Well That Never Happens...

Well that never happens...almost never that is...!

Guess what?!  I had a surplus in my budget at the end of December! In previous years I've usually been in the hole by a whole bunch! I'm not  exactly sure why or how it happened but I'm certainly not complaining!

Below is my budget for December - not pretty is it?! I am a very messy budgeter but it works for me.
I don't feel motivated to go through it now item by item to figure how I ended up with a substantial surplus but I can make a few guesses.

• I had an extra $150 in my December budget due to paying my property taxes over 10 months instead of 12 - I really appreciate that around Christmas. I end up with an extra $300 in total to put towards Christmas expenses. 
• Food expenses were lower mostly due to getting a half price turkey in November which I stored away along with some of the fixings. Usually I wait til the last minute to go food shopping for Christmas so getting some things in November really helped the December budget. As it was I still ended up over spending on food by $30 which was covered by my misc budget line
• As far as decorating goes I didn't buy anything new. My only purchase was a $6 poinsettia for my neighbour and one for myself. I use an artificial tree.
• I think the main reason for decreased spending in December was due to buying gifts while I was in Scotland: beautiful wool scarves were a big hit as were woollen toques and mittens and fingerless gloves, handmade soaps, books, bookmarks, jewellery, and of course - scotch! So in December I got Juno tickets for Kazi and I (Canadian Grammys), a few more books and that was about it. I also helped Kazi by paying off her phone bill and I created a 2019 calendar with some of my photos through a printing company called Vista. I also made a couple more charitable donations than I usually do. 

So to all of you smug folks out there who shop and plan for Christmas beginning in January I now understand why!!! and I plan to do this from now on! On January 1st I was able to put $1500 into savings instead of the usual $1000. Only $500 more to go and I will have recouped all the money I spent (from savings accounts) last year on paying off my car and travel. 

Oh the sun is shining so I'll soon be heading out to Kilally Meadows :) but one more thing...

FOOD!!

I recently tried a frittata recipe and we loved it. Besides being delicious I like that I can hide leftovers in it :) scraps of chicken or turkey, limp vegetables - pretty much anything goes. And it lasts us three meals so is very economical as well as yummy! Just top with shredded cheese and a dash or two of Frank's hot sauce (any dish that Kazi can top with Frank's is a good meal in her humble opinion 😋

How's it Going eh?

I'm back to using my fingers splint again thanks to a bad hit in volleyball last week though it doesn't hurt as much this time around. But it does make typing a challenge :) 

All around this has been a challenging week or so. The son of my first cousin, so my second cousin, passed away at the age of 50, from cancer. During his cancer battle his dad was also being treated for a brain tumour. Then an aunt passed away a few days ago and when I went to the funeral home I saw a notice that an old friend from childhood days and to whom I was related to by marriage had passed away - another battle lost to cancer.

Hey Darth - did you drop something?

My grandmother had a saying - "a green Christmas fills the graveyard" and I believe there is some truth to that.  Viruses and superbugs that don't get killed off with the milder winter temperatures wreak havoc in hospital wards. The hospitals here in London announced recently that 9 people have died from a streptococcus outbreak! And they are running out of ways to treat this which is very scary. We've had several mild and green Christmases the past few years - on my way to Norwich yesterday the golf courses were very busy!

Eyes everywhere!

While I love to walk through Kilally Meadows in mild sunshine I would embrace a cold snap right about now. And let's not forget how farmers rely on deep snow cover in their fields during the winter months.

Climate change is here and denying it like ostriches with our heads in the sand isn't going to do any of us any good in the long run. Other bugs (and I don't mean viruses this time) and beetles are heading into Canada and the northern states as their territory expands. Longer warm seasons encourages migration of various creepy crawlies - the pine beetle is an example of this and is killing trees by the thousands, maybe millions!

Okay, really didn't plan on going off on a tangent there!  Sometimes it just happens.

