Gratitude

Thanks go out to my readers for recent uplifting comments.

I feel inspired to carry on and start posting again.

It feels wonderful to know

that although we don't talk face to face

(well, thankfully sometimes some of us do)

you are in my corner

and I am in yours.

Some of us have been posting and 

commenting in the same family

of blogs for 8-10 years!

I think that's amazing and

I just want to say...

"I love you guys"!

This is a remark some of my family members,

including me, 

make when we've tippled one too many 

scotches :)

we get sappy and teary

but in a good way.

😁

Signs of Spring!!

The Ospreys are back!

Green - my favourite colour!

Leaves of an early spring wildflower - Trout Lily

The deer are loving the fresh new grass!

I don't like the smell of skunk cabbage
but I do love the colour and
the spirals!

Snowdrops

The wild snowdrops are much more vibrant than my domesticated ones.

Spring also brings out ladies who lunch :)
I was fortunate to meet three school friends in Hamilton
for a nice long catching up lunch.
I love these ladies!!!
Next time I need to wear heels!

Happy New Year 2015!!

I want to extend to you all my wishes for a very happy New Year.  Wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing today take a moment to be grateful for what was. If you're like me and life threw you some major curveballs this past year try to reflect on what was good about 2014, even if those good moments seemed far and few between. Embrace those less than perfect moments as challenges to overcome in 2015.

I've been reading John Cleese's autobiography and love how he sees the "ridiculous" in everyday events, both good and bad - I think that's a great approach to life in general. Maintain a sense of humour no matter what you're facing. That's what I'm going to try to do though sometimes I tend to veer off into sarcasm (coping mechanism!!) that's still humour...right?

This year I'm going to make a list of my 2014 accomplishments and add them as a "page" on my blog.  Other pages will include "goals", a list of what I'm grateful for,  and of course the ever present and always important "financial budget"!! I'm also thinking about monetizing my blog for awhile to see whether it's worth it or not. No resolutions for this girl however, I plan to continue my hiking/biking and will track my kilometres in my sidebar. No diets - just trying to maintain a mostly healthy eating plan (with occasional excursions into chocolate and beer!!)

Will there be travel this year? A new trailer? That all remains to be seen - I'm sure things will unfold as they are meant to be.

Dear Anon - You Really Made my DAY!!

Three days ago I received a comment from Anon......

"Well, I know my comment is not apropos of your post today ... however I thought it wouldn't hurt to leave it anyways! :)
I recently had some extra (forced) time off my feet which gave me extra blog reading time. While I was an occasional reader of your blog, and certainly missed your posts on the one or two occasions where you had taken a few months' break from writing, I can now say that with my extra time I found myself reading every post of your blog, all the way back to its inception!
Jane, I must say, (hopefully without sounding like a weirdo) that you seem like an awesome person that would be cool to know in real life. Your empathy towards your students despite all the obvious stressors of the job really shines through. Your down-to-earth, no pretentiousness is pretty cool too. (Here's a blast from your blog's past ... I loved the post where you proudly modeled the cardigan sweater than you found on the ground in your parking lot). A very important lesson I am learning from your blog is to "get out there, be open to things, and experience life". Whether this has always been your personality, or was something that was cultivated in recent years by your very own live-in life coach, it's something that leaps off the screen. 
Again, I know it's weird for me to just leave a comment like this out of the blue without it being triggered by a specific post, but I thought it may be a nice thing for you to hear that someone out in cyberspace really has enjoyed your writing."

First of all Anon,  just knowing you have taken the time to read all of my posts, some 727 entries, blows me away. And, it fills me with gratitude that you have let me know this. Right now, if no one ever reads another of my posts I will still be a very happy person.

One thing I know about myself for sure is that I don't have a pretentious bone in my body. (I hope that didn't sound pretentious lol!) I'm a simple girl who enjoys a simple life. Well, it's not so simple right now but that is the goal for when I retire.

The past few days have been really stressful so your uplifting comment couldn't have come at a better time. I had my final "teacher evaluation" yesterday - that's when a VP comes into my classroom and watches every single thing I do and say. Even though I am a seasoned veteran it was still very stressful and I barely slept the night before. About 2 hours later my vision started to get ripply which is a sign of an oncoming migraine so I went home and spent the next 18 hours in bed. Today I felt pretty good so off to work I went and my GIANT young man had a rough day injuring one of my staff. She went to urgent care and my young man went home. See? Not so simple at present.

But in a few more months (208 days:) I will be moving to a slower-paced part of the world where the biggest decision of the day will be sunny side up or sunny side down!

