I’m not just saying this because they’re my nephews, but in all seriousness, I have the cutest nephews ever. My dad phoned last night and after doing some regular catching up, he started telling me about some of the adorable things my nephews have been doing and saying the last couple of days. Here are some examples!

Tyler won an award at school last week and part of the award was that he could pick out a prize from a pre-selected set of prizes that ranged from books to things like calendars. Well, Tyler picked out a calendar with eagles on it and told them it was for his Papa (my dad) because “Papa loves eagles”. That afternoon Tyler went into their house and was rummaging around for a nail and hammer. When my sister Nikki asked what he was doing, he said he was putting up “his” calendar. To that, Nikki replied with “But I thought you brought that home for Papa?” and Tyler replied with “Well duh Mama. I’m going to give it to him when the year is up.”

You see, he got the calendar for the eagle photos in it. Haha!

Another example was actually with Landon. They (sister, brother in law and the kids) have breakfast together every morning. Nikki woke up extra early the other day and made blueberry muffins for the kids. After she hid them away, thinking they might have a go at them while she was in the shower, she went on and took her own shower and dressed for the day. When she came back into the dinning room Landon had set the table for breakfast. He’s always been the little helper of the bunch. Nikki asked Landon what he was up to and Landon said “Mama, I’m setting the table for breakfast. We’re having blueberry muffins!” I guess Nikki forgot about the blueberry aroma that fills the house when she makes them.

Have I mentioned how much I missed them lately? What I wouldn’t do to be able to visit with them for a few days. Well, all of my family but especially those munchkins.

This coming summer I’m hoping that Jo and I will visit Calgary again. You’d think after living there for over 6 months that I would’ve had my belly full and while it’s true that I fell out of love, there were many things I wanted to see there and didn’t get a chance to. One of the things I really wanted to do while we were there was go to the Calgary Stampede. I’ve been in Calgary twice now when this event was being held but both times wound up unable to attend. The Stampede is a huge, huge event in Calgary and millions of people flock to Calgary just for the Stampede itself. One of the things I’m looking forward to is all of the free concerts. I say free but in reality, you have to pay your way into the Stampede to be able to see the free shows. The one thing I did actually get to enjoy was the fireworks display from a park near our apartment in Calgary. It was pretty awesome that far away, I can only imagine how much more fun it would be in person.

When we start making our plans for our trip back to Calgary, we’ll be using a guide - Event Lstings - this way we’ll find listings for affordable hotels like the Sheraton Suites Eau Claire. I honestly can’t wait. There are great things about Calgary but I’m just not a person who can live there. It’s going to be awesome visiting our friends there and attending the Calgary Stampede, finally.

Jo’s uncle has a 19 inch flat screen monitor (Dell) that he’s trying to get rid of. It’s only two months old. They recently upgraded their entire computer system, which included a new monitor. Now they have no use for the other. I’ve asked him to hold onto it for a couple of days because I want it. It’ll work with my Dell computer and that’s the only thing I’m lacking right now. Hopefully I can get my computer all set up and won’t have to hog Jo’s so much. I was actually planning on buying a new monitor in the next week or so just so I could get my computer up and running. This will save me a nice chunk of change because he’s not going to charge us what he’d charge anyone else, we’ll be getting a decent discount. Discounts make me happy. I told him I’d make him a yummy caramel cake to make up the difference. He seemed more excited about the cake than the money he’ll be getting. I wonder if I could just make him several and we could just call it even.. lol.

Today makes the third day in a row that I’ve woken up with terrible joint pain and swelling around my right knee. Sure signs of my arthritis flaring up yet again. Just like yesterday, the weather seems to be playing a factor - it’s raining and very cold out. I’ve tried various pain relievers but nothing really seems to help for more than an hour or so. I’m wondering if something like an osteoarthritis relief treatment would help to relieve the pain at all. Maybe it’s something I should consider looking into, you know, considering what I’ve been taking and doing isn’t helping. Soaking in a hot bath has helped in the past but since we’re on well water, taking baths wouldn’t be the best idea.

I guess I’m just to suffer!

My second Winter theme is now ready for download. You can download it by visiting my themes page which is linked “WP Themes” in the left sidebar or you may simple click here. Screenshot is available below. I hope you enjoy.