So....onto the financials! Those are looking pretty good thankfully. My snowflake box now holds $1,000 - Christmas is officially covered. And I only have 3 people left to buy for - yippee! And the house is decorated...well...the tree is up and has its lights on but the decorator - Kazi - hasn't had time to put on all the baubles yet. Maybe later today...she is with her sister Hannah today - Hannah is being raised Catholic and today is her confirmation. Kazi went over early to do Hannah's hair and makeup. Told her to take pictures so hopefully...

Faces galore!

 With regard to the budget:

• my share of the car insurance has shrunk by $10 a month - I'll take it!
• internet has decreased by $30 a month - hurrah! (now I'm going to look for a better, cheaper cell phone plan)
• I'm on a 10 month property tax plan so no taxes to pay this month or next :)
• I budgeted $70 for heat, hot water heater and dryer and it came to only $54!
• I budgeted $70 for electricity but don't have that bill yet - in winter we use an electric fireplace in the TV room so that it's nice and cozy in there, down there?
• I increased my food budget for December and have $80 set aside for gas. I may use it all this month what with trips out of town but that's ok. 
• The budget is balanced and hopefully I can keep spending in check. I must admit I've been tempted to buy new clothes, new hiking boots etc but so far so good.  Tis the season for shopping but not on myself!! Not til the new year and boxing day sales!!

 I'll have a nice pay raise in January so looking forward to that. It would be super nice if the raise in pension was higher than the increase in my bills! Well, I can dream, can't I? So far I think property taxes are being raised by 3.8% - boo! Condo fee is being raised as it is every year though I'm not sure how big the increase is. I've stuck the notice in a drawer and am too lazy to get up and get it for you.
Sorry. Not sorry.

I have about $500 in misc spending for December - hoping I don't use it all so that I can start buying British pounds. The $500 has to cover the remaining Christmas gifts, extra food and alcohol, stamps for cards, entertainment and so on. I'll stretch it as much as I can.

That wraps up my update for today. How are your Christmas preparations going?

Monday Monday

Funny that I still wakeup with a bit of Monday Monday anxiety after 2 years of retirement but on the bright side it only lasts as long as it takes me to remember I can roll over and go back to sleep if I want to. Not that I can sleep after an anxiety jolt runs through my veins but theoretically it's true.

These days Monday is about balancing the budget, making a grocery list, perhaps cleaning up a particularly messy spot in the house, walking to do my errands, going out for breakfast or lunch with a friend, reading and so on. Aren't I a lucky little old lady?

Today I closed out October's budget. I am a serious zero budgeter and I ended up the month with a surplus of $1.79! I think I've got the hang of this thing. There are a variety of budget lines that fluctuate from month to month (food, gas, misc, natural gas and electricity). Everything else usually stays exactly the same with my cell phone occasionally a bit extra due to using a bit more data. That happened last month when I had to pay an extra $8 on my cell phone bill. My electricity bill came in $11 over budget as we still needed to put the central air on a few times. That being said the natural gas bill was under budget by $6 and I only spent $62 on gas for my truck as I walked to do most errands. The surplus gas $ went to my food budget as I did a massive shop at the Bulk Barn to buy a ton of nuts and seeds, dried fruit, oatmeal, quinoa, rice and other dried goods for the winter pantry. I won't need to do that again for several months.

Misc purchases included new running shoes for volleyball. I googled "best shoes for runner's knee" and the best brand was Asics which just happened to be on sale at Sport Chek. I've been using them all month and I do believe they have helped. We have celebrated Thanksgiving so I've already shelled out for turkey and wine...and more wine :) I've been to the movies, out to lunch and breakfast, bought a book on Amazon, bought some new-to-me sports wear for volleyball at my neighbourhood thrift store, new socks, and so on. I bought a Christmas gift for my brother but have forgotten about my charitable donations. Need to get back on track. But overall a good money month.

I've been fighting a virus for almost 2 weeks so have had a few No Spend days this month - that has helped to keep costs down though not in a good way :(   I really like my nursemaid though!!

