Heather's House

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone! Here we are another year older :D I don't know what 2012 will bring for us, but am hoping it will be a healthy one. Last year wasn't the best health wise for me and I'm hoping that this year will be better.

Kim and I will be going to Florida for the month of March. Maybe I can find out what retirement is going to be like since it's only 3 years away.

Best wishes to everyone!

Graci

2011-12-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

Thought I would just post a couple of pictures of Graci. She has grown up so fast. She's a little devil though. She truly is a Retriever. She brings us things all the time .... all her toys get piled up and she takes all the bedding out of her crate (which she doesn't use much now, except when we're not home). We can't leave anything lying around or she takes it and then walks back and forth in front of you, just far enough away that you can't get whatever it is she has. Tonight she had a Dr. Pepper can (empty thankfully) and then moved on to the remote. She's very funny!

These photos were taken during our walk on Christmas Day.

Graci Girl!

2011-09-01T22:18:00.000-04:00

Wow I can hardly believe I haven't posted anything on here since Australia. I should have put up some photos of our new little girl. She is growing so fast. I can hardly believe it. She's cute .... but a little devil. She starts school next week. She's too old for Puppy School but is going for Obedience. Nobody likes a misbehaved dog. Wish me luck!

Australia!

2011-05-20T23:33:00.002-04:00

I'm posting just a few of our 1100 photos from our trip. These are some of the highlights!

This is "Grizzly". He was adorable! I have a photo of me holding him. He was so soft and cuddly!

This little joey was actually hanging out of his Mama's pouch! Very cute!

This is where the Daintree River which is in the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef. It is a UNESCO Heritage site.

Daintree Rainforest


Daintree Rainforest. It was hot and humid that day but not one single mosquito!

Wallaby

Snorkelling in Great Barrier Reef. That is me directly in the middle ... the one without the snorkel!


Great Barrier Reef

In the Northern Territory (called the red centre ... no kidding). Beautiful red sand!

Ian and Kim (the tourists) at Ayer's Rock (Uluru)


Ayer's Rock (Uluru) at Sunset

A mountain at The Olgas. Yes, I climbed up there and then back down or was it down and then back up. :)


King's Canyon at Sunrise

Getting cozy in our swags for a night out under the stars. You can see more stars in Australian Outback than anywhere in the world. Absolutely stunning. A sight to never be forgotten.

Team Canada (from our Rock Tour ... 3 days in the Outback, sleeping under the stars, Ulura, the Olgas and King's Canyon). We were only missing one girl and she said she was from Quebec not Canada! We were not impressed!

"The Nobbies". This is the Bass Strait. Directly across from here would be Tasmania.

"The Nobbies" again. It was so beautiful here. Very windy day and the waves were beautiful.

At "The Nobbies" with Evan MacCallum (my nephew) and Jennie MacCallum (ex-sister-in-law, although I still call her my sister-in-law .... what is the right protocol on that anyway?)

Ian and I on our last day. Ian loves his Aussie Akubra Australian hat. Didn't take it off for days. :)


On the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge


Sydney Harbour Bridge


Sydney Opera House

Yup, we climbed all those stairs. All 1437 of them as well as 4 ladders which went up in the middle of traffic and then down(on our way day) in traffic which included a train and guess who was on her way down when the train went by. Woohoo!

From the Sydney Harbour Bridge (I did not take this photo. You are not allowed to take anything with you. Wallets, watches,cameras, etc. are all locked away .... no chance of them falling onto the traffic below)

Sweet Graci!

2011-05-13T18:05:00.002-04:00

The countdown is on 5 more weeks. June 17th is the big day when our little Graci Girl comes home. We are getting very excited. Now I need to start organizing for a new baby...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:18:00.000-05:00

To all our family and friends .... Merry Christmas and best wishes for this holiday season. Wishing you all joy and peace and health and happiness.

Love from Heather, Kim and Matt .. xoxo

I'm doing homework!

2010-11-03T21:13:00.000-04:00

I'm busy doing homework. Lots going on around here ... in the future anway!!!

We are planning on getting a new addition to our family in the spring. I need to do my research on breeders now. I've already looked at one place and have another one scheduled for Friday. The mamas will be bred in December and 9 weeks later, hopefully, there will be enough babies for everyone that's reserved one. 8 or 9 weeks after that, she will get to come home. So we should be expecting her in May. Let's hope there is a female in the litter.

Before that, though, we have a BIG trip coming up!

Kim and I are going Down Under!!! We are just about to start making plans now. We'll be going in April for about 3-4 weeks. Planning on doing lots of things there that I've not done before. Looking forward most to see Ian. There will be a bit of travelling around Australia.