Yeah, I told you I liked snowmen. Shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise though. After all, Winter is my favorite season.

I’m stuck inside for the third day in a row, due to the rotten weather outside. Other than watching movies or TV and sleeping, the only other thing I could think of was to piddle around with a new Wordpress theme for you to download and use on your own blog. I’ve been working on it and one other (which is more of a “plain-jane theme”) for the last few hours. I love snowmen, which you’ve probably noticed if you’ve been a frequent visitor to any of my websites and blogs over the last few years.

Here’s what the theme looks like. To download, just visit the WP Themes link on the left sidebar or click here.

Without even setting foot outside, I can tell it’s freezing cold, and no, not because of what it looks like! My joints are aching something terrible this morning, that’s how I know it’s cold. My arthritis must be flaring up. I noticed this before I even crawled out from under the warm, cozy covers. My right knee, the one I ripped the cartilage in, was slightly swollen and stiff. When I maneuvered my legs to the side of the bed when I sat up, that’s when the aching began. I could barely stand up to start with but I figured once I started moving around I’d shake it off. It’s now 2 hours later and they’re still aching.

I’m really not fond of this arthritis at 29 years old thing. Jo has been picking on me about for the last couple of years saying things like “Who needs a weatherman, we have a weather detector right here at home”, in a joking manner of course. It’s not a joking matter but I know he’s not being evil about it and more often than not, I laugh too.

I guess I should probably rub some cream on my legs to help ease off some of this pain.

Dog Tags have become a big fashion accessory over the last few years. My oldest nephew Eric has a few of them, which has gotten the attention of another nephew Tyler (he’s 8). He keeps telling me that this is something he wants for Christmas “because Eric has one”. Eric has become somewhat of a role model for Tyler over the last few years and Tyler seems to imitate everything Eric does. I figured I would start checking into this for Tyler and grant his “Christmas wish”.

This morning I signed onto a website called Fat Statement and found that they have recently launched a new product on their site - Custom Dog Tags. This is great for me because I want Tyler to have a one of a kind dog tag and not one anyone can just pick up in a local accessory department. Fat Statement allows me to choose from a large selection of pre-designed symbols or I can even upload my own image from my hard drive. It’s easy to move the uploaded image or pre-designed symbol into the position on the dog tag that I want it in. I can also add text to my design, along with choosing my choice of a background color. Their step by step design editor is so easy to use that I think even my 8 year old nephew would be able to use it and design his own. You seriously cannot go wrong.

This is a great idea for people like me who are looking to create a unique gift for a friend or loved one, or even create something unique for themselves. I think I will get Tyler and Eric both one for Christmas. I may even make them the same, since they’ve become such good friends!

To create your own custom dog tag, visit them at Fatstatement.com.

I’m really loving this digital scrapbooking thing. I mean, I enjoy paper scrapbooking too which is something that Stacey and I did together before she went back to North Carolina. This, however, allows me to be a little more creative at times. The other day I did a digital scrapbook page for my mother in law and mentioned that I was going to start working on one for my sister in law, Colleen. Well, I finished it up last night and here’s the result. By the way, I recommend clicking the photo and viewing the larger version.

I think I’ll work on one with some of the photos taken from around here. Actually, I think I may do that trip to Twillingate one day this week or maybe some of the shipwrecks and do a scrapbook page of those.

I keep hearing people talk about and keep reading about LED flameless candles and they’ve really got me interested. I’ve always loved candles, whether I’m burning them to freshen up a room or just placing them around the house to “look pretty”. I’m always worried about burning candles though, even when using candles holders that are considered safe. Flameless candles, which you can find at Flamelesscandles.net would be a great alternative. They are providing you with that safer alternative to burning candles and yet you’re still getting that beautiful candle light.

This is something I’m definitely going to keep in mind when I start doing my holiday shopping. My youngest sister will definitely appreciate something like this. She has three kids at home, boys, who are always into something and often times causing accidents - bumping into things, knocking things over and making spills. She will feel so much better about having flameless candles in her home verses the regular candles she has out for decoration now. It’s been awhile since she was comfortable enough to burn a candle. The boys are way too curious and pretty careless at times. They look so much like the real thing, no one will ever know the difference!