Happily I am on a ten month property tax schedule so I don't pay in November and December. I also have a GIC interest injection at the end of Nov. which just gets rolled over to increase my savings for the year. I can withdraw if I need more $$ for Christmas but don't think I'll need to.

Misc spending for November looks like this: new runners for hallways on main floor and basement, furnace filters, prescription and a doorbell. The old one only rings occasionally - and I thought nobody liked me! And I'll try to finish off Christmas shopping and update my charitable givings.

Kazi's sister came for a sleepover on Friday. Hannah is a very sweet, mature and well-behaved 12 year old considering what she's been through. Kazi bought snacks/drinks and we watched a funny movie together. Saturday morning we had breakfast together and then she and Kazi made S'mores cupcakes. I could hear them laughing and carrying on.

Hannah gave me a nice big hug when she arrived and when she left. She asked why her dad and I broke up and not knowing how much she knew I told her she should probably talk to her dad about that. Kazi showed her some pictures of their dad when he was a kid and then as a young man. She said she had no photos as her mom had thrown them all away so I gave her one of her dad, me and Kazi in a Christmas photo. I think I'll scan the others I have of her dad and grandparents and get them printed for her. Apparently her mom tosses out lots of things.

Kazi asked her what her favourite movie was and Hannah couldn't state a preference. Kazi says she can never say what her favourite "anything" is, not even a favourite colour. That got me wondering if she has learned not to have preferences so as not to be disappointed. I did find out that when she was 7 or 8 her mom was supposed to pick her up after a visit with her dad and she just disappeared for several months. That was when custody got changed in favour of her dad.

Anyhoo she is absolutely lovely and I hope we see lots of her.

That's my Monday, how is yours going?

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas!

Poor Charlie Brown - destined to put that red ball on his wee tree for eternity! I know how he feels - my tree leans to the right and the star leans to the left. But I don't dare touch it - it just needs to stay in place for a week or so.

Oh crap, I made the mistake of leaning forward on my chair and now Luna is behind me - she's a rascal - if I leave my chair for 5 seconds she nabs it. She loves to be in or under - wherever it is warmest. This morning she climbed up on my bed between the comforter and upper sheet - she keeps me warm and lies very still while I meditate....she's a good girl.

Luna is like royalty - she moves solemnly and with great majesty. She reminds me of the great Sphinx with her legs stretched out in front of her. Lily is like the court jester - constantly running and jumping around, being silly. Right now she is running back and forth from the front door to the patio doors - there's a ginger cat out front and squirrels out back and it's driving her crazy. Luna just watches her with infinite patience. She knows Lily will get tired out eventually.

It is Christmas Eve. I hope everyone is settled in with their loved ones waiting the great arrival. From my home to yours I wish you the very best of Christmases!

Hello

I can't get Adele's latest single out of my head! I. LOVE. IT. There's another version of "Hello" I like too, it's a more rocked out sound sung by Lukas Rossi who back in 2006 won "Rockstar Supernova" and the chance to play with members of Metallica, Guns n' Roses, and Motley Crue - a superband of sorts.  (Obviously they didn't have much commercial success). I don't usually watch shows like that but because Lukas was (and still is!) Canadian and super talented I got behind him and he won! Then I promptly forgot all about him, yes, I am fickle like that. I never thought of him again until his youtube version of "Hello" went viral. It's Adele's song so I prefer her lung power but Lukas really turns it on its head and gives it an amazing sound.

There endeth the music trivia for today. (Anyone tired of Christmas music yet??)

Well, what's happening in this wee corner of the universe? I've started to dream about crocheting so maybe it's time to put that aside for awhile! But lookee lookee! I've actually finished something!

Aren't I just a crocheting wizard?? My first ever dishcloth/washcloth in Christmas red. I saw on a website one of these folded twice with a lovely bar of soap on top secured with a Christmassy ribbon. It looked really cute - that's where I'm headed and I have another halfway done in green. If I can figure out how to add a border in white then I will. Otherwise- I won't.