In the meantime, the week before Christmas when everyone is running around being busy, busy, we are leaving town. We're heading to NYC for the weekend. I want to skate on the rink at the Rockefeller Centre as well as see the Christmas tree there. There will be so many lights around the city, I'm sure it will be beautiful. The windows at Macy's, Lord and Taylor, etc. will have all their beautiful displays. I hope it snows, just a little, while we are there.

Just wanted everyone to know, we are still alive and well here. Kim is still working full time. LOL! So much for retirement, not that I'm complaining. Matt is doing well in his studies. And me, of course, I'm still working .... only 1513 days until I retire... but who's counting? I am ... that's who!!! :)

They're here!

2010-09-06T19:53:00.001-04:00

They're here and they're installed. Thanks Kim.... The only thing left is to change the hood fan over the stove. I'm waiting for one to go on sale. lol! That may never happen. I'll wait a little while though. I am patient when it comes to stuff like that. The only other thing I'd like to do in the kitchen is change the one light fixture. I just need to find one I like. You can be sure I'll be on the lookout for one. Anyway, gotta run and shine up my stainless for the second time today. lol! Just kidding!!

Goodbye little girl!

2010-08-27T18:45:00.000-04:00

Sunni

January 2, 1998 - August 27, 2010

I can hardly believe that I'm writing this only 11 months after Jessi died. We had to put our little girl Sunni down this evening. We are completely and totally devastated once again. Our hearts are breaking. We will miss her terribly!

New Appliances!!

2010-08-07T22:42:00.002-04:00

I went out today and bought new appliances. After we did our kitchen over a few years ago I was wishing for some new ones, but didn't feel it was justified at the time. My things were still working great. After coming home from vacation and finding that our fridge is not really working up to speed anymore, we decided we need a new one. If I'm buying a new fridge, I certainly can't have mismatched things, now can I? The only problem is the fridge won't be here until October 8th. We're keeping our fingers crossed that ours holds out till then. These pictures are pretty close to what I bought. I went with Kenmore Elite after doing my homework. The problem is that Kenmore is one of the only fridges that will fit our spot. The cupboards were built around our fridge now. I really would have liked a counter depth fridge but the cost would have been double almost. Anyway, I'm thrilled with these and can't wait until they arrive.

Sunni's surgery

2010-05-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

This is Sunni post-op. She went to the vet today to have some dental work done. She's all cleaned up now with her pretty teeth. She is very, very tired .... after effects of anaesthetic. Poor little girl! Matt took this great photo. He does such a great job with his photos.

April showers brings .... WHAT ..... Snow!

2010-04-27T22:39:00.001-04:00

Mother Nature can be such a Bitch at times. I woke up to this today. Not funny!!! :(

Green grass and blue skies!

2010-04-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

These are some photos taken on my walk on Friday.

Pretty blue skies and green field!

Heading down the trail.

My walking partner ... Sunni!

Along the way....

Trilliums....

My exhausted little girl...

How to make me cry on Christmas Day!

2009-12-26T17:49:00.000-05:00

When I was opening up my gifts and cards on Christmas Day, there was this card which happened to be the first one I opened. I read the first 2 lines and started to cry. I couldn't read it! I looked at Kim and he was crying. I handed the card to Matt and he started crying. So there we sat all crying. He handed the card back to me and I read it, crying the whole time. I cried many times since then just thinking about this beautiful card. This was our first Christmas in 16 years without Jessi and she is still very much missed. I know she's looking down from "Rainbow Bridge" and wishing she was still with us. We love you and miss you so much baby girl!

Kim did this all on his own. After 30 years and never really seeing a sensitive side to him, I think there's one there. He's always been so hard, non emotional and tough that I could hardly believe it when I read this card. He desperately misses his little girl.

I have to say that of all the beautiful gifts that I received which included a beautiful diamond necklace from Matt, this one truly touched my heart.

Freedom 55 .....

2009-11-29T06:24:00.003-05:00

Well, the day has finally come. Kim has been working towards this for a long, long time. After 36 years of back breaking work Kim doesn't have to go anymore. No more freezing in the winter and just about dying of heat exhaustion in the summer. He only has to work if he wants to. Yeah for him! Not so good for me! lol! I will continue to work full time for now. I think he's actually going to work on Monday but we shall see. This clock has been sitting on our fridge for about 4 or 5 years now counting the days down. I guess I'll have to reset it now for "my" time. It really is hard to believe that we are at that stage of our lives. Wish me luck .... sympathy cards gratefully accepted. LOL!!!

Road Trip!

2009-10-19T19:10:00.008-04:00

View from "rest stop" of New Hampshire Interstate #87.

