An Addendum!

Hi, am back for a short bittidz. Change of tidbitz plans!

Ended up being 'side tracked' by watching a bit of T.V. whereby Dion (Head of the Canadian Liberal Party), was interviewed by Peter Mansbridge. Almost all of the questions posed to Dion, were poorly answered and or avoided completely. All I can say is, God help us if this 'doofus' (as per the quote in our newspaper) is elected Prime Minister of Canada. I feel that the ONLY candidate for this country, is our present Prime Minister, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives! All the other parties have attacked Stephen Harper; and yet, none of them have offered any worthy alternatives. At the same time, Canada, through Stephen Harper's tenure, has performed extremely well, under very trying circumstances. ie IMF (International Monetary Fund) has deemed Canada and its financial institutions, to being the strongest and the best in the world.

The bit vacumming and starting my learning of Spanish, will be done; but not at this tid moment. We are about to go out and buy our Lotto ticket (if you don't buy one, you won't win!), as well as going to our favourite Produce Farm! We will be enjoying our roast beef tasty tid leftovers tonight; and once again, we are forever thankful for all our Blessings. 'Praise Him In ALL Things'.

Love the above photo image (which I have utilized in previous posts re: fresh produce!). Homemade soups are so welcome at this time of year, as well as being extremely economical!

God Bless.

We have much to be thankful for!

Good Morning, or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world!

It is a cool 44 degrees F this am. In some part of the world, this temp would feel very cold and yet in other locations, these temps would be very warm! Anyway, it is what it is; and though a bit chilly (to me), it is another glorious Autumn mornng!

Had a sound sleep last night; think I would have slept through just about anything! Alan and I, including our Blue, slept in this morning; but then it is Saturday; and it has been quite the week! For us all, around the world, for that matter.

At the moment, my coffee is brewing and I will be returning to our warm cosy bed in a bittid to do some 'studying'. ie Spanish. When we were in Zihuatanejo, Mexico last December, one of our hosts, gave me about 10 pages of nouns and verbs; as he knew I wanted to make a genuine attempt to learn a bit of their language. Methinks I will practice a bittidz every morning; so that when we return this coming December, I will be better equipped to have a conversation! LOL! When we were there last year, there were a few people that were appreciative of me helping them expand their tidbitz of English. Their English was much better than my Spanish! LOL! Spanish has such a beautiful sound; and the French and the tidbit of Latin, I learned in school, will be wonderfully helpful to me, because of certain word similarities; as in various root derivatives. Even Italian (I have an Italian cousin - well she married an Italian); and when I was in Rome in the summer of 1965 (seems so long ago! LOL!), I learned a few key Italian phrases.

Apart from being fun and enjoying interesting adventures, I think travelling is one of the best educational experiences, one could ever have! I am grateful for the opportunity I had back then; as well as going to Norway in the Fall of 1985, to visit my Norwegian cousins. I have travelled since (1996 to Paris France, and to London, England); but there is something extra 'special' about connecting with relatives. Am sure some of you, can relate!

There are so many things to be thankful for; our health, abundancy of food and water sources, where we live etc. However, I was also looking around our house; and my eye appreciatively fell upon some 'china roses' in our few collectible Fenton vases in our bedroom. For those of you, who collect antique Fenton vases etc, you know of what I write. We also have an old Navajo turquoise vase from Arizona; and the 'roses' filling that vase, are a stunning contrast! Eventhough the 'roses' are not real (love fresh cut roses, but then who doesn't?), they are exquisite, both in artistic design and realistic beauty.

We are still in the 'waiting' mode ourselves; as we too, have been affected by the banks' credit crunch & freeze; because of the times. You would think that those like us, would be given some latitude in our small business; as we help create business etc. Instead, the banks are 'waiting'; eventhough Canada has been deemed at present, to have the strongest banking system in the world. Stephen Harper and the Conservative policies have obviously worked! The Opposition parties have 'not mentioned', that the wealthiest individuals and corporate entities, are the ones that create the greatest amount of economic benefit to all! That being said, as entrepreneurs, we are Prayful that 'something has got to give'; and not to panic. We are going to enjoy this long weekend of 'Thanksgiving'; and we are that much more reflective and appreciative of ALL our Blessings. ie our own back yard.

