I Love Sunday

Don't you just love a Sunday when there are no demands on your time? Me too! Especially since we've lost an hour by springing ahead. I appreciate having daylight now til 7:30pm but I don't like that it will be dark in the morning again with sunrise at 7:38am instead of 6:38am. That being said, however, this is my favourite time of year wherein we add 2 minutes of daylight everry day now until June 21st, or "Summer Equinox". I plan to use those extra minutes on my bicycle. I don't believe I've ever had my bicycle out so early in the year before and I don't kid myself that spring is here to stay (considering it's still WINTER!!)

OOPS - there goes the dryer...I'll BRB! (be right back!)

Okay, one load folded, another in the dryer.

While the laundry gets laundered I plan to do the following on my peaceful Sunday:

• finish the crossword puzzle that I started Friday (I do the Los Angeles Crossword every week; I like a challenge but find that the New York Times Crossword is usually too difficult for me to complete. The LA version is just a tad easier.)
• I've started reading the "4th" book in the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series. If you've read that series of books you know that it's a trilogy, not a "fourology" (yeah, I just made that up). 

"Spider's Web notably marks the first novel in the series not written by Larsson. Instead, Swedish writer David Lagercrantz, a former crime journalist and novelist, took over for Larsson, who died of a heart attack in 2004. Lagercrantz was chosen by the Larsson estate and the author's Swedish publisher, Norstedts, to continue the Millennium books."

You can click on the link above if you want to read the full review. I'll let you know if it's any good! I have high hopes!

• bring my bike upstairs from the basement where it's been stored the past few months
• clip kitty nails
• eat whatever I want as Kazi is away this weekend
• ride my exercise bike (not the best weather here today so I'll stay inside)
• listen to CBC radio which I am currently doing - Stuart McLean of The Vinyl Cafe fame, is on right now - he's a Canadian story teller who sees the humour in everything :)
• have "afternoon tea" and eat snacks :) :)
• maybe yoga, maybe not - we'll see if I can find the ambition!
• go to bed early!

Scrub a Dub Dub!

Good morning!  It's alternating between sunshine and dark clouds today, pretty breezy too. But all of that is AOK because the temperature must be around 10c!!!! Yeehaw!! Spring has sprung at last! Maybe.....

Ok, we won't dwell on the possibility that Mother Nature is rubbing her hands with glee at the thought of dumping a pile of snow on us again but I CAN DREAM CAN'T I???

Oh dear Lord, please let it be SPRING!

On to business.....

I just found $1,000.00!! Yes, it's true! No I'm not losing my marbles though I know some would argue with that. Here's how - because I'm nice that way - I want to share my wealth-building strategies with you because that's what it's all about right?

OK, here goes.
Step One:  Buy a truck for $5,000.00
Step Two: Take money out of your Line of Credit to pay for it.
Step Three: Think that you are taking out $5,000.00 but really only take out $4,000.00 and use savings to cover the other $1,000.00.
Step Four: Forget Steps 1 through 3.
Step Five: Make a payment of $1250.00 on your Line of Credit and check your balance remaining.
Step Six: Do a HAPPY DANCE when you realize you only have $2750.00 left to pay back instead of $3750.00!!

Easy peasy!  You're welcome!

In other financial news I have purchased the lovely pair of appliances shown below for our PEI home. I'm feeling pretty darn happy that I was able to cross off TWO MUST HAVE items for our retirement abode - Dougie the Dodge  and now a washer and dryer!!!!! They are scheduled to arrive on July 5th!  I am paying for them with my tax refund which should be rolling in by the end of this week.  Dougie the Dodge will be paid off by the end of April and all of my savings in May and June will go into my EMERGENCY FUND (which is currently empty!!) - around $5,000.00.  Then all that I can save between July and December of this year will go towards long term savings - my TFSA and RRSPs.

Aren't they pretty?  

This is how we did laundry for the last two summers. (And of course we will continue to use our clothesline as much as possible to keep our electricity bill down).

Unfortunately I only have pictures of Michael hanging the clean clothing on the line. I don't have pictures of how he cleaned our clothes. Can you guess? YES, IN THE BATHTUB!!! I don't know how I let that photo op go by uncaptured! A half naked Michael, very damp, muscles pumping as he scrubbed and scrubbed....leaning over the tub....

Do you think I can still cancel my appliance order??

Here.i.am

DISCLAIMER! THIS IS ONE OF THOSE POSTS THAT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE A TOPIC!

So I'm going to try to distract you with ...what else...the sweet innocence of little girls waiting to go in and celebrate their first communion.

My sister called and left a message while I was out buying laundry detergent because we had run out and neither of the two previous laundry-doers bothered to let me know!! So I go downstairs to do my laundry this morning to be greeted by the empty container. Thanks, thanks a lot.  Anyhoo, my sister was worried because I hadn't blogged since Tuesday's post so she wondered if I was so sick that I couldn't open my laptop and get down to it.

Thanks Lanniekins, but I'm fine. I'd say by about Thursday I was feeling much better - the runny nose has run dry, the scratchy dry throat doesn't keep me up at nights and although my energy is still low the worst is most definitely over. But it's nice to know you care:)

More distraction, like it?

So where the heck was I? I think that Wed. I just decided to take the day off from writing a post. On Thursday I played mother and wife by preparing a delicious dinner for my beloved family. (bought a roasted chicken at the Superstore - nothing but the best for my loved ones!) Oh, and wine of course! Pour a couple of glasses of wine first and no one cares what you've made (or didn't) for supper! And then yesterday my friend Troy and Michael and I went to see Wanderlust with Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd - very funny, I recommend this movie if you want a few cheap laughs. Then we went out to eat at the Fox and the Fiddle which also had karaoke and I'm telling you, between the very ordinary food and the off-key singing we'll be exploring other restaurant options next time!

Jennifer's new boyfriend, Justin Theroux on the right

Once home I tucked myself into bed while Michael went out to a club called The Cobra to meet up with his son and his son's new girlfriend. They both live in Trenton which is about a 5+ hour drive so Michael doesn't get to see his son very often. I'm reading a good book on my Kindle so was happy to have some quiet time to read but within minutes of sliding between the sheets my head jerked up and I noticed my Kindle had taken up a new position on the floor so I turned off the light and had a great sleep.

I'm sorry that nothing exciting happened that I could tell you about. I'll try harder tomorrow.