Atlantic Ocean, Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Freeport Village Inn, Freeport, Maine

LL Bean Retail Store, Freeport, Maine

I just came back from a rushed road trip. I drove Mom down to New Brunswick. On my way back I came home through the States so that I could do some shopping and shopping I did. These are some photos of my stops along the way. Old Orchard Beach is a booming seaside town but is all but closed down. I saw 2 people coming up the beach. All the shops are closed for the season. It was still beautiful. The ocean always seems to call my name, even if it is out of my way. I did some "outlet" shopping in Freeport, Maine. What a lovely little town. I had been there before but don't remember much. I can't wait until I can do this road trip again, only next time I'll have company since Kim retires in 39 days! (Yikes!!!!!)

Sunday Cookies!!!

2009-10-19T18:58:00.002-04:00

Well, we have a new Sunday routine. I got my nice new cookie jar at Pier One (gotta love that store) and every Sunday I make cookies. The rule is I only make them on Sunday. If you eat 'em all in one day, that's OK, but there's no more until next week. lol! I've been doing it for a month now. I get my reminder close to Sunday about the empty jar. On Thanksgiving Sunday, I didn't have time to bake because of my road trip, so I bought some at a bakery. Matt opened the jar and says "you cheated!" LOL! You bet I did. Anyway, they sure are being enjoyed. So if you're looking for fresh baked cookies, come visit on a Sunday.

'

Goodbye my sweet baby girl!

2009-09-29T23:56:00.002-04:00

August 29, 1993 - September 29, 2009

Tonight we had to have our sweet baby girl Jessi put to sleep. We are heartbroken. There really is nothing else for me to say.

Our sweet baby girl is 16

2009-08-28T22:12:00.005-04:00

Happy happy Birthday Baby! You are as special to us today as you were 16 years ago when I picked you out.

New Toys

2009-07-19T15:07:00.002-04:00

I have some new toys! I finally had to break down and get a new laptop. Mine has been crapping out on and off for the past year. I must have had a dud. The hard drive was having problems here and there. Matt has always been able to fix it and retrieve everything I had on the hard drive. Not this time! Anyway, I ordered up a Dell. They had a "Canada Day" special, so I had to go with Red. I love it.

I also got my new camera. Nothing special about it, except it's a 20x zoom and 10MP which is good enough for me. It's still a "point and shoot", so I won't have any trouble figuring it out. I figure since I like to take so many photos that I would like something nice and new. I'll keep my other little one for who knows what, but I'll have it anyway. I think I better get the manual out though and do some reading though.

I need a name!

2009-06-12T09:49:00.002-04:00

My beautiful new KitchenAid Mixer arrived today, thanks to Air Miles. What great service... ordered on Tuesday afternoon and it said would be shipped in 4 weeks. 3 days later it arrives at 0915. I wonder what the UPS man thought of the nightgown! lol! Now I have to cook/bake. Kim will be looking for lots of baked goods now. Oh no ... I can see the scales cringing now. Any good names for her. I will call her the "Silver Bullet" for now. The only problem with her is, if you know me at all, I don't like "stuff" on my counters. She has to stay put and not moved around. Ughhhh!

Yard work!

2009-06-07T15:23:00.003-04:00

Kim and I have been very busy with our yard work. It seems there just isn't any time to get it done and then it gets behind. We worked very hard the last couple of weekends and it's starting to come along quite nicely. I haven't planted any plants yet. I'm hoping to get out this week to find a few things anyway. My deck has empty planters on it, so I need to get that done and I would like to at least have a couple of tomato plants. I didn't do a vegetable garden last year but would at least like the tomatoes. We love our split rail fence (we call it the coral, all we need are a couple of horses, lol!) and cobblestones. Kim finds those! Real treasures for sure.....

Elton and Billy

2009-06-07T15:17:00.003-04:00

Matt and I went to see Elton John and Billy Joel "Face to Face Tour" on Monday at the "Bank". It was an incredibly awesome concert. My all time favourite musician has always been Elton John. This was the 6th time that I have seen him. I think I've had enough. I enjoyed Billy Joel so much more. Maybe it's because I've never seen him. I enjoyed Elton too, but I don't think I'll go see him again, unless I'm in Vegas and see his "Red Piano" show at Caesar's Palace. Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed my "date" with Matt.

Charger!

2009-06-06T20:45:00.003-04:00

It must be new car time in this household. Matt traded in his Ford Escape for a 2009 Dodge Charger. It is beautiful! He is so proud of it. I'm pleased for him, although I worry a bit. It's a "police magnet", especially with a young man behind the wheel. I have my fingers crossed that he stays being a "good boy". lol!!

New Car

2009-04-24T09:57:00.002-04:00

Well, I finally got a new used car. I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with car salesman very often. So many of them try to screw you. After looking in Ottawa, I decided to go to Brockville where I met the nicest guy ever. There was no pressure on his side and he told me straight up what he could sell the car to me more which was $2,000 less than the advertised price. Why do they do that I wonder. I've never been to Home Depot where they ask $1000 for a lawnmower, but you can really buy it for $500. I guess some people just don't care about the price and pay whatever, well, since I don't have any money I need to deal. So, by going to Brockville I saved $2900 from the best price in Ottawa. Only difference is that this car has more Km on it but that's OK.

