Lighter Handbag

My purse is an essential appendage! For years I've carried a large one that resembles a back-pack. Its many pockets always provided room for something more!

Recently, however, my back has been bothering me. Is it time to carry something smaller and lighter?

As though they could read my mind, my son and his wife gave me this small handbag for Christmas - perfect for taking on walks!

Hopefully this ergonomic solution will solve my back issues!

(Now I have to wait till weather permits me to go walking again!)

Personal Knitting "Style"

After seeing some really gorgeous sweaters on Pinterest, I was interested in finding out more about them.

To my surprise, I discovered that they were designed by a well-known British knitter, Sasha Kagan, whose patterns could be found in books in our public library.

I borrowed the books - but quickly realized that, as lovely as the sweaters are, the designs are just too complicated for me to enjoy knitting.

We all have our personal knitting "styles"!

I admire anyone who can make these - I wish I could.

But counting stitches to knit these complicated designs just isn't me...

To Speed Up? Or Slow Down?!

Hanging out with our 8-month-old granddaughter reminded me that different stages of life have different speeds.  As a child, I remember lying on the ground in summer, watching the clouds sail by. Later on, when I grew up, I often found myself rushing around all day. Later I thankfully embraced a slower pace in retirement.

Having a baby around reminded me that children enjoy life at a slower pace... Is it time for me to slow down and savor life... Or am I already too sedentary? Do I need to become more active?!

That may be one of the questions I ponder in 2017! How busy do I want to be? How busy should I be to remain healthy, leading an active life?!

Back to Granny Squares

I've been noticing granny squares on Pinterest...

Are they coming back in style?!

They have a comfortable feel about them. And they're a great way to use up scraps of yarn.

(This one is a real mish-mash of colors!)

 Cute!

I think I'll make a few and see where that takes me! I haven't made them in years!

It will be a good way to use up my mother's stash of yarn, left over from projects she made way back when.

Memories of Christmas

We are both holding on to our Christmas tree this year, reluctant to take it down! But soon...

I think that both of us want to hang on to the lights and memories as long as possible! We're not quite ready to return to life as "normal."

For the first time in years, we had a child here this past Christmas, our 8-month-old granddaughter.

She was oblivious of all the gifts - but she did enjoy playing with "vintage" toys that had belonged to her father.

We enjoyed playing with her.  She is back home now, and we are starting to think about the winter months ahead...

Time to take down the tree and move on!

Winter is TOTALLY Here!

Every year we wonder if our winter will be mild... for a change...

Of course, we hope it will!

But more often than not, we are disappointed!

This year, again (as usual) we have already had lots of snow and freezing rain!

It's only January, but already we realize that we're in for a normal Canadian winter!!

Organizing Our Maps

Terry and I consult maps before we drive out of town. When we return, our maps go into our "map drawers." We each have one where we store not only maps but any travel information we have found useful. (My "map drawer" also doubles as one of my "junk drawers"!)

Recently I suggested we organize our maps and brochures into travel regions - Ontario, Quebec, and further afield.

That way we wouldn't have to go through so many maps when we planned our next trip.

Terry agreed. They are now neatly sorted, tucked away in boxes on a shelf...

(I hope I remember where we put them next time we need them! A "junk drawer" is such a handy organizing tool!)

One of our sons expressed surprise when he saw our little boxes...

You've organized maps?! he asked.

Aren't you impressed? I replied... 

No, actually, I'm shocked. The only maps I have, he replied, are the ones on my phone...

Now that's a generation gap! I hadn't realized that paper maps have become obsolete...