Last Half of July

 Busy and not busy for the last while.  I continue to squirrel away my monthly pension into savings. This will go towards a house down payment, and life funds. IF there is ever a house.  I think that building will be our best bet.  That way I'm not going into a home that needs new counters/cabinets/flooring/paint and a yard that needs fencing/decking replaced.  There is a new development that they have just broke ground on that I think and hope will be the right area for us.  Its far away from the train tracks, good drainage, good work commute for dh and lots of park areas.  I anticipate this area ready to build on by next spring.  It's a lot later than I would like, but also gives us lots of time too. 

I've been all talk and no action for selling more things and listing some furniture on Marketplace. I think it's because I'm pretty discouraged about finding a new house. I really thought that we would find something and be planning a move by now. 

I haven't been on the ball for my investments. Well I try but when I went away for 3 days I lost access to my email. I was locked out. Not good. In that time a GIC came due and I was going to move it into a short term one, instead it slid into my savings account. So the 0.0something percent interest isn't really raking in in! On Monday I will have it changed when I talk to my investment guy.

I went away for a few days to visit a family member. Then we went to stay with friends that were camping. (Kinda camping as they have a huge camper we stayed in - it has a washer and dryer in it!) The hours of driving and not great sleep has caught up to me. I'm tired.

Today is a dull and cloudy day. No smoke which is lovely. The yard is happily doing its thing. The newest nieghbours are loud and obtrusive.  Friends of ours have neighbours that hire bands to play in their yard! If the music was good - I myself would enjoy it on my deck with a drink and a snack. They are just upset about the volume. (I'm Gen X - if I like the music - nothing is too loud).  We used to have a neighbour boy that would practice the drums with the windows open. He was actually awesome and played in a band. I would on purpose work outside to listen to him. I will take that over non-stop construction like I have now.

Speaking of music, my oldest added me to family Spotify. I LOVE IT! I have a couple nice speakers that dh won in golf tournaments that I can play all day. I think that I will need to get some headphones. That way I can be outside and try to drown out the unpleasant neighbours. I have some earbuds, but they hurt my ears. I need some soft ones. I should be able to find some at Winners. And I have a gift card! A friend of mine just became a grandma too, so I will get her a few "grandma gifts" like she did for me.  Just some little board books and toys when baby comes over to visit.

This is a surprise lily. As in I don't remember planting it! But its doing its thing. I had a big ornamental crab tree trimmed back a couple of years ago and the flowers around are getting much more sun now. Huge hostas and lamium that are growing like crazy.

The Good Things:

Savings continue

Gift Cards

Grandbaby that is a joy

Kids are all healthy and working 

Things that Suck:

The parental units that don't acknowledge that I even have 3 kids after 19 years

The parental units that exclude kid #3 from any $$ they give to my older ones. (Yes I have spoken to them and No they don't care)

Deciding what to cook. (Yes I meal plan - but I still need to come up with ideas!) Maybe some Greek flavours this week....

 

 

Blown Away

 The wind has been horrendous. The only good part is that it has blown the smoke away.  Today we're warming  up to 20 degrees I think and the sun is out.  The yard is greening up and is a nice haven when the gusts let up.

The search for a house remains. The "beautiful kitchen/quiet area/finished basement" requirements seem to be very elusive. Within the price rage that I'm comfortable seems to be the biggest constraint! 

The cooking and shuttle driving has come to an end this week. There were some last minute changes for the other family that had surgery earlier this week and I was not needed. Which was a relief.  There might be some babysitting duty, hopefully not too many days in a row as my back gets really sore. But whatever is needed. I have my Voltaren Rub :)

dh came back from his week away and was jet lagged for a few days. I stayed busy with the yard, cooking, cleaning and hockey playoffs!! :)  GO OILERS!!!

I have made a big "To Do" list that needs to happen to get this house on the market. Its a long one!  Yesterday I got 3 jobs off the list. I replaced the central vac outside air valve. I'm not a fan of heights but went up the ladder and switched the broken one out. Since I was climbing the ladder I moved it over a few feet and also did a rustolium paint job of the eaves where the garage heater is vented as over the years the heat has darkened it. Then dh replaced a broken window well cover and managed to step on and crush every perennial and shrub within 10 feet of the window. Got a cold air return vent cover ordered (dh broke the one in the living room).

I have a LOT of areas to prep for painting. 2 bathrooms where I put up floating shelves then dh broke them (are you sensing a trend here?) then I had to change the brackets and fill the old holes. I was too pissed off to paint them again, so I have left them. Now I get to do it.  The bathrooms are at least the same colour so I don't need to worry about that.  If there is a miracle and I have energy, the 3rd bedroom needs to be prepped and painted too.  But that will take me a week as there is a lot of sanding.  Dh can help with that at least.  I've decided that it will be the same colour as the bathrooms. So the same paint again. Saving me a bit of money. My family room fireplace wall needs painting as does my laundry area at the back door.  I will have to hire someone to do that.

