Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

 

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Good morning everyone, good day. It's hard to believe but one week from today will be Christmas Day.  These past couple of months have just flown by. Before we know it, this year will all be in the past. I am shaking my head at just how quickly it has gone.  But I will try not to think about that as I enjoy these last few weeks of 2024 and what remains of the Christmas season.

I have an app that I really enjoy called Hallow. It is a prayer app, and they have had a splendid Advent series/challenge this year which I have really been enjoying, and this week I started their music challenge where they will explore a different carol/Christmas song each day.  I love music and I find their posts very inspiring. Thought provoking.

I do not believe you need to be of the Catholic faith to get something worthwhile from this app.  Anything that draws you into a closer communion with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is a good thing, and there are many, many opportunities on the app to do just that.

 

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It rained quite a bit yesterday and the temperatures were up into the double digits.  Crazy weather.  Were it a bit colder we would be quite snowed in. Even this morning it is above zero, but it is clear. Until tomorrow anyways, when it is supposed to rain again. 

Cindy and I got to the SS yesterday and I was able to pick up all the things I needed to finish up some Christmas baking.  Although . . . I did forget baking powder. DOH!  I will need to go to the shops and get some. I might have a teaspoon left. I was pretty sure that I had picked some up a few weeks back, but I cannot find it. How often does that happen to me. Too often for my liking, lol, as well as going to the shops for specific things and forgetting some of what I have gone for.  That happens also. I know I am not alone in that. 

I have plenty of time to pick up some however and I even know how to make my own if I have to. I am not baking anything in particular today, so it is not urgent.

But I can't believe I forgot it.  Wait, yes, I can! lol  

In any case, we were done and dusted and back by noon.

 

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Today we are going with Dad and meeting our friend Hazel at the Big Scoop for lunch.  She has not wanted to drive there for supper since the time change. She doesn't really like to drive in the dark, and I cannot say that I blame her. I don't like driving in the dark either. Anyways, she wanted to get together for lunch before Christmas and today is the day. We are not meeting until 1pm, so the lunch rush will be/should be over and the dinner rush not yet started. It will also give her plenty of time to get back home before the dark settles in. It will be nice to see her.  

We also have to make time this week to take dad and pick up his friend MaryAnn for one more time before Christmas. Perhaps we will do that Friday. I don't know.  She was so excited to see him last week and she expressed a desire to do so again soon. She is deaf and about the same age as he is. She lives with her daughter. When he lived in his own place, he lived much closer to her, and they used to go to the mall together three afternoons a week.  Of course, now he lives further away, and we take them, so it is not as frequently.  She thinks that he is her boyfriend. (It's kind of cute.)  But he is very quick to say they are just friends. (He likes to keep his options open, lol.)

 

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One thing that I noticed at the SS yesterday was that they had those individual tubs of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (KD) on offer four for $10.  However right next to the individual ones that were on offer you could buy a pack of four (same size individual packs) for $7.49.  I found myself wondering, how many people pick up the so called "special," without noticing they are actually paying more?

I do like the stuff and was going to buy some, but bought the pack of four, not four individuals. This mama wasn't born yesterday, lol.

It reminded me of that show on Netflix, Buy Now, and how big business coerce and manipulate us into spending our money.  We need to be much savvier when it comes to shopping. We really do.

 

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I think the mail strike has ended, but it is really too late to get any cards in the post now, and of course, by the time they deal with the backlog of post that has built up over the past month, it may take several months for them to deal just with that!  I have a package that needs sending out, but I will wait a few weeks to send it. Christmas in January. How can that be a bad thing. And anything Christmas related in it will be good for next year. 

It is the same with the grandchildren's Christmas cards. I am a bit unsure as to what to do with them as well.  I am still afraid that they will be lost in the post if I send them now. It is a bit of a conundrum. Do I or don't I?  I always put a bit of dosh in each card.

I did buy a Christmas gift for the youngest one that I was going to leave on the doorstep, but now I am unsure about that. I saw a photo of him the other day in his hockey gear and I am afraid that what I got him might be too "young" for him.  I got him a set of emergency vehicles, complete with siren's, action noises, figurines, pylons, etc.  There is a helicopter, police car, ambulance, fire truck, etc. Now I am thinking it may not be sophisticated enough. I don't know what to do.  He will be 5 the end of March. 

To be honest I don't really know him or what he likes.  I am only guessing when I buy him anything. Do I just wrap the gift and drop it off, or do I give the gift to charity and try to find something else? What to do, what to do . . . 

When I was listening to the Advent challenge the other day, we were asked was there anything in our lives, any situation or circumstance that we need to offer to God or place in His hands. Anything saucing uncertainty, anxiety, fear or confusion.  To spend some time praying and just "Let all be according to His perfect will." 

I handed the situation over. These broken relationships.  I think perhaps I should just drop the gift on the doorstep because at least, if nothing else, they will know I made the effort and still care, even if the gift is too young for him.

 

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I basically just have a few things that I want to bake for Christmas.  Mostly I want to give the house a good clean and vacuum, dust, wash the floors, etc.  I also have to decorate my Christmas Cake, and I had promised to do a video of that.  So, I have that to do.  I will probably be hearing from my brother and sister-in-law as my niece had contacted me a week or so ago saying she would be down and wanted to see me. They usually like to get together once while she is here. 

I need to sort some food for early Christmas day for Tim and Eileen, even though we are going to Cindy's for Christmas dinner and then there is Boxing Day. Not sure if Anthony and his family are coming yet or not. I hope they let me know soon as I will need to make a reservation for them at the motel, etc.

Plus, my daily work. I think I will be quite busy these next few weeks.  I was saying to Cindy the other day, I think in the New Year on the food blog, I will concentrate on going back to older recipes and redoing the posts, taking new photos, etc. to update them, not every day, but two or three times a week.  It is becoming a bit of a challenge to come up with new and fresh content every day.  I have been doing this for a very long time now. The food blog since 2009. And on an almost daily basis. I really should go back and update some of those older posts as the photography was really quite poor when I first began and I have improved a great deal since them, although I am still not great at it!

 

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I hope you have enjoyed all the sheep that I have shared with you this morning. I do so love sheep. I thought that you might as well.  Sheep, lambs, etc.  Especially all done up for the holidays.  

I will leave you now with a thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.°The joy of brightening other lives

becomes for us the magic of the holidays.

~W.C. Jones   ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 

In The English Kitchen today, White Chocolate & Cranberry Scones.  A delicious brunch or breakfast option for the holidays.  Or even just to enjoy with a drink in the afternoon.  Delicious any time really!  I had bought some clotted cream at Sobey's a week or so ago and had some Christmas marmalade. They went beautifully.  The clotted cream was very close to the real deal in the U.K. A bit thicker, but some tasty!

I hope you have a lovely Wednesday.  I am sure you are all busy as well. Whatever you get up to, stay safe, stay warm, be happy.  Don't forget!

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And I do too!