Merry Christmas 2012

So the world didn't end December 21st, 2012.Some believed the date to be the end of days, to others it marked the start of a new era and for many just a good excuse for a party.As the appointed time came and went in several parts of the world, there was no sign of the apocalypse.I knew it wouldn't but it’s still fun watching people actually believe it’ll happen.  Haha!So realizing I was probably going to be around for a while yet I turned my attention to Christmas.I Boy 1 decorated my tree.

Red & Gold Tree

Favourite Bulb 2010

Boy1's Gr 8 ornament

Boy 2's Gr. 8 Ornament

silver & gold tear drop

Gold Star & Bow Tree topper

Santas

Sew happy ~ My Sewing Machine
Now gotta learn how to use it~ Help Lisa

Tassimo~ Need I say more

Brother-in-law's tree

Brother in- law's  Front Room Window

               So for my last post of 2012  I'm sending you best wishes ~


                          May your days be Merry & Bright

                             Merry Christmas

                                       &

                            Happy New Year

See you on the flip side!

A to do List from Work

 Note reads: Val fill up box freezer, fill up and tidy away 1.75 kg beef , clean beef bin, Knit Chris ( my co-worker) a pair of socks. Build an ark... suppose to have a bit of rain. Make all the animals go in 2x2. No Unicorns!! Oh and fill up box freezer.

I love to - do lists  and I love my job.... I work with three awesome guys... there's the big boss man~ he likes to leave funny notes, laugh and  joke around and gives me the the best work schedule ( meaning I don't got to work til 12 most days cuz' I like to sleep in..lol) then there's Chris~ he's the strong silent type, loves Elvis and finally we have Almost Famous~ sings in a band  sings @ work , very likeable will stop and chat to everyone. great guys to work with.
Loves my job

To- Do Lists

The morning always begins with a cup of coffee  TEA and a to-do list.
I'm such a fan of the to-do list - nothing quite like the satisfaction of crossing things off! But when life gets so busy, like the last 2 weeks  years in particular, and I don’t get everything done I'd set out to do, I simply move it to the next day. I figure it’s going to eventually get that juicy big cross through it as DONE!

To do lists are very helpful when you are becoming overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do.  Being able to prioritize them and know what needs to have immediate attention or what you can leave until later will allow you to stay focused, more organized and more reliable.

And stress …. let me just say that when you prioritize more intelligently, you become more productive and are able to complete all of your tasks on schedule AND you will be able to experience less stress!

Who doesn’t need less stress?  I'm all for that~

Take a look at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-To-Do-List for some helpful tips on making TO DO Lists.

My list usually looks like this

Practical List

But I'd much rather have a list that looked like this...

My crazy funny List

What's on your to-do list today?

And how much of it do you think you will get finished?

Anyone else have a crazy funny list they'd like to share?

Christmas Carols for the Psychologically Challenged

Received today via email from a friend; one of those letters that makes the rounds. I'm not at all sure of who wrote it or where it came from originally. As it is the time of year for many readers, and as it is kinda funny if you approach it in the right spirit (we are well aware these are serious disorders, but we can still appreciate a good joke, right?), here it is:

Christmas Carols for the Psychologically Challenged

1) Narcissistic-- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

2) Paranoid---Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Us

3) Schizophrenia---- Do You Hear What I Hear -- the Voices, the Voices?
3a) Paranoid-Schizophrenia -- Do You Hear What I Hear -- the Voices, the Voices ! ! ...and they are blaming everything on ME !!

4) Manic-- Deck The Halls And Walls And House And Lawn And Streets And Stores And Office And Town And Cars And Buses And Trucks And Trees And Fire Hydrants And...........

5) Multiple Personality Disorder----We Three Queens -- or maybe Kings -- Disoriented Are

6) Amnesia-- I Don't Remember If I'll be Home for Christmas

7) Borderline Personality Disorder--- You Better Watch Out, You Better not Shout, I'm Gonna Cry... and I'll not Tell You Why

8) Full Personality Disorder--- Thoughts of Roasting You On an Open Fire

9) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder---Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

10) Agoraphobia---I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day But Wouldn't Leave My House

11) Senile Dementia---Walking In a Winter Wonderland Miles from My House in My Slippers and Robe

12) Oppositional Defiant Disorder---I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus So I Burned Down the House

13) Social Anxiety Disorder---Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas While I Sit Here and Hyperventilate

14) Attention Deficit Disorder--We Wish You......Hey Look!! It's Snowing!!!

Author obviously has some issues!