This afternoon is a big Walmart shop.  I don't like anything about it except the prices. Sadly the Sobeys/Safeway are at least 20-40% more on everything.  There are a couple "Independent/Loblaws" but I can't seem to find or get everything I need. Ours has crappy produce as well.  There is one over by kid 2 that is nice, but I won't be over on that side of the city today.

This is one of my flowers. (Far away from the window well) 

The good things:

Everyone is on the mend

Kids 2&3 had crossover on their jobs so were able to go for a lunch together.

Grandbaby is a delight

Things that suck:

The parental units having health and memory issues.

I'm back at doing yoga and my back still isn't happy

This wind 

Cooking

 The last week has been a lot. Stress and worry.  Hospital and transportation of family having surgery. Happily all has gone well with the outcome. There has been lots of cooking. Big meals for them, plus the 3 of us. Enough for a leftover meal as well.  My first meal was a hamburger soup as planned that used up all my vegetables that were looking forlorn. Added some beef and cheddar sliders and a big bowl of fresh mixed berries.  I had a one day break as friends took a meal. Then I did a BBQ with roasted veg and a big salad.  Then friends stepped up again.  Today I'm doing cheesy meatloaf  x 2 with garlic mashed, steamed broccoli carrots and peas. (Again enough for 6 people and leftovers for 3).  There has been in fact ZERO help from the family on the other side. Not unexpected, but again disappointing.  

dh is away for a couple more days.  I did a little "me" shopping yesterday. I have given myself a rule that nothing new unless I've run out, or have worn it out. So a couple toiletries and a pair of capri pants on for 40% off.  (I outgrew the other ones and I refuse to wear "pinchy pants" anymore.)  Overall I've reduced my wardrobe by at least 1/3. I don't need my "business casual" clothes anymore. Or at least not all of them.  Somebody my size (and a size smaller than me - haha) will find a lot at the goodwill.  I also went through all of the closets - dh has lost 65 lbs and so many things are too big and many things also fit again.  So I'm only keeping what fits.  Kid 3 is quite particular now so I don't buy him anything unless he's there. There was a big purge of his stuff with me gaining a couple hoodies and t-shirts. That's my style now :) comfy. We gain a lot of sports team gear every year with kid 3. Not directly purchased but it came with the team fees. The last couple of years we haven't had to pay anything, so that has been great, but we still get a bunch of apparel. Some of his friends have played on 3-4 teams per year (getting traded) I can't imagine all of the stuff!  I'm lucky he's in the same place so far.

Last week dh helped me do a pantry refresh. I have a large corner pantry and it gets messed up easily it seems. I do compare myself to the Swedish chef when I'm in the kitchen. I excuse some of it because I don't have the hand strength anymore so after a lot of chopping/dicing I drop stuff, and I also cant reach up with my right arm above my head. So things get put/shoved where I can easily reach. And I'm easily distracted, so I forget what I was just doing!  BUT for the last week I've been very good about putting everything back in its place!  Maybe it's a new leaf??

Well I'm procrastinating. I need to water all of my planters and the lawn, then a trip to the pharmacy and the library, then start the meal.  

So glad that I'm not rushing home from work to do all of this!!

The Good Things: Improving health and just need to rehab.

Clean kitchen

Able to provide to others

Sunshine and no wind today

Things that Suck:

Some people

Next week more family needing surgery (ugh!) So I will add 2 extra servings to the meals for them.

Fuzz is in the Air

 Fuzz is flying everywhere today. The neighbourhood poplar trees are all letting go of their fluff. It looks like a snowstorm. Allergies are going to be in full swing now! So gross. 

A couple more houses to see this week starting today. I'm hoping to see something that doesn't need a ton of work before moving in.  The one today is painted top to bottom blue/grey. Hopefully it isn't as bad in person as it is in the pictures. The layout is great and so is the location. Always hard to tell from pictures. Paint is very fixable but adds another step and expense.  A friend is selling her home, and it is gorgeous! BUT so many stairs and a suite in the basement. I'm not wanting to be a landlord, or have a big reno to remove it. Somebody will be lucky though as it was constructed and planned with care. Friday we see a nice 2 story close to me that dh really likes. The yard is a disaster with a perimeter of cedars that someone has butchered with the pruning shears. That will be several thousands to remove and replace to keep privacy. But if it checks all the boxes, then it can be dealt with. 

I bought a bunch of bedding plants for my planters.  Weather has not been cooperative to getting them done. Or if I wasn't a big baby and could brave the wind and cold temps with occasional drizzle I could get them done. I'm just hoping for a bit of sunshine. Planters will come with us with a move.

Sold one more thing on FB market. So now my sales are $375. One more item left to go worth $10. So far no takers! I have a small wine rack that isn't ever going to be used that I should list too.  I love wine, but my skin rash and menopause don't.

