Hallowe'en Decor at the Fancy Schmancy Address

Does This Look Like October 29th To You?

Me, either!!!! And now I am off to decorate - OUTSIDE - at the PM's residence. Fun, fun, fun . . . .

Ahhh!

My house is clean (well, the basement and main floor). I did major decluttering of the hall bench, the hall closet, the cupboard above the stove, and another kitchen cupboard that had accumulated a whole bunch of junk. My new oven is in and, in addition to working like a dream, it looks sleek and beautiful, too. And best of all, I am off tomorrow. So I may get other stuff cleaned and organized (I am on a mission!!), but I may stay in my pajamas, drink coffee and watch back to back episodes of "Love It or List It" all day. Depends how decadent I feel in the morning.

Photos of the fall decor that adorns my home to follow.

The Post To Get Maggie Out Of Her Foul Mood

Since my comment agreeing with foul mood status made her laugh, I figured I'd go one step further and expand it into a whole post. Here is the comment that started it all:

My oven died right before Thanksgiving (and we need a new one - that's two grand I wasn't planning to spend). The vacuum broke (it has been fixed, but I would LOVE to get a new one - I refer you to the first part of this as to why that isn't happening right now). I have gained weight. Hubby and I had a huge and *lovely* argument - on the phone, right before choir. Oh, and in choir I sing second soprano. Which apparently means first fucking alto these days. So yeah, FOUL mood fits. AND I have an achy throat from singing too low for too long. (but I promised I wasn't going to bitch about the soprano thing this year - notice I haven't been blogging much? If you don't blog, you don't bitch).

And her subsequent response:

I love you guys. I especially love you, Canada, for detailing the many reasons for your own foul mood. Does it make me a bad person that this actually cheers me up?

I figured that if this slightly lengthy comment cheered Maggie up, then what the hell. In bullets, because it's one in the morning and I really should be sleeping!

• The oven died. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (that would be Canadian Thanksgiving, of course), I self-cleaned the oven. We have a single wall oven which was here when we moved in (it was put in around Aug 1997, but it was a model home at that time. The house was occupied sometime in 1999, and we moved in in 2002). I swear, it has never worked really well the whole time we have lived here, and we have spent more than $600 on repairs (one time for a faulty lock mechanism for self-clean, one to replace the entire keypad). So . . . . self-clean. No problem. Until the cycle was complete and I realized there was nothing at all in the display. And the door was still locked. And still is locked. We decided to get a new oven. It will be installed on Monday. That's one week and one day past Thanksgiving dinner for 12. The silver lining? The turkey (cooked in V's oven) was fabulous!! Which makes me feel better about the whole new oven thing - obviously it was time. And it could have been worse - it could have died WHILE cooking the bird, right? Still, that was a large chunk of cash that wasn't so much anticipated.
• So we were getting ready for the dinner, cleaning and such. And Hubby tells me that "by the way, the vacuum broke". Of course it did. Why wouldn't it? Anyway, it was just one of the plug prongs that broke off, so it was a cheap and quick repair. Bummer - I really, really want a Dyson pet vacuum. But that whole new oven purchase threw my ultimate plan out the window.
• This wasn't this week, but I think I'm still feeling the effects. I tripped and fell off my porch. Well, I was taking the dog out before meeting Nancycle for lunch and I'm still not quite sure how it happened, but I somehow caught the heel of my shoe and I couldn't stop myself from wiping out off the bottom step onto the path. My knee hit, and I actually skidded. It had been raining. Talk about loser. Two slight pluses here - no one saw me, and I only had to change my jeans (since it was wet) - I had my rain jacket zipped up so my shirt was unscathed.
• I need new speakers for my iPod. See reasons one and two for why this is annoying.
  
• The second soprano issue. About which I made the resolution to accept it and not bitch about it. So lately, blogging has been light, because Oh.My.God. ALL I want to do is bitch about it. I am just not an alto. And it is beyond pissing me off about the fact that the seconds are singing alto parts because they suck and can't hold it together when divided into first and seconds. So, after the first week, I took that particular piece to AVT and she was surprised, because the soprano part is easily something I can do without needing her help. I felt vindicated by her reaction to the fact that I was singing alto. And I learned it. And sang out on the Thursday, since really, only Raindrop and I were really able to get it (and Daisy was away). Well, it completely messed up my voice. My throat was achy, but not sore throat achy, just strained. And I sounded all raspy that evening - and the next day! But, I wouldn't complain, no no, not me. I did talk to Diva about it, in a rational manner. I told her that I had decided to talk to Gordon about compline, and that I will politely say that if I can't sing soprano, I will be choosing not to go, because I sing alto enough on Thursdays. She still thought I should discuss the other matter as well. I, of course, am a huge wuss who avoids confrontation so . . . uh uh, no way was my response. Until last Thursday when I had the realization that I used to love Thursdays, and choir, and singing. And now . . . I don't. Last week, there was one piece that I enjoyed singing. Everything else was all second soprano/alto-ish. So I have decided that I am going to talk to Gordon about it. Not to be demanding and say "I want to be a first NOW", but that if Newfie Post-Doc gets her dream job and moves, that I would like to be moved up - after Christmas. And at the latest, next September. Not because I think I am "better" than anyone else, but because it is messing with my voice to sing what I have been, and I truly fucking hate it. (small aside - Gordon's mother passed away last week, so he has been away in the States for the funeral last weekend, and then out West to bury her. So I have no idea when this talk is going to happen). And if anyone was taking bets, the resolution lasted slightly over a month. Apparently, I have no willpower.
• Which brings me to my next point - I have gained weight. Enough so that my pants are snug. I am seriously annoyed with myself. And will be climbing back on V's treadmill next week!
• We had our federal election. The wrong guy is still in, and still with a minority government. My fingers are crossed that my neighbours to the south manage to get the right guy in next month.
  