Rum and Coke

Rum and Coke glazed Ham

Ham 6 -8 lbs or bigger!
2 - 3 cans of coke ( enough to cover the bottom of pan but not touch the ham

Glaze:
2 cans coke
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup fresh lime
1/2 cup rum ( I used Captain Morgan spiced run)
1 Tbsp dry mustard
pinch of salt


Pre-heat oven to 325
Use a roasting pan with a rack, pour 2-3 cans of coke in but not over the rack. Place ham cut side down, tent with foil and cook for 1 hour.
Meanwhile make the glaze.
Reduce 2 cans of coke over medium heat for about 40 minutes or till reduced to 1/2 cup.
Whisk in remaining ingredients and simmer to dissolve.


After baking the ham for 1 hour, uncover and baste with the glaze, cooking for 1 more hour, glazing every 15 minutes. It should reach about 110 degrees to be hot throughout. Remove from oven and tent with tin foil for 15 minutes, carve and serve!! Mmmm, we serve it with  scallop potatoes.

( got a low battery in my camera so it needs charging... but here are some pics from other times I have baked this) 

Reducing the soda to a syrup


Basting

 


Carving after resting

Carbonear Dollarama

( this Nova Scotia store is Similar to the one in Carbonear)

Hey Folks the newest Dollarama Store (located in Carbonear, NL)will be opening on Saturday ,September 8th 2012.  Lots of Halloween & Christmas stock. Drop by , Say hello, and do some shopping. Thanks to Scott , Kathryn, Matthew, Deloris, Nathan, Bryan , Mark and of course the other Matt. It was great having you guys here to setup the store. Hope we do you proud!!!

Batman Where are you?

A midnight screening of the new Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises turned into a horribly real scene of death and destruction in Aurora, Colo., early Friday when a gunman opened fire on the audience killing 12.


I wanted to blog about this tragic event but to be totally honest there is no way I can  truly express the way I feel therefore I will link you to other sites (5 actually) that share my views on the tragedy ;are better able to put them into words or provides additional information.


This is the first link 
http://www.examiner.com/article/a-tragic-event-at-movie-theater-no-9-aurora-colorado


This second link takes a look at chilling photos of the aftermath
Photo Blog ~ Colorado Shooting July 20th 2012


My third link takes you to a site that remembers the victims  Stories of heroism and a birthday celebration that turned tragic The victims remembered


 The Fourth link reveals Warner Bros. reaction

The final link is to a site that proclaims What you need to know about the Batman Theater Shooting


Do you have more information  or a comment about this topic?

Update: Dark Knight shooter thinks he's acting in a movie

‘Zombie Apocalypse'

This is not a typical blog posting of mine. A coworker (Carl Penney) wanted my view on

‘Zombie Apocalypse'

Generating serious traffic on Google and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook  recent instances of cannibalism have driven 'Zombie Apocalypse' up to the No. 2 spot on Google's list of trending search terms. Popularized by horror films like “Night of the Living Dead” and “28 Days Later,” a “zombie apocalypse” refers to a civilizational collapse caused by widespread zombie infestation. Here is just a glimpse of some of the strange incidents over the past few weeks that has prompted some to consider if there really are zombies loose amongst the general populace.

May 26, Miami ~ police responded to a  gruesome attack that lasted nearly 18 minutes where a naked man  Rudy Eugene was discovered literally devouring the face of Ronald Poppo. Eugene has been dubbed the "Miami Zombie" by some members of the press, ignored the police when they called for him to stop. Even after being shot, witnesses maintained that the attacker continued to gnaw at the victim's face, whereupon police shot Eugene several more times, killing him.

Prior to the Miami attack, an Illinois man was arrested for domestic battery after he bit the cheek of an 18-year-old woman and threatened to kill her if she called the police.

Just three days following the face-eating attack, a California man was arrested after an altercation turned violent. During a physical fight with his cousin, he bit off the man's nose.

 A Tumblr blog called IHopeRickSantorum garnered more than 26,000 comments for compiling a list of “zombie” incidents that have occurred since May 16. Another Tumblr blog calling itself "Your one stop for info regarding the 2k12 Zombie Infestation," collects zombie apocalypse images from around the Web.

What should you do in the event of a national zombie emergency?


You could check out this helpful *zombie preparedness guide  bought to you by the CDC (Center for Disease Control); as for me I’ll still close to Jerry & Carl those guys know their zombies.
*http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/?ilink=1

others may even try this 3 step manoeuvre

What would you do???