These next 3 weeks are going to be quite hectic. dh leaves for work out of province on Monday and not back until Friday night. Lots of family medical needs. Lots of organizing/cleaning and purging to do here when not helping out. Plus tons of cooking to keep my hyena fed and will be delivering meals when family can't do their cooking.

The only savings to be had are that I am buying in bulk and meal planning. Attempting to make BIG meals that will work for all of us.  I also have saved all of our "take-home" containers from eating out, those are great to transport side dishes and I don't want them returned (after a cupboard cleanout there are a ton of them!). Haha meeting my purging goals at the same time!  I also have a few dollarama tin containers that I will use up. 

First meal for all on Friday will be a hamburger soup and buns. Weekend tbd. They will have the other side of their family there to help (I hope) and I will resume meals on Monday.  Thankfully with dh gone kid 3 can help out some evenings.

I better run and get todays meal in the oven. (Oven baked chicken breasts and rice with broccoli and cheese) Then to see the house. Then to drop off some stuff for kid 1. Then to try and have a sleep before a very long day tomorrow.

The Good Things: A full fridge and pantry. Retired and able to help when I'm needed.

Things that suck: insomnia and menopause.

Oh and by the way I don't publish rude annon remarks. "LOLZ" to you too. Really, why do you need to be rude? The syntax is very revealing and it should be beneath you.

Toodles!

Spring has sprung and the wind is blowing.

 It has not been a great spring yet. There was only one day of rain in April and now all there has been is wind. An east wind blew down the hockey net out front. That has only happened once since 2002 with wind that direction.  Good thing I have it chained down so it only moved a few feet.

The garage sale was OK. Lots of people were looking for furniture and tools. I had none of that. I did get rid of several boxes of things. I gave a lot away too.

I sold 3 items now on FB marketplace. Made $325 so far. (Such a pain dealing with scammers and weirdo's to find normal people looking to buy)

I'm tired. (Which could be the title of every blog post I make.) But I have had very poor sleeps for the last few weeks. Running on 4-5 hours of sleep per night isn't enough. I don't like taking sedation, but I think I have to tonight. 

House hunting is daunting. We saw 4 homes on the weekend. The one that we would have put in an offer on already has a conditional sale. Today we look at another after dh is done work. It looks ok in the pictures. I'm not too hyped up on the location, dh is. So I will give it a chance. There is a presentation of offers on this one in a couple days.

We had an appointment at the bank yesterday to see about a mortgage. Young man, we knew many of the same people. Kid 3 is friends with many people he knows. The fellow was not really that helpful. We wanted some numbers. The scenario that we are buying first and then selling, down payment options, open rates so that we would do the balloon down payment when this house sells. Rates/options/terms. He wasn't doing anything without our credit scores.  OK. "Can you give us a ballpark?" - No I need your paystubs. My dh has been banking there for 20 years! He was literally looking at dh's accounts as he said this. Seriously. I hate banks.

So an online calculator it is then.

No wonder I'm not sleeping.

Kid 3 is working like crazy. Last week was 56 hours. Overtime plus he's doing a few hours at the place he worked last year.  Its like feeding a hyena I would think the comparison is. I am cooking like crazy these days. We are always out of something.  If I had any energy I would clean the pantry and lazy susan. That might help my organization. My freezer is clean and organized, so there's that. I am menu planning, so that helps quite a bit. He takes leftovers for  a big lunch the next day as the job is very labour intensive. High protein and lots of veg and fruit. Then somehow he has energy for 4x week training. Starting a new gym today with more flexible hours.

Next week family is having surgery. Then in 3 weeks another family having surgery.  I need to make some freezer meals. I will be the driver for appointments and the babysitter for sis in law's little one. dh has a week long conference and flies out in 2 weeks. 

Second verse same as the first - No wonder I'm not sleeping. 

The Good Things: Buying a house is OPTIONAL at this point.

I have the time (thanks retirement) and the $ (thanks savings) to help others.

Grandbaby is a delight and into everything.

Things that Suck:

The stress that comes with change.

Monday Evening

 Its early early evening, not even, but it will be by the time I publish.  I didn't sleep well last night. I've been awake since 4 so it feels like 10 pm. I haven't done a yoga session for over a week and I notice it.

The weekend was very busy. Family gathering on the man's side. It was a bit of a fiasco, they always are these days. I stay on the perimeter and observe. People that don't have hobbies like to create drama is what I have determined.

I had a great time with my 3 kids, dil and grandbaby. This is going to be a very busy summer on the go for them! Baby is on the run now and into everything.

Election day today. I voted. The lineup was 0 at my polling station. I did see the list and there were more people that had voted than not. (Your name is crossed out once your ID is verified). I doubt that my riding will change from conservative as I'm in the prairies. But this riding did flip for the provincial election so I have a glimmer of hope. #neverpoilievre! I just can't stand him. He gives me the creeps. If you have never had the misfortune of knowing a guy like him count yourself lucky. 

