Re: Thread: Everyday Chatting & Waffling {2019} Let's get to know each other!
Lynnie, What a wonderful idea for gifting. We always set a price and we have a family gift app we use, Giftster. Our gifts choices are always practical or things we need. We don't do sibling gifts anymore, just for Mom, I usually do a take her out gift unless she really needs anything. This way I can spend time with her, just the two of us and she likes our time together. I have a cricut to but would love a heat press to do family t-shirts...maybe next year. Hope all your gifts work out and everyone I am sure they will love them.
Rae, We do some bird feeding too in our yard. For years it was just crows that had taken over the neighborhood but we had a few owls move in the nieghborhood and we are seeing a lot of woodpeckers and some smaller birds that I haven't seen before. They are so tiny, I am not sure if they are finches? Your oasis sounds wonderful!
Sherri, were you able to do the festival of trees? Was it wonderful? I am hoping to do the Christmas Parade of Lights that is set up here every year. We haven't been for a couple of years but we always enjoy it. Having a hard time to find things to do with my 9 yo grandie. Usually every year we do the Santa thing but last year that gig was up so I took her to see the "Nutcracker" and she loved it but I don't want to do the same this year. Any suggestions?
I am kicking my Christmas into high gear on December 4th when my favorite singer is in town for a new Christmas show, Mr Johnny Reid. I think Sherri knows him too...! My longtime friend is joining me again this year, I go ther hooked last year! Johnny is a wonderful singer, performer and an even more a wonderful person. I am eagerly waiting for him and his wonderful band to entertain us and... we have meet & greets too!
Happy Thanksgiving to all my "US" friends...take care everyone!
I could see the Nutcracker every year and never get tired. I like to see the Dance School nutcrackers, though, they are the most fun, and way cheaper. Towns usually have a Christmas Tree lighting that is fun, too. Find somewhere that has a carol singing, or maybe even go out singing Christmas carols. We would do that some years and stop by all the friends we have neglected, knock on their door and sing Christmas carols. It was lovely. We often picked up a few extra voices.
The gig was never up in my family with Santa. Even when the kids became aware that, perhaps, Santa wasn't quite what they thought, we still pretended with winks. Ask me if Father Christmas exists, I dare you!
We use Elfster, which is just like Giftster. I sometimes pick stuff from there.
I always get my brother a present, but it is usually made because he doesn't really want anything. I did find a second hand copy of a really cool book on the Beatles that is not in his HUGE collection. He will love that. His girlfriend is the same way about presents. Plus she is quite well off, and doesn't need anything. She loves her dogs though, so I think I am going to do something really awesome with her dog pictures this year. She has a great digital frame that my brother gave her a few years back and that has pictures of her dogs, several of whom have since died. She has four now, all rescue, and last time I went up I took dozens of pictures. I think I will give her a new set of pictures on a little scan disk. I can include all the old ones, because I took those too!
Mum is hardest. It is hard to get her out and about now and she doesn't really want anything.
I just had the best new idea for a gift. My friend was talking about all those pictures we used to get of the kids in school picture packets and was wondering what do do with all the extras. I suggested attaching them to playing cards so you can play the memory game where you turn over cards to find matching ones. How fun would that be for old pictures in general where you have duplicates and they won't be used or stuck in a scrapbook! I was so excited with the idea. I might do this for some of the little kids.
I also thought of Christmas ornaments of the favourites, that would be fun, or a collage of them from young to old. Use them on birthday cards for the kids - there are dozens of uses for duplicate pictures or pictures that won't get used otherwise.
My youngest son, Steven and his wife are holding Thanksgiving this year. It has always been our tradition that we put our family pictures (including grandparents, great grandparents and great-great grandparents, as far back as we can). We introduce our kids to the family history this way. As an early Christmas present, I have collected pictures from Nessa's family and growing up and will print those out tonight so, as they take on the tradition, her family is included. They will not be attending Thanksgiving, but it is a wonderful tradition and it gives us a chance to learn the names of her mother's siblings (there are twelve, including her mum , each having spouse, children and some grandchildren) and her father's siblings (there are nine including her father!) I can never get them all straight.
Plus I am working on a family tree album for her!
And a family tree for my kids - whew, I am exhausted!
@Route66 have fun with my Johnny, I’m not going to get to see him this time round. So sad. He is a fantastic performer.
@lynnie Alexis and I did make it to the festival of trees this year. It was very nice. Sign of the economic downturn in Alberta though when such a wonderful charity scaled back so much.
Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day. Then today that cold strong wind blowing again. The constant change in barometer is playing havoc with my pain.
I am glad you got to the festival of trees. It sounds wonderful. Many charities are feeling the downturn. Sometimes it is even that the newer generation is very focused on more political causes and the old charities are feeling the pinch. I see it often here, too.
Good morning, ladies. Tired and sore today. Had a busy wkend of cleaning up and closing down our trailer in WA for the winter and out shopping for hours on Saturday for Xmas gifts (managed to get quite a few) and did a lot of grocery shopping (especially Trader Joes) as I like to stock up for the winter months since we don't start going back until at least April (aside from driving down for a few hrs to pay our maintenance dues after Xmas). TJ has a cauli rice frozen mix that I love and cleaned them out, grabbing all the bags they had out (about 12). Love that stuff. I also love TJ organic popcorn and baked cheesies. I don't often eat much carby type snacks but these are my go-to when I do.
Back is a bit stuff today from all the lifting and carrying over the wkend but not too bad. Just feeling like I don't want to do much today aside from work and taking Taz out. I do need to get my car over to the shop later today or tomorrow when there is an opening b/c my back brakes started grinding on Saturday so that'll have to be replaced ASAP. Ugh...just what I wanted, another big expense just before Xmas. It's really hitting us hard this year, we've got 5 big bills to pay out this month so money is definitely going to be tight for awhile. Such is life....there's always something isn't there?
Karen - I'm not sure what our itty bitty birds are...maybe finches. They come in groups of 15-30 together, never alone. They are so cute...so tiny. They swarm the suet together and then they all take off together. I just call them my "itty bitty birds" when talking about them LOL. I'm terrible at identifying birds. I have learned a couple though that we get....pileated woodpeckers (huge birds), small woodpeckers, towhees, finches, chickadees, thrushes, bluejays. That is so cool about getting owls. I really would love to photograph them. I never see any around our area, but hopefully some day I'll finally get some pics. I saw one at a park last yr but he was too high in the tree and it was too dark to get any photos.
Hope you all are well, had a great wkend and have a good day today. I'm getting to work now. BFN
Those nitpicky things like car brakes do get in the way of using your money for fun things! My daughter was complaining that 'adulting is all about money!'
I would love to be able to identify birds. We have so many different varieties where I live, but I have no clue what they are.
I'm good with any decision.