It's a 2008 Ford Fusion SEL AWD. Totally loaded with moonroof, leather, heated seats, Bluetooth (thank goodness for that, I think cell phones are going to be banned soon while driving), heated mirrors and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. Going to get her on Monday.

2009-04-14T22:20:00.000-04:00

Look who I found!

2009-04-14T22:13:00.003-04:00

I was out for a walk on Monday at the Old Quarry Trail and look who I came across. They were so beautiful and tame. They were looking for food. We didn't have anything with us this time, but sure will next time. They look so much more beautiful in the woods than they do standing in the middle of the 416. I wish they would stay off the road.... I hate it when they get hurt or killed!

Recuperation Reading

2009-02-11T13:42:00.003-05:00

Well, I am at home for 6 weeks following my surgery. I can't drive or lift anything heavier than a milk bag for 3 weeks. What will I ever do? There's lots I can do in my "to do" cupboard but am not quite motivated yet. So I've decided to do some catch up reading. Has anyone ever read any of "Jodi Picoult's" books. I'm currently reading "My Sister's Keeper". I was given one as a "get well" wish so I really need to read it next. It is "Vanishing Acts". My goal is to get one done a week. I'm sure I can do that.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

2009-01-24T19:41:00.003-05:00

Just got back from Punta Cana. Had a wonderful time. The resort was huge but beautiful. Took a couple of days before we got our bearings but then everything was great. Spent lots of time in the sun and of course drinking. I even had a little too much "liquid courage" and decided that I was going to go Parasailing. It was awesome. Would do it again. Already planning next year's trip. We think it will be Mayan, Mexico.

Skunked!!!!

2008-11-17T18:58:00.002-05:00

Well, Saturday night at about 11 p.m. Sunni went out for her pee before she went to bed. When I went out to get her I could smell skunk but couldn't find her. When I called her she ran into the house and pewwwww!! This picture is of her having her second bath. She doesn't smell bad, but every time I come into the house all I can smell is that damn skunk smell. Any suggestions?????

Successful shopping day in U.S.

2008-11-16T21:56:00.003-05:00

Today I went shopping in the States with my friend Steph. I needed some new clothes. I'm excited because my new black pants (same kind as I usually wear) are now 2 sizes smaller (or is it 1, depends on how you look at it ... i'm counting it as 2), the three tops are now 1x instead of 2x. Very exciting. The black with pink on them are just stretch pants for the gym, and the grey are capris that I'm taking to Punta Cana in January. Bought lots of other stuff too but not clothes. The most exciting part of the day was when we got to the border and the guy asked how much we spent, I said $200 and Steph said $175 and he said "Go Ahead! We're not having a good night here". Of course, I thanked him a couple of times. Overall a great day!!!

Shopping Day!!!

2008-11-07T20:18:00.001-05:00

Today I went on a little shopping trip to Merrickville. I went looking for a Barn Star for above our bed. I think it looks perfect! I bought the little lamp to put in the kitchen. It is a punched metal shade and an old spool with black thread on it. I don't know if you can see the little round tin in front of it or not but it has a star on it too! Also, after 5 years of searching I found an area rug that I love. What do you think? I need to get some more pillows and once I get the walls painted this winter in the proper shade of green, I hoping it all pulls together.

WTF?

2008-10-28T21:24:00.002-04:00

Trees for Tomorrow

2008-10-26T16:33:00.003-04:00

Here is our tree that was got free of charge from the City of Ottawa. They are planting 100,000 trees in the City of Ottawa by 2010 through the Trees, Reforestation and Environmental Enhancement (TREE) Program. This is a "Serviceberry"! Hopefully, it will still be here in the spring......

Counting Down....

2008-10-24T17:51:00.001-04:00

Pretty...

2008-10-16T17:10:00.002-04:00

I think these are very pretty even though I do not like purple... I've pulled almost all the purple plants out of my garden, but these remain, probably only because I haven't killed them yet.

Sunni on a windy October afternoon

2008-10-16T17:03:00.000-04:00

Carpet of pine needles

2008-10-13T16:17:00.000-04:00

Milkweed

2008-10-13T16:16:00.000-04:00

A paved race track in the middle of the woods

2008-10-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

Walk in the woods!

2008-10-13T16:08:00.001-04:00

Sunni

2008-10-13T13:33:00.000-04:00

Sunni was lying on the chair, looking oh so cute! I just couldn't resist.

Oh ... what to "blog" about?

2008-10-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

So, here I am with a Blog and no idea what to put on it. I'm sure as the days go by, I'll find some things that are going on in my life that may be of interest to someone. I'm sure I'll have at least one follower, eh Sandra? Anyway, I've now entered the world of bloggers and we'll see how it progresses.