I have started listing stuff for sale on FB marketplace. So far I have made $50 for 1 dress.  There is a dance costume that my friend wants to buy and I have a couple more dresses that I am going to list as well. I have a bunch of sweaters that I used to wear to work as a "uniform".  I'm going to hang up a bunch when I have the garage sale and hopefully make a few $$.  Purses that I don't use at all can go too. They are nice leather ones that should sell.

Kid #2's car was vandalized at his worksite while he was out of town on the job. It's going to be $750 for the insurance repair. Not covered by his employer. Caught on camera an adult sized person on a bike with a shovel at 2:30 am. He doesn't even have coffee money in the console. It was just to be a horrible human.  So now there is that to deal with. The police have less than zero interest in a punk on a bike wrecking cars. Very disheartening. My kid has been working really hard to get ahead and now this.  Of course its going to be me helping him. It's always something it seems. 

On a kind of nicer note: before Easter/on Easter I always miss my grandma. I really missed her this year for some reason. Heart ache and tears missing her. I would give anything to walk into her kitchen and see her smile and her arms open wide for me. Well (here is the nice part) a plant that I bought as a little wee thing last year - because gram used to grow one in her kitchen. Mine bloomed for the first time the day after my tears. It lifted me up for the last week to see that little bloom.  Silly I know, but it was a good thing.

The Good Things:

Little flower

Cash for cleaning closet

Sunshine

I've read 20 books in 2025 with #21 waiting for me to start

Kid 3 loving the job

Things that Suck:

Family drama (for once not mine)

The loon in office to the south

The potential maple maga in office

It's been so dry that dust is blowing all over. 

This Could Take Awhile

 To find what I am looking for might take a year the real estate agent said!  Good grief!  The market supply is very low. The 1 house we ended up looking at did not have a big enough kitchen for me and the garage would not hold both of our vehicles.  Plus kid #3 needs to park at home for the next few years off and on.  I would like to have another parking place so that we aren't playing musical chairs in the driveway.

The second house is already conditionally sold after 1 day on the market.  The conditions are removed after next Wednesday so that will stay on the back burner.

In the meantime I deep cleaned and purged one of the bedrooms. Went through all of my "work" clothes, came out with 2 large bags to donate, a big bag of misc. junk to throw away  and about 40 books to donate to a classroom for grade 7-8's. 1 box that can go into the garage sale. However I have a ton of sports awards still there from kid #3.  Apparently I still need to keep them according to dh and the kid. Trophies/medals/plaques/big framed photos/banners.... they are all over our 2 empty bedrooms.  I guess when we move they will be pared down?  But he won another big award at the end of the season, so that needs to find a spot yet!  There is zero room in his bedroom as he opted for a bigger bed vs more floor space. Ah well I've had worse troubles!

I did over do it and my neck was killing me 2 days ago.  All I could do was sit with the heating pad on.  Thankfully after a day of rest it is better. I need to keep working on the cleaning and purging every day.

Our Easter was nice.  I made a big ham. 8 people plus grandbaby.  My parental units came to the city (told me the day that they were leaving) but stayed as usual at the golden siblings house.  They dropped by for 35 minutes on their way home. Things are about the same with mother. I predict that she will be a very unpleasant handful to manage in the years ahead. She's having some sort of issue that she can't walk like usual.  She was able last summer to walk 5+ km per day.  Now she can't walk 300 m.  She's not dizzy or short of breath. "I'M FINE!". So that's going to be an issue, but since she's "fine" I won't worry about it.  As history has shown I will be called upon to fix everything when it hits the fan.

Monday is the vote in Canada.  Our advanced polls had record setting attendance.  I didn't get there as I didn't have an extra 2 hours to wait in line!  I will wait in line on Monday. There is no way that I will not vote against our rhyme throwing temu trump. The ding-a-ling that I currently have as an MP doesn't hold a candle to the person running against him.  So I'm voting for the educated, well spoken candidate.

The Good Things:
Spring time

Grandbaby

Sunshine

BBQ's

Feeling lighter with every bag and box that leave the house

Retirement

Things that suck:

Aches and pains

Mortgages

Zero self awareness of the parents

Going Hunting for a House.

A change in mindset has come over me in the last few months.  Being at home every day, spending time cleaning and purging has made me see that this house is not where I want to be for the next 20 years.

Other than my location (which is perfect low traffic cul-de-sac close to schools and parks) there isn't much else going for this place!  The house will be 29 years old this summer.  It needs a new furnace, flooring, paint, bathrooms, and really a kitchen refresh.  I am not the one that wants to do that.  $75000 plus.

