My Everything Corner

I hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday season.  For me, it's all about the preparation.  I love to bake, so I do a lot of it and then wonder I made so much.  I do this every, single year.  No one complains though, but as Mother, I know we are eating way too much sugar.   I love how warm and cozy my home feels all decked out with winter and Christmas decor.  I dread taking it down.  I really have to find a way to make my home feel the same way for the remainder of the winter months. My amaryllis bloomed a few days after Christmas, but that's okay.  Isn't it gorgeous?!  Also included is a picture of my tree and the light over my dining table.  I really love decorating both every year. The last photo is of my wee black cat, Sooty in a very weird pose.  Even my other kitty seems to be looking on in disbelief as to how he got his body into such a contorted position. Happy New Year Everyone!

I have more pictures from our Nova Scotia trip ready to go up, but I thought I would take a break from that, and have a little fun playing around with some nature photos today.   It's sunny this afternoon, but the wind is strong and frigid.  I'm not used to it yet, and frankly am a bit whiny about it.  So, a warm cup of tea, and some time playing with pictures helped to cheer me up. That, and I am making pizza for dinner tonight.  I always look forward to pizza night.   Have a great weekend everyone!  Oh, and I saw the most incredible meteor last night!!!

The Citadel in Halifax is in the heart of downtown, and just a short, enjoyable walk from the harbour. With more history than you shake a stick at, not to mention all the action with the marching, and the bagpipes and a very impressive cannon shot, our afternoon was anything but boring. You can read more about it Here . Don't even try to get a smile out of that guy. I actually took a wee nap down there, on the cool grass while we were waiting for our people to regroup.  They were off exploring some dark tunnels.  Strange are those that want to explore the dark, unpredictable places. The view great from up top.  It had to be a great look-out point, to keep an eye on those approaching enemies.

For those who enjoy beer and find themselves in Halifax, a visit to the Alexander Keith's brewery is a must.  The tour was great, a little rushed, but so much fun.  Regrettably, I didn't get to finish my delicious beer.  Who can drink that fast???  Not me.  If I indulge in a beer, I savour it, and this beer was worth a lot of time.   Not only was it available for a limited time, but it was hard to find.  We did not bring any home. So, it is a memory not to be relived.  But maybe someone will put out a comparable stout.   We enjoyed a quick tour of the brewery, which was a beautiful place, and it smelled so good.  All that brick and copper left a person with a cozy feeling. Some of the warm feeling came from the beer as well.  We enjoyed tasting 3 different beer.  Frankly, it was a lot for me.  I couldn't finish.  I could have used at least another 45 minutes. Then we headed down to the base...

For the most part, I think these photos will speak for themselves.  It was an incredibly beautiful day. We enjoyed a delicious lunch outdoors, took in another museum, after just having finished up at Pier 21, but mostly, we just enjoyed the view. Bike rentals might be a good idea for getting around more quickly to see more of the city, but with all those hills, I know my legs wouldn't have been able to handle it. Theodore the Tugboat - Read about him HERE . Like I said, "enjoying the view." There is a lot of blue in this post. It doesn't get better than beautiful buildings along a waterfront. There goes Theodore! Enjoying the happiest harbour in the world.

I have been having issues with my blog lately.  I was receiving emails when someone commented, but that has stopped.  I wasn't getting complaints that I was a no reply blogger, but now some have said that I am.  I'll admit that I am completely confused with all the different setting options.  For now, I have reverted back to a Blogger profile, and am not linked with my Google+ account.  I hope this helps both me and my visitors.  Anyone should be able to comment on my blog and reply to the comments I leave when I visit another blog.   Please let me know if things still aren't working properly.  My blog is an important social outlet for me, and I need to know it is working properly.  Any tips are welcome, and thank-you so much. And here is a random picture of my puppy...

I had so much fun with the teacup exchange in the fall that I decided to indulge and join both the mug and teacup exchange this time.  I am so glad I did.  Thank-you to Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose for coordinating this event.   Again, I enjoyed putting my two parcels together and sending them off, and then looking forward to a letter back, the old fashioned way. Of course, getting the packages was so much fun too.  I couldn't wait to see what sort of treats had been sent my way.  Wendy from September Violets  had my name and her package really made my day.   I think we all know that I love pumpkins, so I may have sqeed a little when I opened the parcel to find this wonderful mug and apron. But first, just look at all the wonderful details in the packaging.  Gifts in of themselves. And here are the gifts.  Cookie cutters, (I love making sugar cookies), scented votives and they both smell wonderful, a sweet little sc...

The day following my receiving the parcel from the mug exchange, another package arrived from the teacup side of things. It was like Christmas morning two days in a row!  I have so much love for this event.  I don't know how to thank Stephanie from The Enchanting Rose enough for taking the time to organize 190 women. This time, the gifts were from someone I've met before, through Stephanie actually.  When Kelly started her blog  Homespuns 'n Hayfields  this past January, she was introduced via The Enchanting Rose.  Kelly has been a delightful visitor to my blog ever since, and I was so excited to see that she had my name.   Once again I was spoiled by generosity and thoughtfulness. First of all, the gifts... Cookies, teas and coffee.  I don't usually buy cookies, but I have to say, I may if I find these on the shelf. They had a light and crispy texture, and not over sweet.  Just perfect for a cup of tea or coffee. That pum...

My friends, family and neighbors have all let me down.  Many a pumpkin was offered, and very few have left my yard.  Even my pumpkin thieving, (loving) sister didn't take very many this year.  All in all, I was only able to give away around 20.  When there are nearly 500, 20 does not make a dent.  So, I set to work painting and carving the ripe ones.  The kids and the husband carved a few each. The green ones have been used as props for the orange guys.  Even if more had turned orange in time for Halloween, I'm sure they still would have been used in the same way. On the deck and in front of the house, there are just over 300 pumpkins.  That is not counting ornamental gourds of which there were around 200, and they are scattered here and there.  I had a fantastic gourd patch this year.  There were so many different types, I never knew what I was going to find when I went out to pick a few. You know what I really love about m...

Pier 21 stands out in my mind as the most emotional, interesting and memorable museum I have yet had the pleasure to visit.  Located on the Halifax Harbour, this port is where some 1 million immigrants landed in Canada between the years 1928 - 1971.  There was an incredible amount of information to take in.  I immersed myself most deeply into the personal stories, but what really moved me was experiencing, in a couple of hours, the evolution of our country, and how much has changed in how we treat each other.  While I got a strong feeling of the positive changes that have taken place over the years, I was still left with a heavy feeling of how much further we have left to go.  Not hopelessness, not at all, just the weight of of a very gradual change.  We're moving forward, just at a pace that is frustratingly slow. Here are just a few things that stood out to me, and I will spare you the detailed history, but will include links to websites if you would...