I've made a wee bit of progress in Christmas preparations, though not much. I find it's much more fun to wait until the last minute and stress-buy instead! Hah! Okay people, I have the whole year now to prepare for Christmas so what gives? I was more prepared than this when I was working full-time! It seems the older I get the less Christmas spirit I have.  The worst part for me, I think, is trying to figure out what to get for the people on my list - everyone is OLD and already has a house full of stuff! People don't want or need or have the space for another doodad. So the past few years I've stuck to consumables - wine, homemade treats like cashew brittle or Christmas Crack and so on. Things gradually get eaten and drunk (HAH) and therefore take up no space. Sooooo I'm making a list today of what I need to buy to make said yummy treats and Kazi and I will bake next week.

Cards I have written and sent out, the house is decorated and semi-clean, get togethers planned with friends and family.

I received some really bad news the evening of the Mardi Gras and I know that has me feeling really sad. One of my friends that was at the dinner found out that day that she has two tumours in her uterus and will be having a biopsy this week. While she was at the cancer clinic she saw her sister-in-law, her brother and nephew. They had just found out that their three year old boy has leukemia! It's very serious and he's had a blood transfusion, samples taken from his bone marrow and spine and has already started on chemo. I went online to register for donating stem cells but was declined - they are only registering men between 17 and 35 who have an ethnic or idigenous background. I have to keep checking back.

Send out prayers my friends for this family as they go through a horrendously difficult time.

On a happier note...

CAT TV is back on with Luna and Lily being teased by Mr. Black Squirrel on a daily basis. He often comes right up to the patio door and pushes his rodent nose up against the glass and gleefully gives them the raspberry. They are not amused! But they are entertained!

A Bit of This and That

Every year at Fanshawe College the students in the Culinary & Events programs put on a shindig to end all shindigs! This year the theme was Mardi Gras and so on Friday night my friends and I ate everything from hushpuppies and catfish to gumbo and blackened beef sirloin ( as I don't eat red meat I gave my piece to the 3rd member of our group for her husband) ....oh, mustn't forget the Oysters Rockefeller and Cajun Shrimp!  There's my friend Troy (she used to work in this program so we get a BIG discount on the ticket price :) There was a Dixieland band playing during the evening. I eat so simply that I found I had stomach cramps for the rest of the night and all the next dayfrom the rich sauces and hot spicy food - at least I THINK that's the reason!! I hope they teach FOOD HYGIENE in this course!!

**Last year at this dinner it was snowing like crazy outside - this year there is narry a flake in sight - well except for me hee hee!

LOOK - I had a giant head!! A pretty good selfie - I managed to get us both in! Kelly hadn't arrived yet.

The students do everything: cook, bake, choose the menu, make the decorations including the beautiful centrepieces,  set up, take down and so on.

Then on Sunday I went to a potluck with my fellow Council of Canadian members and no,  - "duck" was not on the menu. Just Aldous ducking horsing around!

We were celebrating the birthday of the group's chairperson, which is Roberta - red hair on the right side of the table.

It was a really yummy potluck - Roberta and her husband provided 2 big crockpots of homemade soup and then we brought things like salad, rolls, dips, wine and desserts. I took a big round pumpernickel loaf and spinach dip. There were 4 or 5 desserts - I had a thin slice of carrot cake, a piece of apricot tart and some cheesecake that was gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose free and yet was totally scumptious! (Though, if there's no dairy in it how can it be called "cheese" cake?)

Will I never learn? I didn't have stomach cramps this time - I ate very small portions but I have noticed my clothes are shrinking a little. That must soon be dealt with!

Here's my friend Julie staking out a chair for the movie we watched after dinner - "Stranger than Fiction" with Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson. It's one of Roberta's favourites and I highly recommend it!