A tidbit / 'barometer' bittid - The name of the wine, 'See You Later' (You can refer to yesterday's post, for background if you wish) was shared by a family friend; who appreciates a full bodied wine. He and his wife went to a Winery nearby, and bought a whole case of both the white and the red. I will still put in a 'plug' for South African Wine!- 'Oceans Two'. Have only delighted in the red wine at room temperature; however, I will try the white wine chilled, sometime as well.

A bittid 'turkey' tidbit - If you buy a frozen turkey, for best and gentler results, thaw it out in the fridge first. We are going to do that today, and then cook it up for tomorrow night; with all the trimmings! Mmmmmm. My son is coming over on Monday for 'leftovers' and to watch the hockey game; and my daughter and her family may pop in as well. Because she and her husband have two very active little boys (twins, age 2), and our place is only so big, they may literally just 'pop in' for a brief visit. Alan and I had originally thought of going to Pasley; however, with Alan's sore knee etc, we thought it best to remain in the warmth of our home; as in 'home sweet home'. We are very grateful this Thanksgiving, and we will enjoy being home all the more!

Tidbit - FEAR NOT. That is what He tells us! Since Alan and I 'live outside the box', that is what we believe in; as He, in His time frame, will Provide Solutions for each and every one of us. May as well 'enjoy the wait'; and do your best to have a CALM and also a sense of humour. Humour is a Godsend! It is in the struggle of 'how you wait'; better to be confident, and to have positive HOPES, regardless of all the 'fear mongering' around you. It is easy to get caught up and ensnared by the negative waves; but KNOW, that your FAITH, will help you endure the storm.

Bittid - Enjoy the moments of each and every day you are given. Keeping things simple, being thankful for all things great and small, helps you maintain a steady balance.

Am looking forward to watching the 'Hour of Power' (the Schullers), 'Enjoying Everyday Life' (Joyce Meyer), and 'Living Truth' (Charles Price) tomorrow; I know there will be some uplifting messages! (You can refer to my various blogs of Nov 11/07, Nov 18/07, Nov 25/07 and more recent posts, if you wish further info, as to who they are, if you do not know already). Also, some of you may know of the Neil Anderson Ministries? Am also going to continue reading 'Revelation Unveiled' by Tim LaHaye; because it is extremely relevant to what is happening around the world today.

May be back later today. However, once again, we have much to be thankful for! I love the above delicate and artistic photo image of a morning autumn mist; have enjoyed utilizing this peaceful picture in my various blogs (ie Nov 24/07 etc).

For those of you, who may be wondering if I have had a cup of coffee yet! LOL! As it happens, I have been enjoying my coffee whilst sharing my morning thoughts with you. Hopefully, they have been encouraging to you. Am about to go and spend a bittidz of time on my Spanish, before I begin a vacumming tidbitz. ie Masses of dog hair, that Blue sheds throughout our home. However, that being said, he is well worth it; because he is such a GOOD dog! Those of you who appreciate and love dogs, cats, and other household pets, you can agree, I am sure!

God Bless.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

Good Evening, or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world!

Today, has been a tid whirr! Eventhough, it is cool and crisp, there are still the last rays of sunlight! It will be dark within the next half hour or so.

Accomplished more 'cupboard / shelves organizing'; as I was still on a bit of an enthusiastic roll from yesterday! LOL! And with the current world economic 'crisis', I cheerfully focused on the tidbit tasks at home; and reflected also, upon all our Blessings from Him. It is still a 'waiting game' (from the banks - they are very frightened; eventhough Canada is in the best shape thus far); so am calmly confident that things will settle down, before too long.

Earlier in the year, we were given a 'gift certificate' to a lovely restaurant ($25.00 value) and inasmuch as the expiry date is within the next few days, we went there today for a 'late lunch'. It is less than five minutes away, in a lush garden setting; and it was just what the doctor ordered! I enjoyed a glass of white wine (a Chardonay 'See You Later') and it was very pleasant; along with an outstanding croissant filled with baked crab and cheese. Mmmmmm. Alan had a cup of tea; and at the end of the meal, we paid $9.00; which included a generous tip! That made my day; and I felt as if I was 'far away' from all 'trials and tribulations'. Also, have tried the 'See You Later' red wine, and that is excellent; so I thought I would give the white wine a whirl. 'See You Later' derived its name from a couple who were in the midst of getting a divorce; and the man's comment to her, was 'See You Later'. Hmmmmm.