Thank you again Anon, for taking the time to let me know you've enjoyed my writing! That means SO much to me, it really does.

MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIENDS!!

Hi everybody!! What a crazy busy time! Work is finished for two weeks so I will get caught up with everyone once the current madness is finished:) Had a party last night and now I'm behind the 8-ball trying to get things ready for dinner tonight and Christmas with my brothers tomorrow. 


The turkey is in the oven and the troops are marshalled with their various tasks to complete. I wanted to thank you all for the well wishes this week and I can happily say my mood has lifted and though I am feeling OVER BUSY it's a GOOD kind of busy.  We're firm believers, Michael and I, that whatever we get done is what was meant to get done, and what doesn't get done wasn't meant to get done. Is that fate? I don't know what to call it but it sure soothes the psyche to think that way!!


I wish you much joy and peace this Christmas season and look forward to continuing our relationships in 2012. Being a part of this amazingly supportive group has meant more to me than I can possibly put into words. 


Are you waiting for a sarcastic quip right about now? Nope! Not today but I promise to be back to my usual mocking ways in the New Year lol! 


My love to you all, and I really mean that (Mark - mock me if you will!), stay safe, stay warm, hug your loved ones and appreciate all that you have because we really have it all!

Looks Like It's a Challenge!

Before I get to the CHALLENGE I'd like to show you what I bought from Novica. Yes, I'm a WINNER, but then you already knew that! Recently Judy had a give away on her blog which was a gift certificate for Novica and I WON! Let me just say that I have worn "le scarfe" every day since it came in the mail (Friday). 


It is drop dead gorgeous!! (I call it "le scarfe" because a friend of mine a while back spelled scarf with an "e" by mistake and it became quite the inside joke...personally I think "le scarfe" is a big step us from an ordinary scarf...and THIS is no ordinary scarf!! (I have strange friends)

Yes, it's true...I love it...thanks Judy! And folks, you should go and check out Novica's website, after all...Christmas is coming! And I can give you a few hints about the other stuff I really want...


OK, the  CHALLENGE.  It seems that there are a few of us who would like to get to the end of October without spending any more money of food (other than milk, bread, produce).  There's Laura, Sharon and me! (and you too, you just didn't know it until now!) Some of us need to save a little extra and some of us (like me) already have enough food to last til the end of the YEAR!!


I am a little (ok a lot) embarrassed to show you the state of my fridge but it's just gotten so out of hand I just had to do it...sometimes you have to shame yourself to get something done...so here goes...are you ready???

The freezer portion of our fridge: I made soup on Saturday, guess who made soup on Sunday?
Yes, Michael, so some of it had to be put in the freezer.
Soup anyone?

Even the door of the freezer is overloaded!

CONDIMENTS, DRESSINGS AND SAUCES, OH MY!!

There is not an extra square inch of space anywhere!! Only buy the really huge bag of carrots it you have fridge space!! And wouldn't it be nice if we all like the same kind of juice??
My daughter is famous for putting her leftover takeout cartons in the fridge
swearing she'll eat them and of course several days later I chuck them out.
I've even thrown out the Thanksgiving dinner leftovers and it's still jam packed!!

Needless to say my head is hanging low. I promise to do no more shopping until November, except for bread and milk. Now I'm going to go do my scissors exercise for the first time.  Wish me endurance!! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

When you arise in the morning

Give thanks for the morning light

Give thanks for your life and strength.

Give thanks for your food

And give thanks for the joy of living.

And if perchance you see no reason for

giving thanks,

Rest assured the fault is in yourself.

American Indian Saying

A Little Link Lovin'

It's been too long since I thanked my Referring Urls. Wow, that's sounds impersonal doesn't it? Ahem...


It's been too long since I thanked YOU, my blogging friends, who support me by linking to my blog, listing me in your blogroll, following me or mentioning me in a post (thanks Kim - photos and all!)  You also inspire me, give me great ideas, give me encouragement, empathize with my mistakes and applaud my victories.


Isn't it interesting that a group of people from all across the world can meet up daily online and share what's bugging them, what they've failed at or what problem they've managed to solve and receive immediate feedback in the form of commiseration, cyber hugs, humorous and sarcastic remarks, support and encouragement, cheers and acknowledgement. I just LOVE it! 


