down where my parents live in the winter. But it also can get very nasty during storms they get..especially those nor'easters!

Today is Veteran's and Remembrance Day

Today in the United States they are celebrating Veteran's Day. They honor those who have fallen by lying wreaths at the monuments for different wars and then they do salute and fire their rifles. So today let us remember those who have served and fallen for our country.

In Canada, they also observe this day for theirs that have served and fallen too. And since I live in Canada now, I wanted to observe both holidays of remembering. Also I want to include this that was written by a Canadian, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army.

He wrote this poem: "In Flanders Fields"

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That Mark our place; and in the sky
The Larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead, short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
in Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

Photos Taken by my son, Brian

Who is this person in the shadows? I know who it is, but do you??

I love these 2 photos captured in a different light...they are from my folks house....actually the back of the house. They have this shed for storage attached to the back of the house and they hung some barbed wire to the backside of it and this last photo is of the door that leads into their cellar. I just like how my son captured it.

Having Fun this Summer at Bond Head, Ontario

This is a photo of the Newcastle Marina at Bond Head. Bond Head is located a couple miles south of Newcastle on the shores of Lake Ontario. It's a very small beach but nice to visit.

A place to sit and relax while watching the boats and sailboats out on the lake.

Wendy and Donna enjoying the nice day at the beach. We had a picnic lunch and it was so much fun.

A boat heading out to the waters of Lake Ontario.

Looking out at the Lake. It was a really nice day with clear blue skies.

Wendy is looking for some aliens in the sky.

The 3 of us girls with our "serious" looks!

Checkin out the fellas!! LOL! - Seagulls and Ducks!

The Big Apple in Ontario

Well the picture isn't as clear as I want it to be, but this is an Apple...The Big Apple located around Colborne, Ontario. It is located just off the #401 and easy to get to. This place makes pies right before your eyes ...the process and all. They have a display sign outside and I believe they have made over 2 million apple pies. They have a restaurant and also a souvenir shop as well. But you can't help not seeing this Big Red Apple from the road. I've had their pies and they are pretty good. If you are ever travelling between Kingston, Ontario and Toronto...make sure you look for the The Big Apple.

Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad!!

Today on November 1st, it was "57" years ago that my parents were married. They were married in the Mt. Upton Methodist church in Mt. Upton, New York. The day they were married, it had snowed. They went to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. Then they lived a simple farm life and had 4 daughters. Since then, the family grew and they now have 10 grandchilden. (5 grandsons and 5 granddaughters) So I want to wish my parents a "Happy 57th Anniversary!" They were married in 1951. :o)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Here are a bunch of trick or treaters that come to my house every year. Aren't they cute?

It's that time of year again...the last day of October where spooks, goblins, witches and whatnot come out to scare us "humans." So all of you that handout treats to the treaters, make sure before you open your doors that they are not the trickers instead. So enjoy this "Spooky" holiday that they call "Halloween." But keep your eye out the Hobgoblins!