• My house is a disaster. It is appalling how much mess can be generated by two children who play outside as much as possible. And how much laundry I still have to fold!

I will give the highlight of my week, though. I talked to Beck last Friday night. She was going to call the kids on Thanksgiving Monday, and just wanted to see if we would be around. After staying up until 2 am on Saturday night moving furniture, setting up the second table, and ironing tablecloths for dinner the next day, I was actually thinking of skipping church. I didn't, and as I walked in early (we have ti be there by 9:30 to rehearse before the 10:15 service), I thought I had finally lost my mind and was hallucinating. Because there was Beck. And then she smiled and we did the goofy run and hug thing. She is on a reading week, and spent the afternoon with us on Monday, and I saw her Wed eve for the new priest's induction service, and she came to choir, and will be at church on Sunday before she flies back. Truly the best damn Thanksgiving surprise EVER!!!!

Something Fun!!!

For everyone!! This comes via Clementine. Here's how it works:

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now (even if we don't speak often or ever), please post a comment with a completely made up, fictional memory of you and me.

It can be anything you want - good or bad - but it has to be fake.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph in your blog and see what your friends come up with.

Gobble Gobble Gobble

It's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. And here's an interesting conundrum - how do you feed turkey to twelve when your oven dies after doing self clean on Wednesday?

Thank God for good friends and neighbours like V!!!!!! I will be roasting in her oven tomorrow while she is enduring her in-laws. And I will be keeping other things (such as dressing, green bean casserole and anything else that needs a low oven) warm on the barbeque. The cooktop is fine, so I made the cranberries yesterday, and the potatoes will be a snap.

The new oven will be delivered and installed on Monday October 20. It's basically the latest model of what we have, not my dream oven/microwave convection/warming drawer combo. Oh well.

Tuesday Ten (Yes, I Know It's Thursday!!)

I was tagged by Gretty to do a Tuesday 10 (formerly Tuesday 12) of things that have made me smile recently. Considering that my last post was filled with descriptions of the catastrophe that was Montreal, culminating with the crazy too-many-kid birthday party . . . .I will have to dig deep (did I mention that I also worked at the bear place on Saturday and got "talked to" about my "tone", and that I didn't smile enough? And that we did inventory at the bear place on Sunday evening? Yeah . . . . dig really deep!)

1. It's finally fall!! The trees are just gorgeous, and it has been overcast with just a bit of sun peeking out which just makes the colours pop that much more. Beautiful!!
2. Nancycle and I went to lunch yesterday. It was delicious (Thai/Cambodian). It was particularly nice to see her smile - she has been having a very rough go of it for the past few weeks.
3. I talked to Beck for about 3 hours in total last Sunday. We chatted in the afternoon, and then later that night. We also came up with the brilliant idea of her calling on Thursday evening after choir when we are at the church bar, so it'll be almost like she's with us.
4. Corwin and Clara had a big sleepover at Aunt Kit's last Saturday. They went to the local fair, and to dinner, then apple picking in the morning.
   
5. Because Corwin and Clara had a sleepover, Hubby and I had a childfree evening. We actually went to dinner (the Thai/Cambodian place, which is why I wanted to go back with Nancycle - it was GOOD!), and then rented a movie and snuggled on the couch.
6. Sleep. I really could use more, but actually having some has brightened my overall outlook on life.
7. The return of all my fave bad tv shows - including Dirty Sexy Money last night!!!!!
8. The new area rug I got for the kitchen. I really like it, and it just works there. Plus, we put the other one in our bedroom and it looks great.
9. The fall decor I have put up. The mantel is covered in leaves, as is the chandelier in the kitchen, and the top of the china cabinet in the dining room. New candles in Pumpkin Spice in the dining room. Corn stalks outside. I just LOVE fall!!
10. Corwin and Clara turn 8 today. Clara is beside herself with excitement that she no longer has to use a booster seat in the car (Corwin has been out of his since April because of height and weight, but Clara is not quite tall enough, and nowhere near the weight!)

I'll try to upload some pics of the fall decor later. Now, it's off to see clients.