Hence...I acknowledge the following bloggers and their blogs for sharing a little LOVE with me:


Canadian Saver @ http://saving4later.blogspot.com/

Sam @ http://anostrichnamedsam.blogspot.com/

Sharon @ http://midlifemommusings.blogspot.com/

Judy @ http://wemaybepoorbutwearehappy.blogspot.com/

Laura @ http://www.nomorespending.net/

Sarah and Jenny @ http://gazelleintense.blogspot.com/

Niki @ http://tobedebtfreeby30.blogspot.com/

And Mr. and Mrs. 444 @ http://444express.blogspot.com/

Thank you and you and you and you and you and...




HAPPY HUMP DAY! ONLY TWO MORE DAYS TIL THE WEEKEND:)

Rough Day - Finding the Balance

"Balance"
taken by Michael Duhaney at Bayfield, Ontario

I am laughing in my head (yes, I'm not that far gone that I sit alone and cackle out loud like a mad woman) because I was thinking that I'd just post a quickie using a couple of bullet points and call it a day, and then said to myself (because talking to myself is what I do) "yeah, right, like you could be brief, or concise bwahahahahaha".

Yes, it was one of those days, and if tomorrow wasn't Friday and the beginning of March break I'd be a little worried about myself AND my sanity, but one more day? I can make it.

The problem? Well there was more than one. First I had an EA call in sick. Unfortunately a lot of EAs around the board called in sick today so no replacement was available so we were shorthanded all day. So, of course this is the day that my "broken angel" becomes aggressive and a number of other students have "off" days. We made it through the day but it was extremely stressful. I did something today that I've never done before - when it was my planning time at 1:00pm I left my classroom, went to the staffroom, sat on the couch and buried my face in a newspaper. Usually I stay in my classroom and work, but today I just had to get out of there.


Blechh. I just want to go to bed. But first I must count my blessings...

• Michael sent me supportive emails to help me through the day
• when he picked me up from work he had bought a bottle of wine so that I could go home, put my feet up and relax with a nice glass of red
• he made an amazing pot of soup with chicken, tomatoes, lentils, onions mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm so good!
• he saved me the chicken wing - my favourite part!
• my daughter went and got me a decaf coffee from Timmy's and gave me a big hug
• my sister-in-law, who is in hospital with pneumonia is making some progress and was finally moved from emerg to a semi-private room
• Keith Urban is playing on my iPod
• I can see my snowdrops again, the rain is washing away the snow

Have a great Friday everyone! I'm feeling better already:)

P.S.  Hey, I was pretty concise after all!

Weekly Wrap - Last Week of NO Spend February!!

Here we are heading into the last week of NO Spend February - that's one way to make quite possibly THE WORST month of the year speed by! I hope this last week also zips by superfast as the
money is running OUT!!
I have a grand total of $135.00 left to cover groceries, gas and misc. and I really hope I can make it to Feb. 28 without spending more than that (or...magically...any of that..) 
Only six more days, groceries have been purchased and I have
nothing left but a few fixed expenses.
I'd like to sound more confident but I'm afraid of invoking the power
of Murphy's Law!! I've seen the power of the dreaded Murphy
affect some of my fellow No Spenders so am trying to lay really really low...shhhh..

My thanks go out to Sharon who led us on this fearless quest. And
thanks also to my fellow bloggers/readers who were either involved
in the No Spend month or who cheered us on from the sidelines.
February is my lowest income month of the year
so it was the perfect time for this goal
and already I've been able to pay a bit extra on my line of credit....so YIPPEE! AND I was able to leave the extra $150 in my savings
that I mistakenly deposited at the beginning of the month.
Those are huge accomplishments for this, my "poorest" month:)
I would have been satisfied to "break even" so I am THRILLED with
the results!! Consider also that I spent $$ on Valentine's Day for both Kazi and Michael, never used the restaurant gift card or probably the BIGGEST accomplishment of all - I didn't spend ONE PENNY at Starbucks - woot woot!!

(Hmmmmmm I am seeing some possible future savings for EVERY month...)



Since I created these charts on http://www.spendingdiary.com/ a couple of days ago another $52.00 was spent on food but I'm too lazy to make the change
right now
so you'll just have to trust me on that one..heh heh heh:)
I also opened up another two, yes two, new savings accounts
with ING and put a whopping $10 in each of them.
I've decided to bite the bullet NOW and start saving for
my trailer rental fee (for 2012) and for the home insurance and
property tax for my property in PEI. This year's trailer
rental fee will come from my expected tax refund.

I think that I now have ALL of my weekly/monthly/annual expenses
covered, at least I sure hope so....is there a limit to how many
savings accounts one can have with ING???

