Snuggie for dogs

I was in the Showcase Store today and they have Snuggies.

And next to them were ... Snuggies for dogs!

Yes! Snuggies for dogs!

No, I didn't get KC one!

The best breakfast deal in town!

Gord will be out of town with the car next weekend so I thought I'd do some Christmas shopping today.

I started at IKEA cuz they have cool and unusual stuff.

I discovered when I got there that they open at 10:00 ... but why was there such a huge crowd outside the door at 9:27?

Then the doors opened at 9:30 and everyone rushed in ...

... for breakfast!

Scrambled eggs, sausage (I passed as I don't like breakfast sausage) and homefries for just $!

Three pieces of bacon was $0.50.

A cinnamon bun was $1.29.

Garlic bread was $0.50. I had a slice ... it wasn't very good.

Milk was $1.

So my huge breakfast was less than $5!

It wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. Definitely worth the $$.

And the place was packed!

Fencing widow

Gord drove to Ottawa (about five hours away) yesterday afternoon ... the fencing nationals are there today.

I don't mind having time to myself. I love hanging out with people but I also really enjoy my Teena-time.

I didn't do much last night.

• I finished reading The Book of Bright Ideas.
  
• I watched Rock Star ... it's been years since I saw it and it held up pretty good.

Today I got lots of stuff done.

• I took KC for a stroll.
  
• I vacuumed.
  
• I got my Christmas cards done.
  
• I watched Sex Drive ... it's a cute, rude and crude teen flick that's actually not too bad.
• I cleaned out one of the kitchen cupboards and discovered we had two expired boxes of unopened cereal (from six months ago) and two cans of pineapple (from 1.5 years ago!).

Gord should be home in a couple hours so I'm going to get supper started. I'm roasting a chicken stuffed with Stove Top Stuffing. What a good wife I am!

Book ~ "The Book of Bright Ideas" (2009) Sandra Kring

From Amazon ~ Wisconsin, 1961. Evelyn “Button” Peters is nine when Winnalee Malone and her sister, Freeda, blow into town – and from the moment she sees them, Button knows this will be a summer unlike any other.

Much to her mother’s dismay, Button is fascinated by the Malone sisters, especially Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing who carries around a shiny silver urn containing her mother’s ashes and a tome she calls “The Book of Bright Ideas.” It is here, Winnalee tells Button, that she records everything she learns: her answers to the mysteries of life. But sometimes those mysteries conceal a truth better left buried. In this summer of dry heat and family upheaval, loyalties will be tested, unlikely alliances formed, and devastating secrets revealed. And when it’s over, no one – from Winnalee and her sister to Button and her family – will ever be the same.

A delightful novel!

Though it's written from nine-year-old Button's point of view, it's not annoying. Auntie Verdella is a sweetie!

There are key transformations which affect everyone positively.

Chillin' Chicks supper

I had supper with my pals, Deb, Franca and Liz tonight at Jack Astor's.

We've been friends for almost 15 years (we used to work together).

Chia Kitty came too and became friends right away with our server, Kevin.

Here's me, Deb holding Chia Kitty, Liz (looking goofier than usual!) and Franca ...

I had the Thai Chicken Coconut Curry (slices of fresh chicken breast, sautéed with pineapple and tomatoes in a spicy Thai red curry and peanut sauce. Served with jasmine rice.).

It was delicious! I ate it all!

It was great to see the Chicks and catch up!

Urine test and bloodwork

I have a doctor's appointment in a couple weeks.

I stopped in this morning at the lab on my way to work and did the bloodwork and the urine test that she'll talk to me.

Why do those cups have to be so small?

It's so hard to pee in them!

I have two new kitties ...

The liquor store sells two wine bottles in the shape of cats every year just before Christmas.

This year they are blue and yellow and I got mine this week.

They issued blue and yellow ones in 2000 but they are a bit different.

I've been collecting them for about ten years and now have 22 (I'm missing two of the first ones ... pink and turquoise).

They are all unopened.

Don't worry, Sister Sarah ... I got a couple for you too!

Wanna know more about life insurance?

Then read the article I wrote about it here.

Heel of the bread

I bought a loaf of Dempsters' bread for lunches this week.

Gord said last night that he really likes this bread and that he ate the crust while he was making his lunch for today.

My response was, of course, he did since it's on the outside of a slice of bread and I've never known him to cut it off.

After further discussion, I discovered that he meant the end of the loaf of bread.

I've always called it "the heel".

Gord had never heard it called that and thought I was nuts.

So I Googled it.

According to the Free Dictionary, one of the meanings of "heel" is ... one of the crusty ends of a loaf of bread.

So there, Gord!!!

Is it just an east coast Canada thing (I'm originally from Nova Scotia)?

What do you call the end of a loaf of bread?

Tuesday workout

I'm working from home today ... I have a retirement planning session to conduct this evening in Mississauga.

I listened to the exercise segment on the positive re-enforcements CD Barb the hypnotherapist gave me a couple weeks ago.

Then I went to the gym.

I had found the Couch-to-5K Running Plan online ...

Our beginner's running schedule has helped thousands of new runners get off the couch and onto the roads, running 3 miles in just two months.

I did Workout 1 on the treadmill ... brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Then I did 30 minutes on the stationary bike ("around the world" mode).

Book ~ "Love Trumps Game" (2009) D.Y. Phillips

From Amazon ~ After twenty-nine years of marriage, Hattie has paid her dues. She's now retired and looking forward to enjoying her peaceful golden years. Unfortunately, her calm life is changed forever when her daughter Neema mysteriously disappears and she finds herself to be the sole guardian of her two unruly grandchildren. To make matters worse, their crazed father, Topps Jackson, is determined to get them back.

A ruthless drug dealer, Topps runs a dangerously lucrative drug trafficking operation. Now Topps wants to bring his young son into the business at an early age. The only person giving him grief and standing in his way is Hattie Sims. Grandmother or not, Hattie has to go.

Poor Hattie! Her youngest daughter, Neema, is a handful and constantly dumps her two children on her and disappears leaving Hattie to care for her young grandchildren. Topps is a brutal man who treats women badly.

This book is extremely vulgar and violent ... surprising considering the author is a woman.

That said, it's a good story about a grandmother's love and protection of her grandchildren regardless of the cost.

Warranty Elephant

Where do you keep your warranties for the stuff you buy?

I have a jewelry chest (there's more junk in it than jewelry!) and that's where I tend to stick the warranties.

I lift the lid and chuck 'em in.

Once every couple of years I clean out my jewelry chest and throw out any expired warranties.

I've been lucky in that I've haven't had to use them ... well, except for that camera I bought in May 2008 that gave me nothing but trouble (which I've since replaced).

I've recently come across Warranty Elephant. It is a free service that will replace my "chuck 'em in the jewelry chest" system since it will organize my warranty information.

My warranty information is stored (for free!) and listed by date of warranty expiration. I can click on the item to see all the warranty information on that product, including any telephone numbers and the product’s serial number.

I can even upload a copy of my warranty and my invoice so I don’t have to dig through all the junk in my jewelry chest.

They will send me reminder emails at three months, one month and a week before my warranty expires so I can check the item and make sure it is in good working order.

I love free services like this!