Family – Page 7 – Just An East Coast Girl

Buckwheat pancakes and beach

It’s been almost a month since Christmas. January is going quickly! David’s parents spend their winter’s in the south, in Florida. I guess the older you get the appeal of snow and cold isn’t there.

I can see us doing something similar when David retires. I don’t mind the cold if I am wearing the right clothes. I remember before we went to live in Northern China not having the right winter clothes. I used to think our winters didn’t get cold enough. I had mitts, and a warm coat and boots for the days it snowed a lot and I needed to shovel BUT I never wore a hat, and most days I would wear shoes. Since living in China ( and also because I am older I guess) I have warm winter gear…and LOTS of it, for whatever occasion. I learned from the Chinese ladies that you can look great…even if you are wearing 3 layers of long underwear!!! haha. So I don’t mind the cold, I actually love it! It’s a chance to wear all my fun clothes!

But I also like the warmth and as we get older, so David & I will have to figure out what will work best for our family. David’s parents are in Florida from November to April, normally. That’s a along time and they miss celebrating Christmas with the family.( I’m not sure I would like that)

Sometimes it’s hard to think what might be a nice, useful gift to give his parents for Christmas since they are not right here with us. So for the last few years we have gone online and searched out interesting restaurants in the Bradenton/Cortez area. We call the restaurant that looks interesting and purchase a Gift Card and arrange to have the restaurant send it to his parents. It has worked out quite well!

We got an email yesterday saying they enjoyed their Christmas Gift! Brunch at a great little Crepe place ( with money left to go again) and walk on the beach…

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NOW that sounds like a lovely Sunday and perfect way to enjoy the Winter! Ahh…

FRIDAY the 13th and FRIDAY a full moon

January 13, 2017… today falls on a Friday when there is a full moon ( officially the full moon was yesterday but it is still full)! It’s a beautiful day along the South Shore of Nova Scotia. All the rain the last couple days took most of the snow away and at 8:30 this morning it’s 10 degrees!

PS. I had my windows open all afternoon. There was such a nice breeze!

And … it’s Friday!!!

What to do this weekend? Tomorrow the temperatures are expected to drop so it’s gonna be a bit colder, ok a lot colder ( we’re talking drop to -20 degrees) and we have friends visiting from New Brunswick for a couple days. Maybe we will do a little sight seeing or maybe we will just stay cozy inside!

Whatever you do, enjoy your weekend!

Quotes you live by

We have so many resources at our fingertips! You need information on a certain topic? it’s just a google away…

I love my computer for tutorials, for recipes, for documentaries, for catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, to keeping track of my “life” in pictures and thoughts, for planning trips…and adding places to my bucket list…and SO MUCH MORE!!! There’s just so MUCH at your fingertips, a plethora of wealth and information. What did we ever do before the computer and internet? What did I ever do before I had my very own computer and we had to share ONE as a family. We are so spoiled. I have a phone, an iPad and a computer that I use very regularly depending on the situation. I feel blessed to have “information” at my fingertips”

As I am browsing and seeking information and learning…I come across little things that make me happy, things that put a smile on my face. For example today…catching up on social media, a friend posted a Bible verse for this week. I smiled because for years this was “my verse” my go to everyday as I woke up. It says so much!!

And then planning my winter getaway in March and looking ahead to summer vacation I found this …

I loved it! I love all the globes! I love to travel so any excuse will do!

And this!

And then reminders pop up…

A reminder to appreciate EACH day and opportunity… BECAUSE stuff happens!

I could go on and on with these little quotes that make me smile…

Leading up to Super Bowl time… who’s your team?

And finally another that a friend posted on social media that made me smile.

There are a few of us that are turning 50 this year. Maybe I should get the T-shirt? You know…” BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, GOT THE T-SHIRT” lol.

Well, I gotta get off my computer. It’s time to go put some information in to use and cook up a couple new recipes.

Have a great day my friends xo

TODAY is THE day!!!!!

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Sometimes you just HAVE to do a post just for yourself! I’m very sorry. This post will not make sense to anyone but me. BUT, I needed to blog, to have it in writing so I can refer to it throughout the year. Because TODAY January 9, 2017 is THE DAY!

What day is it?

Wishing you a great Monday and start of a brand new week! xo

Digging out from all this white and dreaming of white…

sands! Ahh…yes. Caribbean white.

Yes, that’s right! I’m dreaming of white sands. I got an email today!

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My, the folks at NCL are prompt! It’s still a few weeks away… 55 days to be exact.

Just after we got back from our 3 week Across Canada Trip in July we booked a cruise for March. David’s older brother and wife have never cruised and have been wanting to go on a cruise with us for awhile… We have done this exact cruise before BUT we love this particular ship and the ports.

And after this snow ( although VERY beautiful and wintery) I can’t wait to be on the ship cruising the beautiful Caribbean seas and relaxing on white sandy beaches!

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So while we are digging out today ( ok David is digging out. He loves to use his snow blower the first few snowstorms, after that it gets OLD very fast), I’m checking in, and doing research on excursions.

