This is what we woke to this morning. It had started to lightly snow last evening around 2200hr. But the forecasts were conflicting. One said we were to get 1-3cm of snow and another said 5-10 cm. Amazing how forecasts for the same area can be so off. It's now almost 1000hr. and it is still snowing. We were planning to go to town this afternoon and do the exchange of christmas gifts that weren't the right size or were duplicated.........we'll see.
On Wednesday we went out to Rothesay and watched Isaac practise hockey. Sasha had a great time running around the rink, climbing the stands and playing with the new friend he made.
Favorite for Christmas dinner? The whole dinner and it’s great to have people to share it with….that is what I miss the most, having family around on Christmas day.
What do you want for Christmas this year? Nothing in particular….I just SOOOOOO enjoy watching everyone else open their gifts.
Today I received a wonderful christmas gift. I was offered and accepted a permanent part-time position in the OR at the hospital in which I currently work. I am guaranteed 3 days/week. I officially start on January 4th. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!!!!!
Favorite ornament theme or color? None…..my tree is a collection of ornaments over the last 30+ years, ornaments from my 1st christmas away from home to this christmas......some of which I hope to pass on to my children or grand children. I even have ornaments that belonged to my grandmother and were passed on to me.When putting the ornaments on the tree I recall who and when I received that ornament. Needless to say it takes awhile to decorate the tree. Every year I buy an ornament for the girls, so when they get established on their own they will have memories of christmas to take with them.
Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. One year as a child we opened them after midnight mass and there was nothing for Christmas day…it was awful.
Angel on the tree top or a star? ALWAYS an Angel. For years I had one that my mother had made and now I have a gold wire one for the artificial tree and a cloth one for the real tree.
The town of Grand Falls, N.B., is reeling after a fire on the main road destroyed four buildings, costing some people their jobs, others their businesses and some their homes. Broadway Boulevard looked like a battlefield Friday, with the smouldering remains of a furniture store, day care, pool hall and beauty salon. The blaze started about 9 p.m. Thursday in the Dooly's building, then quickly spread through the downtown district, officials said. More than 120 firefighters, including crews from three fire departments in Maine, fought the blaze amid strong winds and freezing temperatures through the night. "This is the biggest fire that I've fought, and I've been here 23 years," said Grand Falls Deputy Chief Yvon Pelletier. "We thought that we had it under control, and then the wind picked up and it just moved the fire from one roof to the other building, from one building to another," he said. The fire was out by Friday morning and no injuries were reported. But five families, who lived in apartments above the businesses, are now homeless. "We lost everything. Everything. Everything," said Claudette Pelletier Brunet, who lived in one of the apartments with her husband and two mentally challenged sons. "We don't have nothing. Not even a comb, a lipstick, nothing. No toothbrush. We have to buy everything. Everything," she said. The community is now rallying to help the affected families. Donations can be made through the Bank of Montreal. The fire razed four buildings that housed Senechal Furniture, Broadway Daycare, Dooly's plus a beauty salon. Several other buildings also sustained smoke damage. Grand Falls Mayor Marcel Deschênes said he was called about the fire at around 9 p.m. on Thursday and was on the scene for most of the night. "It could have been a lot worse. Just across the street from there is a gas station and we had the wind pushing the sparks across the boulevard," Deschênes said. "So at one point it was chaotic there and we didn't know what would transpire. We were lucky." Two excavators were brought in to push buildings down and prevent the fire from spreading. Fire officials remained on the scene Friday afternoon to monitor hot spots and assess the damages. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The mayor said this blaze isn't the first to take down buildings on Broadway Boulevard. "We had a fire in that area there in 1974. We bounced back from it and I'm sure these people after they get through the trauma of this, they'll pull up their sleeves and rebuild. We hope so," Deschenes said.
Travel at Christmas or stay home? Now we stay home. We use to travel every Christmas when the girls were little, but I REALLY ENJOY being in my own home. This year my parents will be with us for Christmas, and we will all be at my brothers for the 24th.
Today as of 1600hr. I am officially in holiday mode. It's VERY COLD outside, we have a roaring fire going in the stove, christmas music playing and Paul and I are wrapping christmas presents this evening. I am SOOOOOOO looking forward to my days off leading up to Christmas!
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Carmel Popcorn…….I use to make one batch, but now with the girls being adults and boyfriends as part of the family I end up making 2-3 batches.