The holidays will be upon us soon and flameless candles will be a great gift for that special someone. They would also provide your home with a nice decorative touch when you start decorating for the season. To learn more or browse through a wonderful selection of flameless candles, check them out at Flamelesscandles.net.

I have a new love, which can be found in a Jello pudding container. It’s lemon meringue pie pudding. Oh my goodness, this is so delicious. If you like lemon, especially lemon meringue pie, you will love it. I decided to try one and now I want another. I’m trying to be a good girl though and avoid it until after I’ve had my dinner. At least then I won’t be feeling so guilty about eating it. Ahhh, who am I kidding? Either way I’m not going to feel that guilty! I think it’s fat free!

I have been trying to come up with ideas for Jo’s Christmas gifts. He’s already started hinting around to a few things like a new pair of boots, some jeans and various things to fill up his stocking with. Now I’m just trying to come up with some ideas for those special gifts that he won’t know about until Christmas morning. One of the things he keeps bringing up is a joystick for his computer games. I figured I would start looking for a coupon code or two to places like Gamestop and EB Games, which are stores he shops in pretty often. I should be able to find “his” joystick and I’m also considering buying him a couple of game cards for WoW. The game cards would make great for stuffing in his stocking.

Deallocker.com is a great place to find great deals and coupon codes to all sorts of stores. Since I’m looking for coupons to a specialty store, I decided to click on the category “video game coupons”, where I got a huge list of stores with coupons. Gamestop, for instance, currently has 38 coupons and I’m so glad I can use Deallocker.com this holiday season. It’s going to be nice to give him the things he wants this Christmas and be able to save while doing it. But the best part is I won’t have to stop saving after the holidays because there are always great deals and awesome coupons available all year long. If you have a friend who likes saving, Deallocker.com is actually dedicated to helping you and your friends get deals.

Be sure you check out their daily blog too, they’re always providing free stuff and printable coupons!

You know what I love? I love going to bed at a decent hour, falling asleep the moment my head hits the pillow, sleeping the entire night through with no disruptions and waking up at a decent hour feeling refreshed. This is exactly how I’m feeling this morning, well, this afternoon now. We went to bed early and I slept so well that I woke up early and felt great.

Now if only the weather was a great as I feel. Instead it’s cold, cloudy, rainy and looks like the sky could drop a few inches of snow at any moment. Not the best Saturday at all. I was hoping it would be decent enough out that I could drive out to Twillingate or something. I’m starting to get cabin fever. I just want to get out and do something besides be at home, unfortunately the weather has kept us all indoors for the last couple of days. It looks like this will be the pattern at least for another couple of days too, at least through Monday. Maybe by then it’ll start to clear up and I can venture outside for a bit.

Everyone keeps asking me what I want for Christmas and up until now I really hadn’t given them any suggestions because I really had no idea what I wanted. I realized a couple of days ago that I was out of some of my bath and body products, so I think this is something I will go ahead and had to my Christmas list but I think I’ll change it up a bit and put in a request for something a little different than my normal. I think I’ll have him get me something from Quench Bath & Body from Around the World. Their products have been inspired by beauty secrets from around the world.

This would also make for a great gift for a couple of my friends and even my sister in law. To learn more about Quench or to browse their products, visit them at Quenchbathandbody.com.

Earlier this evening I decided to work on a digital scrapbook page for Jo’s mom, aunt Marilyn and aunt Brenda. Third from the left is Nan. Her favorite color was this deep raisin color, so I decided to incorporate a little of that into the page. I also decided to put in some beige, tan and brown since they were all wearing those shades that day, which wasn’t planned at all. I showed Colleen, my sister in law, Jo and then Jo’s mom. They all loved it. I then sent it to Marilyn and Jo’s mom (so that she could save it to her on computer too) through email. Brenda doesn’t have internet access so I will print it off and take it to her sometime next week.

I’m also working on a new digital scrapbook page for Colleen. I found the perfect picture which was also taken the same day as the one above. Colleen is wearing an aqua colored top so I figured I would use brown, tan, beige and aqua in hers. She has no clue I’m up to this and with any luck she’ll skip right on past this entry - I hope.

So, what do you think? You can click on the thumbnail to open the large version in a new window, which I recommend.