At home I continue to crochet and rip out, crochet and rip out, cro........!!! Lily is checking out my latest attempt and agrees that it is looking more even down the sides and the tension is pretty good.

This is going to be (in my dreams) a man's hat; this is the brim so far. I'm thrilled I've managed to do this much! I may or may not get it done before Christmas, lol!   Hmmmmm, just had a thought, if I made it for a baby it would almost be done!!

We needed a new tree because when Michael lived here we would go and chop down a real tree but I prefer an artificial tree. This one was on sale at Walmart and it came with lights already on it. I liked it because it is narrow yet tall. I have only put one ornament on it so far just to see if the kitties will acclimate to something new in their environment. Well...

So far it's going great!! The kitties are just not interested in the tree at all! Said with dripping sarcasm!

We haven't had much (NO) interest in our birdfeeders yet, well, just a squirrel or two but so far they are unable to get to the bird seed. I'm sure they'll figure it our eventually! I read about this idea last year and had great success with it - and it's so easy and thrifty! Take empty toilet paper rolls, slather them with peanut butter and roll them in birdseed. Can you say "cheap cheap"! I stuck one on a rake and one on my butterfly ornament. You can't really see but I put a bowl of niger seed over ont the storage unit as I read squirrels don't eat niger seeds.

I assume we've had little activity because there is NO snow. I'm going to go out on a branch.....well, perhaps a small twig (because I think it's a pretty safe bet) and predict a green Christmas in these parts. With temperatures ranging in the 10c range the only precipation in our forecast is rain! I'm not complaining - it means I can still navigate the streets using my feet instead of my truck!

How are your Christmas plans coming along? Have you decorated? (I have that done); written Christmas cards? (NO); done your Christmas baking (NONE); finished shopping? (A BIG NO), wrapped gifts (kinda hard when you haven't bought them yet so that's another BIG NO!)

I've been obsessed with learning how to crochet, plus carving and many other non-Christmas activities. Well, the crocheted hat would be a gift if I could finish it but I'm not counting on it. I think the first few wacky-looking creations should be for me and when I get more profficient I can start gifting them.

Toodles - off to get the makings of a stir fry for dinner.

2015 or BUST!!

I'm glad a new year is coming up soon - hopefully it will give me the fresh start that I desperately need.

Christmas was good - Kazi wishes we were a bit more exciting I'm sure but it is what it is.  She had a rough Boxing Day working retail and ended up coming home early with a migraine. "Worst Christmas Ever" were her exact words I, believe!

We spent Christmas Day with my two brothers, my sister-in-law, my nephew and his wife and my great-nephew. Kazi made her world-famous guacamole and it was gobbled up by everyone- she should have made twice as much! There were more treats than we could possibly eat and then we had a huge traditional turkey dinner!! Oh my!

Here's Ollie playing with his favourite toy of the day - a remote control dinosaur complete with many sound effects including FARTS!!  No wonder it was his favourite!

 The dinosaur's eyes glowed a variety of colours indicating his mood - green is good!

We had a good time opening gifts - I received a gift card for Indigo Books (PERFECT!!), a book about David Bowie (my nephew knows my musical interests) for my "reading nook", another very special book about my dad's navy days put together by my oldest brother, leg warmers!! (the last pair of those I owned was in l982!!), a metal lantern with decorative holes to let the light of a candle glow through and the notes that my mother wrote for her novel about an Inuit boy. These were greatly appreciated as I have put some "writing time" into my schedule for the new year!!

My oldest bro checking out a gift - not sure what it is?!

My nephew - giver of the David Bowie book :)  He's a pretty cool "hipster dude" and works as a graphic artist.

My beautiful daughter - she's wearing one of the tops I bought her at Topshop in Norwich, England! I was a little worried as she has very particular tastes when it comes to jewelry and clothing but she liked everything I got her, even the Icelandic wool socks! Phew!