We don't have nice neighbours anymore. The lovely couple beside us moved out last spring. In moved a very snooty pair and their teenage kids. They are snooty in that they both roll their eyes when talking about yard stuff (we share a bit of flower bed). Neither of them touch a blade of grass, pull a weed, water, trim a tree. All of it is done by her elderly parents. The first thing they did was to hire a company to cut down 4 big trees, 2 mid sized fruit trees in the backyard, ripped out all of the shrubs, then they paved over the garden to make it a sport court. They also don't shovel snow in the winter (just drive over it).  There were lots of birds that went to the many bird feeders that the previous couple had. The lady complained that they had too many birds in the backyard. I had said "Well there used to be a couple of big bird feeders"  She gave a humph and eye roll "That won't be happening".  Last summer while her Mom worked in the front yard with me she drove overtop of very noticeable pile of small branches that were on the driveway we made for the compost. Rolled down her window without saying hello, informed her mom she would be back by 6, she was her way to the golf course!  

Behind us new people moved in with 2 kids that fight and scream/cry every day. My kids used to play outside all of the time, yes there were some fights, but not daily and certainly not crying all of the time. The girls behind us are unable to get along for more than 30 minutes. The little one is bawling and tattling every day. They are almost 13 and 11 years old. I would think that they are well past the fighting and screaming stage, but no. (when we hear them come out in the yard the dh and I take bets on the time until crying. Under 45 minutes always wins. Loser has to get drink/snack refills)  Then add their 2 very large dogs that are let out to bark at 5:45 am. 

I'm not looking for friends, just people that don't make a lot of noise and keep their yard decent.  

I have 2 houses lined up with the real estate lady to see tomorrow.  I'm excited and also sad.  Its a big change for me. The prices aren't terrible high. I'm not looking at anything we can't have paid off within 5 years.

I'm not even dreaming about putting this house up for sale until we have bought and moved in first.  Then my plan is to empty it out. Clean, top to bottom and maybe paint a bit as I have some very dark colours in some rooms that would not be to everyone's taste and let her fly.  The market is very favourable for buyers.  I think it will sell in less than a week.  BUT that is the cart way before the horse!

Daunting tasks ahead!

I started blogging to keep track of my mortgage payoff.  I worked my tail off and did it by myself in 3 years.  This time the man is helping, in fact he will be doing the "heavy lifting".  But the time has come and I'm preparing.  I will start with having a garage sale in 2 weeks. SO MUCH STUFF!!

Wish me luck!

Happy Easter !!

Meeting with the Advisor

 I was able to get a quick meeting set up with my financial advisor.  I do like how he has all of my information printed out separating my different investments into funds and then the holdings of TFSA RRSP and non registered investments.  Then a one page summary showing different dates as comparisons. 

Even with the US markets in a free fall, my Canadian investments are holding strong.  I maxed out my TFSA for the year as planned.  I was going to max out my RRSP amount but he talked me out of it.  My pension amount has me in a lower tax bracket so there is no benefit to reduce my income with RRSP's.  I have now invested that money and will pay tax on the investment income and be further ahead.  Plus it is easily available that way if we (I) find a house to purchase.

Next year we will look at income splitting to bring down dh's tax rate.  I got a refund this year, and dh, needed to buy RRSP's to get a refund, but that is fine.  I also did kid #2 and 3's taxes and they both got refunds.  The GST rebate will help them both as will the final carbon tax rebate.  Kid 3 landed a job within 2 hours of submitting his resume online.  Starting at $20/hr with a raise following end of probation period.  Also the hours allow training to continue uninterrupted.  Good experience to get I think and will be exposed to a wide array of trades.  Not what he plans to do, but if you don't see them and know about them, you can't be sure that it isn't for you.

Kid 3 has been back home following the teams not continuing in the playoffs.  His year was very successful in spite of how the team finished in the playoffs. It has been a big adjustment as it was last year.  Different that thankfully there isn't the pressure of school and finals.  Going to take 2 classes from University this fall.  There was too much downtime this past season even with a part time job.

Spring has sprung, sort of.  Typical in that we get a nice slow melt and the streets are cleared, only to get a few cm of snow again.  Today it is sunny and a nice quiet Sunday.  I need to run to the grocery store to pick up some fresh beef on sale for tonight.  I will also be doing a salad.  All of everything is local except for celery.  I wasn't paying close attention to my diet a couple weeks ago and now my skin is unhappy.  It's clearing, but it takes a bit.  When I do "clean eating" or my version of such, I feel much better. Clean eating for me is nothing processed or deep fried.  Thankfully I now have the luxury of time to plan and prepare meals that work for me. I'm not a "foodie" so its not like I could have a cooking show (I would need a way nicer kitchen for that).  

That is one of the things that I'm looking for in a new house.  A nice kitchen.  I need a big island that doesn't have a sink in it, a laundry room on the same floor as the bedroom, a quiet private backyard and a few other must haves that are very elusive. 

Tariffs will affect new home builds, so I will wait and see how things shake out.  Hopefully our new PM gets into office next month.  One thing that I never thought would happen is that I will be voting for his party.  The MP that is currently in our riding lied right to my face when he was campaigning for the last election. (what a surprise)  At my doorstep he claimed that he was a good catholic christian. I do not belong to a church, practice any type of religion, nor do I have any plans to, but don't tout that proudly and then lie.  Its not a good look.  Almost like he didn't read the bible?!  (I have).

