Happiness Journal

I will finish the happiness journal I have been keeping all year, it was easy for me to jot down a happy thought each day as I am very structured perhaps.  One day last week I wrote 'happy seeing the positives on a day with lots of negatives'.  I found that there was always something positive I could write down, often the most simple thing. It could be just the weather or some part of the daily routine, for example.  You kind of just eliminate the difficulties of life and the horrors you hear on the news from these thoughts, just for the moment.

On a very stressful morning and day ahead I woke up to a fresh snowfall and winter wonderland.  I wrote that down immediately. It was interesting to find that I draw comfort from my regular daily routines.

Wishing you a Happy New Year 2017 when it arrives!

Paint Party Friday - Gift

Welcome to Eva and Kristin's Paint Party Friday! This piece is entitled 'The Gift' done in acrylic on good quality red cardstock (6" x 6").

And now thoughts must turn to the New Year, let's fill it with hope.

Springtails

Jenn mentioned snow fleas on her blog recently and I had never heard of them before.  They are also known as springtails. 'In winter, snow fleas emerge on sunny days and gather in large numbers around bases of trees where snow has melted. Because of their small size, they look like flecks of pepper or ashes on the surface of the snow. Snow fleas feed on decaying plant matter.'  I have likely seen them and thought they were flecks of dirt on the snow.

Here is a video I found if you are curious to see them.

Watching Reruns

Xmas Eve Brunch at home

We were still working on our gift basket foods as you can see above.

I've been watching reruns of 'The Gilmore Girls' with my kids over the holidays.  The series ran from 2000 to 2007.  It's interesting how much has changed since that time, the phones look different, they will mention famous people, current events and things that were popular at that time, even the fashions look so different.

Here is a bit of the storyline: 'Thirty-two year old single mom, Lorelai, lives with her daughter Rory in the small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, with crazy neighbors and many ups and downs. The two go everywhere together and are each other's best friends. No matter what goes on, they always end up happy and eating take-out!'

They have done a revival series in 2016, I don't know if I will watch those.

Gift Basket Brunch

The morning after we received a beautiful gift basket full of treats, daughter L and I had this wonderful gift basket brunch.  There was an artichoke dip, a tomato red pepper chutney, salmon pate, brie, and an assortment of delicious crackers.  Husband M would probably only eat the salmon pate and cheese, son K would likely eat some of the crackers and cheese.

Laneway Housing

We received this beautiful gift basket at our front door one evening last week. It was a wonderful Christmas surprise from a good friend!

I was speaking to a cousin in Vancouver before Christmas when she mentioned that Vancouver permits affordable laneway housing suites.  These are small suites atop the garage or at the rear of the property.  Of course you have to apply and wait for a permit.  However, it can solve the affordable housing problem for some and is an alternative to living in a condo.  Laneway housing is not permitted in Toronto currently.

Well, I thought that was interesting as I hadn't heard of this concept.

Season's Greetings