She gave me a necklace, an infinity scarf, grey hand towels and washcloths for my upcoming bathroom redecorating and other stuff I cannot recall at this moment!

There's my other brother, squinting as he is wearing his glasses over top an eye patch he's still wearing after his surgery for a detached retina. His vision is slowly recovering.

Dino nuzzling up to my sister-in-law's shoe - she better be careful as his mood can change at any moment...

 ...as you can see in the next photo!! Hang on Gord - we'll get him off your nose!

We didn't stay TOO late as most of us get cranky if we don't hit the hay at our usual time!! On Boxing Day I called my two sisters who live too far away to join us on Christmas Day. NO SHOPPING!! Then I decided, since it was +8 outside, I would go for a walk and thought I'd add a bit of a challenge by strapping this light weights around my ankles.

See? However, it wasn't the best idea in the world as I pulled a muscle in my butt while walking!! Well, I assume it was while I was walking - it didn't start to hurt til a couple of hours later. And I'm supposed to hike tomorrow! Hmmppff!

So I'm either using a donut pillow to sit on from my "bad back" era or standing at the kitchen counter to use my laptop. Fun, fun, fun! Therefore, I'll be taking it easy today - I have some cooking to do while I listen to Kazi yuck it up while watching "The Interview" - the movie about the North Korean leader that was initially banned, then offered for limited viewing at a few theatres and on youtube.  It sounds pretty funny judging by the amount of laughing going on!

That's a wrap for today. I'll be sharing my new 2015 budget with you soon as well as goals for the New Year. I don't make resolutions as I just can't stick to them. The good news is I ended the month in the BLACK with almost $300 left in my chequing account - I'm impressed! That will get socked away into savings!!

Do you have SAVINGS goals for 2015?

December 21st - the Shortest and Darkest Day of the Year

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of "he who shall not be named" departing from Crabapple Landing.  Although it was also the winter solstice and thereby the shortest and darkest day of the year (how very appropriate) the sun was shining brilliantly when I got up and it was hard to put a frown on my face. There was a hike in the morning in one of my favourite places so I picked up my pal at 9am and off we went. I was a little intrigued about the hike as I was asked to help out with a "surprise"!

What glorious sunshine! It's been a month since we've had snow on the ground. Meadowlily looked just beautiful today. Now that all the leaves have dropped it looks so different!

Our fearless leader today is Ted. He and his co-leader Mike were the instigators of the surprise.

Can you see the water of the Thames River through the trees? Kinda, sorta?

 It was a crispy -3c so this little stream of water was partially frozen over.

The sun is low on the horizon now but starting tomorrow it will begin its journey back towards us and each new day will bring us 2 more minutes of daylight!!

Right around here Mike and I headed off away from the group, moved quickly ahead on the path and hurriedly set up some treats - cookies and mandarin oranges.  Next time I want some hot chocolate though guys...are you listening??

There's Santa himself!

and his helper!

There were around 30 of us hiking today - a good sized group!

Everyone was appreciative of the half-way point snack.

Nice facial expression I've got going on - I must be ho ho ho-ing! Or...stuffing my face with cookies!

But I wasn't the only one!

 Time to clean up, turn around and head back!

 The river was covered in geese...

...and the path was covered with hikers!

 as so often happens when hiking I fall behind taking photos...

 ...however, as long as the "sweep", the final hiker who makes sure no one gets left behind, is waaaay behind me I don't need to worry...there he is...

 ...even so I walked double time to catch up with my friend...

...and there's the sweep catching up too!

 There's a long line of us today..

I love my little camera...point and click...I barely have to slow down, let alone stop, when we are moving along at a quick pace...

hmmmm...where to cross the water?

...getting a helping hand, don't want to get a soaker!

...it looks more like spring than winter! And I am ok with that!

...almost finished...picking up the pace as we are lured by the thought of coffee at Timmy's!

...goodbye Meadowlily...see you again soon!

Do you have snow?? Will your Christmas Day be white or green??