The dh's family has had a sad string of people passing in the last 2 months.  There is a new "trend?" if there is such a thing with funerals/memorial services, that they are being held weeks/months after the death. Covid was the reason for this the past few years, but it's continuing I guess. One is next weekend and there are 2 happening in May and one in June. You can plan then I guess? It kinda puts a damper on spring for me.  I don't know.  I would rather get it over with.

On to some better news:  

• I have been reading like crazy and using the library weekly.  So far this year I have read 14 books.
• I continue to do yoga and it seems to help me sleep better
• The grandbaby is such a sweet joy!  Starting to toddle around and says a few words. Into EVERYTHING!! I have to do a quick babyproof before the visits.  Other baby news - dh's sister is medicated better now and seems to be finally acting like a mother. That has reduced a lot of drama.
• I have gone through about 75% of the junk in my basement and what I'm not keeping is in a big pile for a garage sale this spring. The rest has been thrown away and what I'm keeping is better organized so that I can find it and use it.  Still some more to go.
• Next week the dh is on vacation (staycation) and I will get his help to fix our closet. There is a big purge of clothes coming.  I had thought that I might need some of them for a volunteer position, but I don't think that I'm going to take it on as of now.  Plus I can wear more casual vs business casual that I have if I do plan to volunteer.

I am off to try an accomplish something now, besides this ramble.  I didn't do my yoga yesterday so I didn't sleep good.  Late start to today!

Happy Spring!!

Elbows Up Team Canada

 

Mike Myers we love you!

What I would really like to say would need to be behind the 18+ 

Yah yah, here I am in my tiny world.  I’m angry. I’m anticipating horrendous outcomes for North America.  

I am clapping to Doug Ford.  Fist pumping when Charlie Angus talks. 

So proud of our Prime Minister. 

What a time this is. Unbelievable. 

One of the lunatics in charge: Muskrat actually ran to Canada (to his cousins farm near me) to hide from his African country military service in 1989, then in 1990 he moved to attend University in Ontario. His mother’s family is kkknown for their beliefs.  Published.  They moved to Africa because they aligned with apartheid.  So sieg heil is what it was.

Facts.  Not debatable. If you align with this you are unwell and your soul needs help.

Also: “Yeder nazi ist ein hurensohn”

This is the person deciding what the US government spends. 

Unrecognizable what is happening south. 

As a hockey mom I fully endorse “Elbows up”. And for those of us in the know:  

“Skoden”

Savings in the Every Day

 This has been a cold month.  Very very cold. Again that equals savings for me.  I don't like going out, so I'm not tempted to buy anything.  I also get creative with the freezer and the pantry.  Found some chicken drumsticks last night that were looking pretty frosty.  They were ok.  I tried a new recipe that was meh, but edible.  The salad made up for it.

Our groceries have cost a wee bit more this last month as I am only buying local.  In doing so have found some new brands that I really like, so that has been a win.

Personal expenses this month that were voluntary:

Party decor for grandbaby. (I will be able to reuse most of it for many years and I bought it on sale)

Starbucks for coffee out with a friend

Grabbed some frozen veg for kid #1 that they were out of and the store was on our way. (I don't expect $5 to reimburse me)

That comes to under $35 for Feb.

BUT there is a gift to kid #3 for travel.  Didn't get to go with the school like my other 2 kids because of both sports and covid.  So there is a trip planned that I will give 1/2 the cost.  This comes out of my "Kid account" that I have had for almost 15 years.  Separate from my everyday chequeing and savings.  I funnel any reimbursed expenses in there.  When kid #2 needed a vehicle I was able to help (only $1000 needed) without affecting my other 2 accounts at all.  In fact as I look back in my blog I think that I used this account for most of my older 2's travel expenses too.  So I will happily assist without affecting my savings plan.

The party will have 10 people for dinner.  I think I will just do the same menu as xmas day.  Turkey and all the fixin's.  It was easy to do much of it ahead of time + leftovers for me and the man for several days.  Plus I sent the kids home with a small lunch container.  I will need to buy a turkey today and then get it unthawed. 

Today its supposed to warm up to -20 C.  So I won't need my boots that come up to my knees, only my ankle boots! It makes it easier to walk around the store.  Maybe costco and I can grab some coffee too.  I didn't sleep last night, so I have had a very late start today after having a morning nap.  Still have wet hair this afternoon.  Thank god I didn't have to go to work.  I would have been a zombie and then more than exhausted for the rest of the week.  I've had a relaxing time typing this out, sitting in the sun from the window and not feeling guilty.

Now I'm going to do some yoga, read my book, do something with my hair and get my breading for the fish ready.  The man works with a fellow that has done a lot of ice fishing this year and the very cold lake pickerel is so good. Plus he fillets them perfectly.  Such a treat.  I think we have about 5 pounds from him.