Day 25 - 30

Day 25~ Purchased

This pic is compliments if my Sister in Law Ashley… Extreme Couponist! Don’t I wish we could stack coupons here.

Day 26 ~ Small Object

A tiny book is seen on the thumb nail of an employee at the House of the Bible in Dresden, Germany. The miniature book contains the Lord's Prayer in 12 different languages and is presented in the exhibition 'History and dissemination of the Bible'

Day 27~ Building

I have spent the last 2 years of my life in this building. Lots of memories (good & bad) and new friendships  some that will last.

Day 28~ Treasured item

A treasured item for me is Friendship. I have four awesome and diverse Ladies that I call my friends. Going for coffee, a game of cards and a Chat…good times!

Day 29~ Sunglasses

Play on words here…. Songlasses!

Here is Boy 1 looking totally awesome (takes after his mom)…

Day 30~A smile

A beautiful girl! You light up the world with that beautiful smile of yours....

Tawny Scrawny Lion & Others

Have you ever read The Tawny, Scrawny Lion? It's a Little Golden Book. "Once there was a tawny scrawny lion who chased monkeys on Monday—kangaroos on Tuesday—zebras on Wednesday—bears on Thursday—camels on Friday—and on Saturday, elephants!"
So begins the funny, classic Golden story of a family of ten fat rabbits that teaches the hungry lion to eat carrot stew—so that he doesn't eat them!

Written in 1947 as part of the Big Little Golden Book series, the Saggy Baggy Elephant is the harrowing tale of an elephant who cannot escape the social pressures to keep a slim and trim figure.

Our story begins with a happy little elephant dancing through the jungle. Happy until an obnoxious parrot begins to make fun of the elephant for its sagging skin. Suddenly the elephant becomes extremely self-conscious about its appearance and considers a series of drastic measures to try to improve itself.

The story of the Little Red Caboose see the little caboose saving the day when a large train full of cars beings to loose steam going up a mountain the the little caboose puts on its breaks and stops the train from rolling back down the mountain long enough for another large steam engine to come up behind them and push them all safely up the hill.

 From the the website: http://www.randomhouse.com/golden/lgb/story.html

When Little Golden Books launched in 1942 at 25 cents each,  they changed  publishing history. For the first time, children's books  were high quality and low-priced. They were available to almost all  children, not just a privileged few. Little Golden Books were designed  to be sturdy (a new concept), delightfully illustrated, and to be sold not only in  bookstores, but department stores and other chains (another new concept). Little Golden Books were an instant success story, even though WWII was Since then, over two billion Little Golden Books have reached the hands Little Golden Books have mirrored children's popular culture Many famous writers and illustrators created Little Golden Books,  Today, Little Golden Books are an icon. The Smithsonian   on and paper shortages loomed. Five months after the launch,  1.5 million copies had been printed, and LGBs were in their third printing. Since then, over two billion Little Golden Books have reached the hands  of children all over the world. Who hasn't heard of The Poky Little Puppy,  star of the best-selling Little Golden Book of all? It has sold well over 15 million  copies worldwide, in many different languages. Tootle the Train,  The Saggy Baggy Elephant, The Shy Little Kitten, The Little Red Caboose,  The Tawny Scrawny Lion, and Scuffy the Tugboat soon followed, to become  household names.  over the years, having featured Lassie, Raggedy Ann, Uncle Wiggily,  Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Howdy Doody, Annie Oakley,  Captain Kangaroo, Bozo the Clown, Gene Autrey, The Lone Ranger,  Smokey Bear, Disney, Warner Brothers, Hanna Barbera, Sesame Street,  Pokemon, and Between the Lions characters, Mister Rogers, Barney,  Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Underdog,  Peter Cottontail, Barbie, and others. Dr. Ruth Westheimer has just  penned a story about grandparents starring herself. notably Margaret Wise Brown, author of GOODNIGHT MOON (Harper).  Her LGBs were often illustrated by Garth Williams, most famous for his  illustrations for CHARLOTTE'S WEB, STUART LITTLE, and the "Little House"  series. Richard Scarry began his career at Golden Books and did most of his  most famous books here, from Little Golden Books to his beloved  oversized books CARS AND TRUCKS AND THINGS THAT GO,  and RICHARD SCARRY'S BEST WORD BOOK EVER! Eloise Wilkin,  famous for her stunning  paintings of cherubic children, illustrated dozens of  LGBs. Caldecott medalists James Marshall, Tibor Gergely,Leonard Weisgard,  Alice and Martin Provensen, and Trina Schart Hyman  have illustrated Little Golden Books. Institution includes Little Golden Books and artwork in its Division of Cultural History.