Have a great Sunday! I LOVE planning vacations…

Time for brunch!

We’re in for some snow…

This weekend is a SNOW weekend!

Lots of it in the forecast tonight and overnight!

We got a bit Friday! Enough to make everything a beautiful white. Even the deer were out and enjoyed it, munching on the berries on my front lawn. There’s a path from my backyard to the front under the trees.

So today’s snowy Saturday projects…

David is refinishing the love seat to match the chair we did in the fall and I am redecorating some trees, crafting a winter wreath and making soup!

First up…my East Coast tree! ( with a hint of Canada for Canada 150) I snagged this tree after Christmas for a steal…( was $100 and I got it for $25) It’s tucked in a corner in my guest room for now but when Chinese New Year is over, I’ll bring it out…

And then some decorations for Chinese New Year the end of January ( it’s my excuse for keeping my tree up longer haha Christmas tree revamp)

In the meantime David got the loveseat done!

And it started to SNOW!!

So I made soup! Two kinds actually. Wonton soup and Potato and Leek soup. YUMMY!

And to complete my “to do list” for this snowy Saturday…

I made a “Wintery” Snowman wreath for my front door.

Now it’s time for storm chips ( and strawberries) BECAUSE it’s really coming down and we’re cozy inside watching a little hockey.

Wishing you a good night!

Some…BUT not ALL!

Today is the day! Friday is my cleaning day before the weekend and it’s January 6th so…it’s time! Time to take down Christmas and put it in a box until next year. This is always sad for me. Why? Don’t get me wrong I LOVE getting things all organized and clean and the house always looks that way after the Christmas decor gets put away BUT I miss the coziness of the lights.

There’s something about EARLY morning or the late evening sitting quietly and enjoying the lights. So…

I’m putting some away BUT…not all of it! lol It’s a work in progress because the end of January is Chinese New Year and so I decided I would Take down Christmas but redo and redecorate for Chinese New Year. Haha…fun!

Today we are getting snow so the lights look so nice.

A little under the weather…

There has been so much sickness this holiday season. It seems like it is just running through families, each one getting their turn at feeling under the weather 😛

This week was my turn.

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Hope to be feeling good and up and at it before long!

Good news is that our weather has been quite mild with no major snow storms or anything to deal with. Just a few wisps of snow in the air today.

I saw this the other day when I was browsing the internet. I was thinking I might start a project when I feel better. I’ve been keeping track of the weather… what do you think?

It would be colourful and a fun thing to do this year.

Wishing you all a great day!

A year of CHANGE

I LOVE January! Especially the first weeks of a brand new year!!!

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It is a month of reflection. It is also a month to make resolutions to organize, declutter and to make some changes. A few weeks ago David and I talked about this. We talked about 2017 and what to do? What it would bring? Goals and plans and what to accomplish. Some of the conversation stemmed from his back flaring up right before we went to China in December. It’s frustrating to have issues like that. You wonder if better health, and more REGULAR exercise could help these flare ups. We’re getting OLD!! Ok, older… and we NEED to look after ourselves…

Time for change

We talked a lot and decided that for us 2017 is gonna be year of CHANGE…physically and health wise!! We are not in bad shape. Neither of us is overweight, although I have put on a few more pounds than I like since returning from living in China where I walked everywhere. So…in 2017, we are gonna do our best to strengthen and tone some areas physically to see if that helps with overall strength ( and back issues for David) We are gonna change our eating habits a bit…tweak a bit…just to have better energy. And we may even enjoy a massage or two each month. We are gonna try to spend more time breathing in the “fresh air”. Lots of things to change and try this year for better health and longevity.

So…2017…Let’s BRING it, we’re UP for the challenge!

Lots of things for reflection!

2017- It’s gonna be a 10-25- 50- 75 -150 YEAR!!!

How cool is that? What do I mean? 10–25–50–75–150

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I spent some time this morning getting my 2017 calendar all mapped out. I am such a planner and mark everything down. I also look for holidays, special events, and opportunities to celebrate to do FUN things and have ADVENTURE in what is sometimes the mundane.

Guess what? There are some milestone Birthdays to celebrate this year!!!

Maybe I should start with the first!!

150– Canada, our amazing country will celebrate 150 years of Confederation this year!! Actually there are celebrations and special events planned for Canada all year long!!! So starting January 1, 2017…Canada’s celebrating!!

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75– On May 12, 2017 my wonderful Father will be 75

50– On December 26, 2017 I will be 50!!!! Whoa! Can’t be!!!

25– On July 30, 2017 my youngest son, my baby boy will be 25! How is this even possible?

10– On October 6, 2017 our Abby girl will be 10…that’s right she was born in October and given to me as a special gift for my 40th Birthday…10 years ago

So that’s why I say it will be a 10-25-50-75-150 year! There’s Lots to celebrate!!!!

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And besides the 10–25–50–75–150 Birthdays…theres’ a whole lot more to celebrate!