We are cooking up a small roast, that we picked up on sale from our local Safeway; and it smells sooooooo good, throughout our house! Alan smothered the roast with pressed garlic (garlic is very good for the arteries, so they say!)and apart from the usual bittid seasonings, I added fresh tidbit herbs from our garden. ie Rosemary, parsley, oregano, thyme, tarragon, and sweet basil. Plus, tid roasted baby red potatoes and sauteed vegetables -(cherry tomatoes from our garden) and sweet pea pods and a dash of brown sugar! Yum, and lots of colour! I will be making up pan gravy from scratch and methinks, 'A bit of madeira, my dear', will flavour it extra wonderfully!

Tidbit - Do your best to 'weather the storm' and in fact, go out of your tid way, to do things with even a bit more effort. Be it preparing a nice meal, keeping a clean house, being in a better humour, doing something special for either you and / or someone else, whatever. Amazing how much better you feel.

Bittid - 'Never Better' is an uplifitng response to those that ask 'How are you?'. (You can refer to my Jan 07/08 post of 'Never Better', if you wish some bittidz background). Believe it or not, even if you are feeling a tidbitz 'down' or whatever, by answering, 'Never Better', you experience a strong surge of well being, which in turn, 'infects' others, in a GOOD way!

Here is wishing you a nice Friday evening; and a 'Happy Thanksgiving Weekend', to all those of you, who are celebrating the meaningful occasion, this particular weekend. We have so much to be thankful for! 'Praise Him In ALL Things!'

Will be back tomorrow. Love the above photo image, which heralded yesterday's post.

Good Night and God Bless.

Each and every day is like a 'Thanksgiving!'

Good Evening!

Am elated! LOL! Have FINALLY organized the sorting of papers and filing everything where I can find and access them easily! Such a delight to my spirits! Am sure some of you, can relate! Now, I just have to keep up on the 'admin' stuff as it appears; rather than falling into 'procrastination', thinking 'I will get to it, later'. As I mentioned earlier, I am more of a 'people people person'; however, I have chosen to turn a weakness into a strength! Am now appreciating a glass of South African Red Wine (2 Oceans)! Skal! The 'clean up' has taken most of the day, believe it or not; however, it has been done properly, if I say so myself! And I enjoyed completing the task. Takes your mind off other pressing matters; ie the current world economic crisis.

As a tidbit, it was just announced that Canada is deemed and considered to have the strongest banking system in the world at present. So for those that are now 'blaming' our Prime Minister, re think and re visit the situation!

As a bittid too, I forgot to mention about the American Debate, that we tuned into the other evening. Both Senators were not as strong on various issues, as we had hoped. However, we are looking forward to watching their third Debate on October 15th! I know who I would vote for, if I were an American; and I am Praying that he will deliver a strong and factual uplifting message!

My son called earlier tonight, and he is coming over for Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday; so that is another piece of good news! It will be wonderful to see him! Have decided to cook our special 'meal of thanks' on Sunday; and savour turkey tids on Monday, and then enjoy the remaining leftover bits throughout the week, or as long as they last! LOL!.

Taking a dinner break; will return!

Back! We are about to watch the hockey game tonight; should be an exciting game! Also, just appreciated some delicious 'comfort food' - Chicken pot pie (from Costco) and baby red potatoes (baby red potatoes are better for you than baby white potatoes, so I have read and heard for one's cholestorol). Alan 'prepared' our repas; and I am very grateful! Plus during these tough times, there are many wonderful 'comfort food' recipes or 'creations' that can be 'whipped up' and placed on the family table.

Tidbit - Do NOT panic. 'He IS the Way, the Truth, and the Light.' Ask Him to show you the Way and He always DOES.

Bittid - Appreciate your Blessings and have constant positive thoughts of Hope and Faith in your heart and in Him.

Love the above photo image!

Good Night and God Bless.

Here is wishing you a calm

Good Morning, or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world!

There is a dawn, a new day; and a beautiful one at that! Wonderful, crisp, cool fall temperatures (44 degrees F). The trees are awesome with their multi vivid colours; and our roses, geraniums, bogonias, and impatients are still full of vibrant bloom! Our sweet basil, parsley, chives, and rosemary are heartily thriving; however our tid cherry tomatoes and the other bit herbs have gone into 'hibernation'.