The good things:

Savings

Babies

Sunshine and a glimpse of warmer weather

Things that suck:

GERD at night

Putting up with the news.

Low Spend Month

 For the month of January grocery expenses were under $300!!  It wasn't that hard when there is only 1.5 people to feed. There were only 4 trips for groceries mostly gingerale fresh fruit and veg. One was for  a few road trip snacks. I am not a big eater.  You wouldn't know that by all of the weight that has added in the last 5 years.  To that I give all of the credit to menopause and stress.  I'm still 15lbs over what I would like to be.  That isn't thin, that is just fit into my clothes better.

I also only had the older kids and grandbaby over x1 meal.  With the sickness that the man had I didn't want to spread it to the kids.  For that meal I only needed a few fresh vegetables.  Everything else was freezer and pantry.

This month will be a bit more as there is a big birthday with family I'm hosting and the man has his appetite back.  I grabbed a couple small beef roasts on sale as they are good for at least 2 meals for us.  They were $10 each.  Last month I got a tray of chicken breasts $5 off at Costco.  I divide them into bags of 2 after I hammer them /tenderize them flatter and remove the icky tendon.  Tonight is Honey Garlic chicken with noodles and broccoli.  Leftovers for tomorrow with a small salad.

Last night I made 2 doz gluten free banana muffins with a new recipe that called for some almond flour and sour cream.  They turned out awesome!  You cant tell that they are made with the gf flour.  As a bonus it cleaned up the frozen banana wasteland in the freezer and used all of the soon to expire sour cream.  They would be even better with walnuts or pecans but I had neither.  I also can't eat chocolate anymore as that seems to exacerbate my new autoimmune rash.  But chocolate chips would be great.

My love of reading is back in full swing it seems to be directly related to how cold it is outside.  Example -30 = lots of reading!!  In January I finished 4 books, and I'm starting #2 for Feb.  My genre is mystery and thrillers now.  And almost all women authors. Last year of my 25 books read only 2 were written by men. John Grisham (because none of my ordered books were ready yet and I do like a good lawyer story) and a highly recommended to me: Timothy Egan "A Fever in the Heartland".  A fictional book based on real events.  It explains much about below and somewhat here above the 49th parallel.  It was a very enlightening read.

Some of (my opinion) best reads in the last couple of months:

Ask for Andrea by Noelle H Ihli  

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (I know that I am late to the hype on this one!)

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Our travel was survived (barely) with about 18 hours of driving there and back (including 2 pitstops).  I drove 4 hours there and 2 hours home.  The man came back and relapsed with his health.  He went to the mediclinic and came back with a mega dose of antibiotics for a week.  After 2 days he's better.  Our hotel had a small kitchen, I didn't cook, but the full sized fridge was nice instead of the little ones that always seem to freeze everything you put in.  I brought some food and snacks from home. So I was able to have a nice salad for dinner one night and milk for my cereal stayed cold. There was always coffee/tea/hot water plus a flavoured water available for guests in the lobby which was really nice. Also the coffee maker in the room.  So that saved a trip to starbucks.  There was a free daily big continental breakfast but with my dietary restrictions now I didn't have much.  The man ate pancakes bacon and eggs every morning.

Our kid did great!  It was nice to see him playing well and enjoying himself.

Well I need to get back to my doing "retirement things": laundry, cleaning, yoga session, reading and getting lunch (egg salad sandwiches) and dinner ready.  I may just add a little nap too :)

Things that are great:

kids

grandkid

trip away was not as $$ as feared

when a new recipe is better than you hope!

Things that suck:

the hellscape to the south

my parental units

If one more person asks "What do you do all day?" "Aren't you bored?" 

Cold Snap and Finding a Few Dollars

 A quiet patch.  Some sort of bug had a hold of the man.  Not good.  I have washed my hands 1000 times, cleaned and cleaned (with gloves on) and sprayed disinfectant on all shared surfaces.  I also have done all the cooking and the cleanup.  Which wasn't bad at all, considering he didn't eat real meals for several days.

I had to learn to run the snowblower (wasn't hard) plus do all of the everything.  But he seems to be over the worst of it today. He's way behind at work but him stressing about it is worse than the actual work required. 

A text from kid #3 today that we will need to travel to a tournament he is in.  Might like to fly there instead of a  800 km drive.  UGH!  Then hotels and meals. ugh.  We have the funds, I just don't really like going there.  In thinking about it, the car rental or taxi/ubers would be way more than the gas to get there.  Also, if it's -30 I don't want to be hanging out waiting for some random car to take me where I need to be.