Paul and Emma cleaned out and organized the freezer today. We decided there was no room for any christmas cooking so we had to correct the problem. I don't know about the rest of you, but things end up at the bottom of the freezer and you completely forget they are there. We even found a stray Teddy Bear ( the eatable kind.....Longwood knows what I mean) at the bottom. So it was definitely time for a cleaning. Today we bought a couple of oriental packs and mozza sticks from M&M's. Our turkey has been bought so this week I'll start the baking. There will be the ususal teddy bears, almond fingers, sugar cookies, short breads, elmers squares and Emma wants to add some dutch cookies. I can't forget carmel popcorn....I'm sure there will be a few batches of that. Mom is bringing date squares, mocha cakes, some fruit cake and her homemade fudge. If I want to eat any of that I'll have to visit the treadmill more than once a day!
Only 12 days until christmas. Our home is decorated. Most of the shopping is done, now it's just the wrapping and baking of goodies. Emma writes her last exam on Thursday. Brenna writes her last on Wednesday. Jack will be home on Saturday, and they both can't wait....he arrives by train into Moncton, it's a sin that we no longer have a train coming into Saint John. Brenna will be home on Saturday or Sunday. My last day of work is this Wednesday.....horray, can't wait, and Paul is done on Friday....another horray. Mom and Dad will be down close to christmas to spend a few days with us. I am looking forward to having everyone home and simply sitting back and enjoying it all.....not going to work, the food, family home, time with friends.
Favorite Christmas Movie? It’s a Wonderful Life…..and I only started watching it once I was married. It's a great christmas movie. Film lovers have often contemplated where the “real” Bedford Falls might be located. The movie hints its location is somewhere in upstate New York. However, the physical similarities between Seneca Falls and Bedford Falls are striking. Seneca Falls has a traditional New England main street, a steel truss bridge, and many Second Empire Victorian homes (like the large, old Granville house in the movie). Both towns have a canal; both main streets are 300 yards long; and in 1945, when the move was shot, Seneca Falls was a mill town, just like Bedford Falls. Seneca Falls also had the globe street lamps seen in the movie and even had a median on a portion of its main street. The community of Seneca Falls is so sure it served as Capra’s inspiration that they have created an It’s A Wonderful Life weekend. This year, Seneca Falls will be celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the film December 10th through 13th. Events include screening of It’s A Wonderful Life narrated by Karolyn Grimes, who played ZuZu in the film, holiday pictorial postal cancellation, pictures with Santa, train and horse-drawn wagon rides, dinner with Zuzu, and much, much more! The Seneca Falls downtown is decorated with replicas of the Christmas lights of Bedford Falls, and the shops and restaurants serve up It’s A Wonderful Life fare.
Yesterday we went to Fredericton. We left at 1100 and when we reached Welsford it was snowing, but that was short lived because by the time we reached Petersville Hill it had stopped. Once in Fredericton we payed a visit to "Scoop and Save" to pick up some chocolate for christmas......what a great store. Then it was off to pick up Brenna and her BF. We were in Fredericton for the afternoon showing of 'It's A Wonderful Life" presented by TNB. This was only my second time at the playhouse. It really hit home how fortunate we are to have a venue like the "Imperial Theatre". Unfortunately Brenna was swamped with school work and couldn't take time out for supper, so it was Paul, myself and Emma. The drive home was clear until, once again, we reached Petersville Hill and it was snowing......and it snowed hard the rest of the drive home.
This is what we woke to this morning. I was up at 0700 and by 0900 they had already plowed the court, sooooooo I guess we will have to get out and do some shovelling..........winter has now begun.
I have 25 questions in relation to christmas, one for each day leading up to Christmas Day. I'm a day late but I'll post one a day with my answer and I would love to hear from everyone else.
Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both, I buy them at the boxing day sales for the next year.
Real tree or Artificial? Artificial....one of the best things I ever bought.
Peter and family joined us in the afternoon and had supper with us.
Sasha being rough with Paul :-)
Board Game time.
Emma with Isaac and his new DSi.
Gift opening!
Brenna received the Voyageur Series on DVD's
Emma and her yoga mat.
Paul with a jig from Lee Valley.
Opa reading the tag on the gift....a gift from Bren. and Em.
We had supper at Peters, a delicious chicken stew that is a St. Amand recipe....one that I hope to get, meat pies, salad and desserts. 
Mr. Claus!
Spectators at the practise!
On Wednesday we went out to Rothesay and watched Isaac practise hockey. Sasha had a great time running around the rink, climbing the stands and playing with the new friend he made. 
Isaac # 18
Today I received a wonderful christmas gift. I was offered and accepted a permanent part-time position in the OR at the hospital in which I currently work. I am guaranteed 3 days/week. I officially start on January 4th. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!!!!!