Day 18- 24

Sorry folks been really busy. So here are last weeks pics.

Day 18 ~ Black & White

 My College Mug… many pots of Tea filled this mug on my two year quest for knowledge.

Day 19 ~ Clouds on the Klondyke

 My work term (TCPHF) Boss & my Supervisor along with the Chairperson took me here for Lunch on my last day. The food was good, the view was spectacular but best of all was the company. Thanks Shelly , Don And Helen!!

Day 20~ Trees

A beautiful view from my deck of the sun shining through the trees…

Day 21~ In Motion

This is Boy 1 on his motorcycle. I really don’t mind bikes at all… just hate the fact that my son has one that goes faster than the speed of light… Oh me nerves!!!

Day 22 ~ Favorite Memory

The Last of many school projects we put off over the last two years was on our Winter Blitz. We had a blast and helped some charities while doing it.

Day 23- Any animal /bird

This is an older pic taken last spring.  Hubby and I fed the ducks every time we went for our walk around the boardwalk. Hubby named the duck in the middle (the female) George.

Day 24 ~  Random

Old school telephone.

Day 17_ Something Inspiring

Day 17

It helps to know that you’re not alone, and others have been in the same shoes. 

Day 16 ~ Something Old

Day 16 ~ something Old

Here's a pic of Boy 2 with Boy 1's Restoration Project a 1971 Fury.

Day 15~ Sky

Day 15- Sky

Here's a pic of a beautiful blue sky from the top of our hill in Carbonear. Across  the harbour you can see the Hospital in the distance.I live way way down at the bottom of the hill but I still have a nice view when the trees are not in bloom. 

Day 14~ 5 facts about me

5. I’ m planning my next tattoo ~ Sissy and I will get Chinese symbols of Big sis /Lil’ Sis or maybe some flowers …not really sure but it will be something.

4. I have never had a broken bone.

3. I make lists of things to do ~I feel productive when I cross things off.

 2. I talk too much~ I do. Blogging is good because it forces me to edit out the nonsense (well…a lot of it anyway). Blogging saves my friends from having to listen to some of my yammering on those days when I am most intensely yamm-ish.

1. I may be menopausal~ Yeah. Possibly TMI. Deal with it. Being menopausal (or nearly so) doesn’t exactly terrify me. I’m not thrilled either. But That’s Life I’ll deal with it.

Day 13 - Technology

I was late posting this one b/c my camera broke and I was so busy at work. But problem solved replaced my camera with this awesome little camera . Creepy how it happened the same time I needed a technology pic.  It a little bigger than a credit card.. but very light. Its a typical point & shoot camera. Not liking the setup of the buttons but I guess I'll get used to it.  Sweet deal @ the Source less than $125.00 with a new memory card.

FIJIFILM 14 MP 

Day 12 ~ Photo Challenge

Day 12 Scene From a Window

This is the scene  of my neighbour 's backyard from my window.

Day 11 ~ Photo Challenge

 Day 11 ~ Faceless Self - Portrait

Here I am with my face in a book as usual. I'm reading Janet Evanovich's Fearless Fourteen. I have Finger Lickin' Fifteen and Sizzling Sixteen on my night stand.  I recently finished Fifty Shades of Grey... wowser's~ what a book ... cant wait to get Book 2  Fifty Shades Darker...Hot... very hot! Guys earn some brownie points a pick up a copy of these books for the misses. She'll Love ya and maybe be a little more frisky in the br.

Day 10~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

 Day 10 topic is "what u are wearing"~

What I'm wearing is not very interesting and the battery died 

in my camera (wtf  : it's an ion battery Oh Well!) 

So here's a pic of a popular " What Not to Wear" 

.......maybe If I give them some free publicity They'll give me one of those $5000 credit cards...

Day 9 ~ Flowers

Day ~ 9

 Flowers from my garden. 

Link to Piczo

here's a link to my Piczo site. Started it in 2007  and posted regularly ... until about 2010. I turned 40 and went back to college and then all my free time was gone...

 Take a look around  and tell me what you think....

http://valeries-space.piczo.com/?g=1&cr=5

Stuff from my Piczo Site~ March 2010

         

Life Begins at 40 ~  

I turned 40 and Boy 1's GF turned 19.... 

a gift for Boy 1's GF

My Fireplace

and another

                       

Brother in law

My Sissy