On another entirely unrelated topic I'd like to thank some newer readers for stopping by and taking the time to read what I have to say.
It really means a lot to me when someone not only reads my posts but leaves a comment. Some folks, however, don't have a google
profile/blog so I can't thank them more personally so I
hope you are reading THIS post so you know that I'm grateful for
your readership.
So, thank you to Mena, anonymous, psych sarah, mary, christy, julie and bev and anyone else who has taken the time to pause for a moment and read.
Thank you - you brighten my day!





Have a Sweet Valentine's Day!

If you read my Valentine's diatribe you'll have noted that the cynics were very much outnumbered by the believers. I think that says something nice about the world. (or at least about my READERS!!)

Today I received some cozy red "reading socks" (I can just envision being curled up by my woodstove in PEI with my red socks on:) AND a beautifully written original poem by Michael along with a special picture of the two of us.

Romantic stuff huh?  Sheesh he can be a mushy guy!

In return I had the photo of our foot impressions on the Northport Beach in PEI enlarged and framed in a beautiful frame made of juniper wood. That is especially poignant because the lovingly restored floors in our old farmhouse are juniper. For his sweet tooth a box of his favourite Dad's oatmeal cookies.

And a really mushy card.

For my darling daughter - an album of photos of the two of us from her 20th birthday party:

For her sweet tooth - a bag of caramel-filled chocolate hearts.  And because I am forever practical and she's been complaining of not having enough hangers I gave her a $5 pack of 30 plastic hangers.

So today was a bit of a spending day though spending on my loved ones was such a treat. The photos came to about $10, the frame and photo albums, cookies, candy, hangers and cards about another $45. I don't mind - I still have enough misc $$ to see me through until the end of the month plus money for gas and groceries.

I feel very blessed and forever grateful to have love in my life - the love of my amazing daughter and the love of a very good man. 

Here's my two week summary for No Spend February:

Right on Track!

On to Trenton, ON

I was very grateful to receive the above cheque from my insurance company today which was the deductible owed to me from my daughter's car accident in October:)

I made the following disbursements:
Line of Credit - $40.00 because I like nice round numbers
Emergency Fund - $$468.02

I know those two amounts don't add up to exactly $500 but I contributed a little from my misc spending in order to have a nice round number in my EF - which now stands proudly at $1300!!!!! Woo hoo! At $200 per month I'll have $2000 by mid-May. I am so excited!!

Now to come back down to earth. My goal in No Spend February is to stay on budget. Sounds rather lacklustre doesn't it? I've had to reduce savings, groceries, gas $ and misc spending in order to maintain zero budgeting due to having lower income in February. One thing I won't reduce is the $1200 payment to my line of credit (broken into 2 payments of $600.00 each), my monthly $100 charitable donation, $100 for Christmas or the last payment to top up my RSP of $323. So my No Spend February won't accomplish anything miraculous but it will help get me through the toughest month of the year.

March won't be quite so bad. I'll have a juicy tax refund to play with and my payroll deductions will be back to normal. I also plan to play around with numbers while doing my tax return - I'm considering other options other than an RSP and want to see what that will do to my refund.

Now off to my bicycle - only 62km to go until I reach Trenton, ON. Michael's son lives there (he's a firefighter on the army base there) so I'll have somewhere to rest while replacing the bandaids on my feet!

A Post From Michael

First, I must thank you for the birthday wishes. I feel I am so much part of your lives through Jane. I occasionally read Jane’s blog and learn about the tribe she hangs out with. I am impressed at the following and the impact it has on her. Now it’s my turn to tell you a little about Jane and share my favorite pictures.

Jane is one of the kindest people I have ever met. She takes a person for who they are until they prove her wrong. My meeting Jane was unintentional, we were at a dinner outing that a friend organized. We engaged in some meaningful conversations that revealed more about each of us. It was at the end of the evening after we had gone back to the friend’s home that I really began to feel something. We hugged and I knew then that something was ignited. This caught me by surprise; I think both of us as we said good night. Over the next few days we arranged to meet for coffee to explore what we both experienced. We both agreed that fostering a friendship would be paramount. This friendship grew to this amazing relationship that we now share. I am grateful to have met this woman who has a sure confidence about her, a sense of calm, grounded, tells you the way she sees it, is playful, has an amazing smile and what I feel deeply is how genuine and accepting she is.

Thank you Jane for giving me an opportunity to write on your blog and be part of your blog tribe.


Thanks to all of you for receiving me and being a big part of Jane’s life. To all the PEI connections, I hope we get the chance to gather around the fire at Crofters Lane.