I caught up on some errands.  Library, Credit Union, Bank, insurance broker, pharmacy and groceries.  Plus did a 30 min yoga session. Sitting in the sunshine now, appreciating the quiet.  I pulled out some frozen chicken breasts for tonight.  All of my meal planning that I did for last week turned out to be for only 2 small meals.  I made them so that the fresh vegetables didn’t go bad, and then I ate the leftovers. Ugh (I dislike leftover anything except chinese food and chili and that isn't what I made!) Tonight I'm using the Chefs Plate recipe, but with all of my own stuff. Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and fried zucchini. The broccoli is looking a little wobbly so we will have a lot of greens.

Need to do a Costco run, but the big carts are too hard for me to maneuver with my back and shoulders.  (Its the turning) I used up all of my brown sugar, need paper towels and tissues, sweet potatoes and grab some chicken thighs. When the man is back to normal we will go some evening next week.

We did a little outing and met up with another couple that I haven't seen for 4 months.  It just didn't work out to get together with them. Again the "what do you do all day?"  "Whatever I want"

Watch movies, do laundry at 2 pm instead of all evening, take my time meal planning and cooking.  Have a nap, read a book, go for coffee, yoga, cleaning, meditating, more deep cleaning.  Take family to medical appointments, play with babies.  Endless options really.

I do not miss work one bit.  I met up with a couple of former coworkers and I really want no part of the frustration and constant do more with less time and resources. 

In my errands the other day I closed out an account that was about to become inactive.  I was using it for insurance reimbursements for many years.  Now that I'm retired, I dropped my optional extra coverage that I had through work since the man has way better coverage than I do. I didn't get a paper or electronic statement, I just had it in the background, knew about it but just "turned a blind eye" for 8 years.  I thought it had a couple thousand in it.  I was happily wrong!  I have enough to buy my yearly TFSA and put a good dent into maxing my RRSP amount for 2024!  Whoohoo!

For some reason as well, my parental units gifted me a significant amount after New Years.  When I asked what was the occasion, I didn't get a straight answer. Nothing comes without strings attached so I am quite leery.  That too will be invested.

Travel this year is being put off. Perhaps back to the west coast, or see the east coast of Canada. The time will be spring.  I've been to the east coast of the US a couple times, but not here.  I think I would like the Cabot trail.  But we will see.  I have nothing but time to plan!  I love seafood so either coast is awesome with me!!  I have a folder on my computer adding tours/restaurants/hotels to.  Its fun! 

I need to meet with my investment guy for our pre-tax season plan. This time the man thinks that he should maybe do some RRSP's to avoid paying tax this year.  A lot is unknown as to how my retiring partially through the year will affect things.  I just find it all so very very dry.  I have to make myself pay attention.  That's the reason that I started this blog forever ago.  Track where I have been, and plan for the future.

The good things:

Unexpected bucks!!

Babies 

Things that suck:

-30

wicked virus' going around

Reset, Relax and Rethink

 2025 will be my year of no rushing.  I hate rushing to go/do anything.  It stresses me out and makes me very irritable.  I'm 5 days in and so far so good.

The holidays came and went with a flurry of cooking and cleaning.  I am in envy of those that can somehow pull off a meal for 20+ people!  I cooked for 10 for 2 days and I was flat out exhausted on the 26th.  I was also sleep deprived and cranky.  Getting 4 hours of sleep a night is not a good foundation for 2 days of hosting.  

The sleep trouble = teenager.  

There is another baby added to the family on the mans side.  Quite the fiasco so far, but the babe is healthy.   The dad is an obnoxious jerk that I can barely tolerate.  So lazy, selfish and outright mean to the wife.  I was secretly hoping that they would split up before any baby came along.  Nonetheless I will be supportive to her and the baby, and not stir up jerkface.  I have a very strong feeling that I will be doing quite a bit of babysitting.  She's not able to take the full maternity leave that we have here in Canada of 1 year as they are completely broke and would likely lose the house.  (But at least he can drive his brand new $80,000 truck) Seriously.

I continue to do yoga at home, just stream it to the t.v. for sessions daily.  I haven't found a particular person to follow yet.  I'm quite limited with my old injury so still finding the right fit.  

The temperature here is beyond cold.  I can't get outside to walk.  Well I could if I wore a total snowsuit. But I don't want to!  We are still looking for a nice vacation spot.  I don't want to go back to where we were last year.  I'm thinking a tour of sorts. But first we have to make sure that the teenager that deprives me of sleep is set.  Also had word today that one of my parents fell on the ice.  Big splat apparently. Nothing broken, just very sore.  That's all I need right now.  Jeeze.

So today I am turning up the furnace, I have a giant pot of chicken soup getting started, I'm going to stream a yoga session and then get started on one of my books.  I have 2 waiting for attention.

I used to drop everything and rush in to help anyone and everyone.  I need to step back.  There is a book "The Let Them Theory".  I think this needs to be incorporated in my thinking.  Stretching myself as thin as a wire until I break is not healthy.  Others can step up for once.

The good things:

my soup

my yoga

grandbaby

Things that suck:

Family dysfunction and denial

my parental units