Last night, I was enthusiastically sharing about a less cluttered house! It is amazing how less cluttered your mind becomes as a result! I also wrote about our gorgeous armoire; of which I will ultimately take a photo and post it in a blog and you can see / enjoy for yourselves. Should mention that the armoire is also located in the loft.

Had a sound sleep; (which is key, during these times of trials and tribulations) and today is another day! We have had our good sized previous residence up for sale; and we may decide to take it off the market, as the prices here have drastically dropped, due to the current world financial 'crisis'.

Have to admit that our old abode, does not have two bedrooms; although it is larger in square footage than many of the other two bedrooms, on the market. Plus, it is nicer and an end unit, with neat windows, a large private patio, the works. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is the saying. Had we not moved to here (this was my Mum's home; so it has an extra 'specialness' to us, and it happens to have two bedrooms), we would have continued to have enjoyed living there; however, we love it here!

In our old apt, there is 'potential' to 'create' a second bedroom, if one wishes to go that route; we will leave that choice to a buyer. However, it may not be 'prudent' for us to sell at this time, and we may simply rent it out. Also, there are a lot of people who, at the moment, would prefer to rent, before they buy; because no one knows when or how far the 'bottom' is going to fall. If I were a buyer, I would be 'waiting' too, and also, 'hanging on' to all the spare cash that I had (putting it under the mattress!). This may also be good timing to buy certain stocks; and / or to liquidate and convert to cash (or if you can 'hold on', better yet!) whatever best works for you; as 'cash is king' at this particular time. Having said that, we have spoken with our bank; and we are just 'waiting' to hear back from the senior individual on another option. It is both a sage and safe bet; just a matter of whether our bank can free itself of the current 'fear mongering' and 'think outside the box'.

Tidbit - Keep on trekking. As Robert Schuller Jr said (you can refer to my Sunday post of two weeks ago?) that 'When you are down to nothing, He is up to something!' ie He is up to something GOOD for YOU. Continue to have the FAITH, that He has it all in hand and will Provide your needs.

Bittid - 'FEAR NOT' as He has told us: 'Fear Not, For I Have Overcome the World'. I take both comfort and solace in that message. Plus, while we 'wait' for His Solutions, He wants us to have a calm, a confidence, and a joy!

May be back in a bittidz, should there be some more tidbitz to share. Love the above photo image!

In the meantime, here is wishing you a calm.

God Bless.

Appreciate a good night's rest from the day!

Good Evening. or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world!

It is nightfall here; and have not had a bittid chance to do a tidbit post til now!

We had a few bittidz 'fires to put out', as well as attending to some business matters. That continued til later this afternoon; and then I started to tackle the built up files and piled up paperwork, that I had made mention of, in my October 4th post.

All the 'stuff' has now been moved out of our room! Spacious and clutter free once more! Have gone through our metal filing cabinet in the 2nd bedroom / guest cupboard, with a fine tidbitz tooth comb! The remaining files / paperwork that were not stashed in there, will be filed tomorrow, into our amazing plastic pullout drawers on wheels! (a Home Depot design). Perhaps, some of you are familiar with those practical drawers? Two sets (6 drawers per set) are stacked up in our grand, old 19th century Victorian maghogany armoire. We removed both sets of wheels to ensure balance, and it works great! 'Behind the scenes', if you will; not visible to the naked eye! The other side of our beautiful armoire has deep shelves; and that is perfect for our towels and sheets. Two artistic mirrors are 'embedded' in the two outside doors; and the bevilled glass cut edges of the mirrors, provide the most brilliant prisms! Have another set of plastic drawers ( they are the only empty ones, til tomorrow!) that fit wonderfully under our computer table. Our computer and computer table, is located in our cosy bright loft; and the skylight nearby, makes you feel as if you are in a tree house! Takes me back to my tomboy days! LOL!

Whilst I was in the sorting mode, Alan continued on with attending to our business. It is reassuring to know you are a team. So all in all, a lot was accomplished by us both today.

Alan is also waiting to hear back from his own doctor, to find out when he can go in for surgery. We thought the referred doctor he saw, was a surgeon, but alas, he is not. Instead, he is a very highly regarded Sports Medicine therapist doctor; but at least Alan was admitted into the hospital sooner for a much needed MRI; inasmuch as he has endured the injury since August, 2007. So, Alan will now have to be referred to an actual surgeon; and we are hoping the required surgery will happen sooner, rather than later.