I leave you with one of my favorite quotes. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of  comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Martin Luther King
(Guest blogger Michael G. Duhaney, www.michaelgduhaney.com)

Weekly Wrap - Feeling Grateful

I'm so pretty...oh so pretty....I'm so pretty, and witty and wise.....in my wrap:)

Newsbeat: I used to work with a woman at the Royal Bank about a hundred years ago who used to sing the "I'm so pretty" song every morning before the doors were unlocked. I always wished I had her confidence.

Today was a wild and woolly day. My "broken angel" had a tough day - trying to bite staff (not succeeding thankfully), but biting holes in both of his slippers, biting a pilates ball and breaking it, biting a box and ripping it, ripping his one holey sock into pieces, biting the bottom of his backpack ripping a big hole in it. Oh yes, it was one of those days. All I did was record, record, record. But now the day is done and Michael and I are relaxing, with our feet up, at Starbucks both enjoying a free drink. Me because of a slow order last week so they gave me a gift coupon for a free drink and Michael because he gets a free birthday drink.

It's so nice to unwind:)The week has been full of ups and downs - birthday, sick child, $500 cheque coming from my car insurance, my broken angel. Up down up down. Yet I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for a week spent well: celebrating, reflecting, writing, mothering, reading, exercising, discussing and laughing.

Here is my three week chart. One more week (and a bit) and I'll be able to see the whole month:) The big news of course is the $500 I'm getting from the insurance company (not reflected here of course as I haven't received it yet)but I'm putting some on my Line of Credit and the rest into emergency savings. This will REALLY REALLY help because in February my pay will be approximately $340 less than January. So it's a darn good thing I've joined Sharon's NO Spend February which I may just have to continue til July when my pay will slightly increase due to not having to pay union dues and also my Canada Pension plan will be paid in full. I have six poor months and six good months financially over the year. Could be worse, could be way worse.

My misc. spending will have to be held in check. This month is higher than usual due to $152 being spent on my prescription sunglasses. I am very happy with my food, entertainment, gift and transportation totals and I don't foresee adding very much to those. My food buget still has most of its money due to Angela's "pantry challenge" and Michael has helped with the gas money:)


Heartbeat: While we were driving to Starbucks Michael told me about an acquaintance of his who he just found out had died in November. We had just seen him a few weeks before. At this point we don't know how he died. We find that as we get older we think about our mortality more and more and that we need to stop wasting today by only "living in the future". I used to think I wouldn't be happy until I retired. I found out that my thinking was very flawed. Today is all we really have. Michael finds himself guilty of thinking that he hasn't accomplished enough yet instead of feeling thankful for what he has today. But - we also can't stop dreaming and planning for the future so we have to find the balance. Here's what we came up with.


Live for Today so that We Can Plan for Tomorrow.


Are you living for today?

Happy Birthday Michael

A Year in the Life of Michael

 A year ago at the London Wine and Food Show

Michael is....years old!

He loves to try different foods

AND...is a lover of fine wines!

Exactly one year ago - Happy 53rd!

Micael loves.....icecream cake!

Words to describe Michael:

giving

(he gave this painting to friends who own

Jambalaya restaurant)

Michael loves......music!

You've got the beat!!

Michael in a contemplative moment...

Michael loves to....cook!

and eat outside near the campfire

brrrrrrrrr!

Michael loves to.......fly his kite!

and now we have the most spectacular kite-flying

location of all time!

Michael loves......a challenge!

Yes, he made it to the other side:)

Michael loves.....to be outdoors!

Michael is.....finding his way...

Michael is so very appreciative of nature's beauty...

Michael loves to encourage living things to grow.

Michael transplanting baby trees from our forest.

He enjoys working hard, especially outside!

Michael loves.....to take photographs

and explore new places.

Michael loves....sunshine.

Catching some warm rays at Gahan's..

Charlottetown, PEI

Also home of the best fish and chips ever!

Michael...getting to know our new home

on the Island!

No stove? No problem!

Michael loves...an open fire!

Michael loves....farm equipment!!

Learning another skill for the Island:)

Michael - the Badass Buddha!

Michael loves....the beach!

NorthPort, PEI

Michael is.......spiritual...

finding the perfect spot

for meditation.

Michael loves.........icecream!!

I mean he REALLY loves icecream,

especially and almost exclusively

Pralines and Cream!

(COWS icecream, based in Charlottetown, PEI

very good, very expensive!)

Michael loves.....adventure!

On our way to PEI!!

(No, not by canoe:)

HAPPY 54TH BIRTHDAY MY DEAR!!

MAY YOU ALWAYS

REMAIN TRUE

TO YOU!