Am glad it is the peaceful night; methinks we will sleep well tonight. Love the above photo image! Also, I will take a picture of our armoire and post it ultimately.

Tidbit - Cleaning up 'clutter' (whatever it is - in our tidbit case, organizing and re arranging files and paperwork!) is good therapy! Speaking of 'therapy', you feel so much better and refreshed, when 'stuff' is cleaned up! Plus, with all the 'doom and gloom' (T.V. newspapers, etc) circling around us,(like a dark suffocating cloud), it helps to do something positive, to keep your mind clear and joyful.

Bittid - Appreciate the night, when you can rest; and be grateful you 'survived' any and all trying moments of the day. As a bittid, there is always a dawn. I find with a good night's sleep, you are fresh to go with the flow, whatever the day may bring!. Again, just do your best, and keep things simple. 'Praise Him In ALL Things'.

As a quick note, I just reread what I wrote and I laughed outloud! (Actually it felt good, to laugh outloud!) Methinks, I am a tid tired; so my apologies. if the post is a bit long. LOL!

Good Night and God Bless.

October 7th - My Dad's birthday

Good Morning, or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world!

The above photo image is of a 'Queen Elizabeth Rose'. For those of you, who like to garden, you may be familiar with this beautiful pink climbing rose! Perhaps you grow them and appreciate their beauty as well! We have two in our bittidz patio garden; one that I gave my Dad many years ago; and when we moved here 2 summers ago, we planted the second one alongside it. Should mention, that we transported our Q.E. Rose from our old home; and it is very 'happy' here. Both roses have 'merged' magnificently; and even as I type, we have a few tid new blooms on the bush; as well as having some Q.E. roses in an attractive vase on our dining room table. Plus, they have such a gorgeous fragrance! We also have a bright yellow climbing rose, which is thriving along the back fence; as well as colourful geraniums, in our pots and in our tidbitz balcony planter box.

Today would have been my Dad's 90th birthday, if he were still alive. He LOVED his roses; and he had a 'green thumb'. Gardening took his mind off many things. He was always 'calm' and 'slow to boil'; which are good qualities in a person, methinks. I did 'A Tribute to my Dad' in my post of April 30/07, if you wish to read for a bit of background; also a tid post on April 30/08. I have a cup of coffee in hand; and I am raising my mug and saying 'Absent Friends', and 'Happy Birthday Dad', and 'Thank both you and Mum for having adopted me'.

Interestingly enough, our government contacted me two weeks ago re: if I wished to locate my 'blood parents', as I am an 'adoptee'. Who knows if the 'blood mother' and 'blood father' (never married) are still alive etc? They would be about 78 / 79 yrs approx; inasmuch as I received prelim data about 'them' back in 1995; when I wished to know some medical / health data, as per my own children's medical / health history. Last week, I was sent the various 'forms' to fill out; and then a 'search' would be initiated, upon me completing and returning these 'forms'. I have put things 'on hold' for the time being; and if I were to follow through, who knows? My 'earth' parents, the ones that brought me up, through many trials and tribulations, (I am sure), ARE my parents, as I knew/ know them. However, maybe the natural parents have wondered about 'things?' I certainly do not want to cause any 'grief' or interfere with their lives; although perhaps 'they' might not feel that way; but then, they might. Hmmmmm. Anyway, we have our trials and tribulations happening as we speak, so I think for now, I will concentrate and focus on what lies before us; appreciating one day at a time.

Tidbit - Sometimes 'waiting' is the hardest thing to do! We are quite literally, 'waiting' for Him to Provide Solutions. He wants us to confidently enjoy each and every moment; and to be patient, while we 'wait' in total dependence upon Him. He does not want us to rely on our own understandings, as He has a good plan for each of us. We just need to have the courage to be 'patient' and calmly 'wait' for His Solutions.

Bittid - When faced with adversities, have FAITH, and leave it completely up to Him; as He He will Provide your needs. He has already WON the battle; if that is of further comfort and strength to you. In other words, 'Fear Not'.

Have to go for a bittid; may be back later today, if there is a welcoming tidbit or two to share.

God Bless.