I know, I know, it's time to blog, but...

...not much to report or blog about lately... Floyd and I have been watching a lot of LOST, season 3 - I gave it to him for Christmas, but it's one of those gifts we are both mutually enjoying! What a crazy show...but, thanks to Mandy and Jorge, we are hooked! Our other addiction is NCIS and that was courtesy of Kristy and Bob - well, Bob actually... He kept telling us it was better than CSI:Miami and then, when they left, he left the first two season sets with us. One day we started watching them and, that was that, hooked as well... Ha ha. But we have decided to finish watching LOST before we get season four of NCIS.

A prayer request: our realtor has shown our house to a couple two times now and they are very interested. They are new immigrants who don't have a car and shop exclusively at the T & T Market in West Edmonton Mall. So our location is perfect and, apparently, they really love the house. However, there are a few houses more they are looking at but they are a lot further away from the mall. Please pray for an offer for us soon...

What else? I really "movied-out" this Christmas season - I guess because there was just the two of us and it was a good way to pass the time when I was knitting. A few that I watched were "A Wonderful Life", "The Ultimate Gift", "A Christmas Blessing", and "A Holiday to Remember". I bought Floyd a new housecoat the other day as they were marked 50% off for Christmas and his was really getting threadbare. He looks all comfy-cosy now in his new robe.

That's it...I'm on my dayshifts now, so that's my life 12 hours out of my day...more later...

A Measly 24 hours....

...that's how long Madison's Christmas toy lasted. Sigh. She was doing so good, then this afternoon she just went berserk when we were busy doing something else. It was like pulling a tooth to get her back to the scene of the crime for a photo - she kept slinking by with her tail between her legs!! Ha ha...what a silly puppy. Floyd and I weren't mad at her - it was kinda what we'd expected - but she must have been mad at herself! Here's a photo of the crime scene! (Yes, I made her stay with the stuffing on her nose...couldn't resist...lol)

Floyd says it just goes to show - you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

To try to get cancer.....

...or not to try to get cancer. You'd think it was a simple decision, right? Think again. Are you prepared to give up some of your favorite habits, hobbies, and drugs? Sometimes it's a scary thing to be knowledgeable. And you wish you'd never found out - maybe that's what "they" are counting on...

So, here's what led me up to this topic. And it's an important one, so please stay with me. If you've known me for awhile, or have been reading my blog, you will know that I have, for the past 8 years had random angioedema (facial swelling) and hives/swelling in different areas of my body. It usually seems to happen when I'm tired, due to the fact that my immune system is down then and these reactions are definitely auto-immune related. Anyway, I've had every allergy test known to man and they've determined that my case is "idiopathic" meaning "no known cause". It's been extremely frustrating for me and I've had many a pity-party over it. Mostly it's just annoying. There are times when my inner air passages swell and those episode scare the heebie-jeebies out of me. About 3 years ago, an emergency doctor (I always went into emerg for these - to get epinephrine/benadryl shots) told me that I needed to be taking prednisone and it would help. Well, sure enough, it did enable me to get the swellings down, most times, within 5-6 hours rather than the usual 24 hours. But my doctor has been concerned with me taking the prednisone as it can contribute to osteoporosis (sigh). It also causes insomnia, which, in turn, lowers my immunity and causes the swelling!! Vicious circle that has been sooo frustrating for me. So, anyway, she sent me to a dermatologist for a second opinion at the beginning of December. He said he wanted me to try a drug that is used after people receive liver transplants as it boosts the immune system. He said it wouldn't stop the episodes but it may make them less frequent. Sounded good to me. So I started taking it the 3rd and went through 3 rotations at work (I usually get the swelling after my nightshifts) without a single episode!!! I cannot even start to tell you how wonderful I felt!! I was so excited and felt like a "normal" person! I could stay up late without worrying about the next day... Until. Sigh. I don't know why, but for some reason, I decided to go online and investigate the drug (Azathioprine) to see what side effects it may have (doctor didn't tell me anything). Come to find out....(drum roll)...it's on "the" list, as per the American Cancer Society, as a known carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) to humans. They group agents as either "known", "probable", "may be", or "not"...causes of cancer. If you've got the guts (and/or care about your health), it makes an interesting read. But be prepared: it may cause you to change your life. It did me. Once I found out, I quit taking the drug immediately. Sadly, but immediately. And guess what I woke up to this morning? There you go. But I can't knowingly take something that is proven to cause cancer unless it's a life or death situation. You ready? Known Carcinogens to Humans

Now...message to Jorge and Mandy - Dad and I were shocked to read "Hot Mate" on the list! Here's a link for that...(sorry). International Agency for Research on Cancer. But, having found it out, there's no way that I can't share it with you. Maybe once Jorge's in Canada, he'll find another hot comforting drink that will replace his mate....

I know that we'll never be fully free from these substances, but surely we can do what we can to deliberately avoid the ones that we have choices in...

Sad but true.....

It's happened...I never thought I'd see the day... Floyd and I took photos of Madison "opening" her present today!! Ha ha... She was pretty excited! It's a stuffy gingerbread man with a squeaker in it, and now all we have to do is to stop her from chewing it to bits within the hour!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! My Christmas is complete... Yesterday Tanya and I had a good heart-to-heart, then, when I woke up not long ago, Floyd and I talked to Mandy and Jorge for about half an hour, then I called Kristy and Bob and talked to KB for about half an hour, as well! So, my mother-heart has had its fill of Christmas gifts and I want for nothing else. Okay, maybe a "in-person" hug from each of them would be nice but I'll have that one day soon... Love to everyone!!

Paradise Lost...Heart-sick Shaun...and Random Acts of Kindness...

Today was a different one...one of those where you just kind of wish you'd kept on sleeping... It started off with a bang when I checked my emails before going to work to find out that an offer has been put on my "dream" house in Picture Butte. I can't even start to tell you how sick I was. I cried all the way to work but was encouraged when I got here by co-workers who assured me it was all going to work out for the best... I have to keep believing that. There just hasn't been (so far) one other house that I've seen that I've wanted to live in...of all the many we've looked at.

Then, work. It was steady (good old Christmas domestics) and my friend Chris and I noticed that our partner, Shaun, wasn't looking good. He said that he'd had chest pains all night long and now he was sweating and nauseous. Not a good mix. Being a typical man, he kept saying he was okay, but once he began to run to the bathroom vomiting, Chris put her foot down and drove him to the emergency. She was with him for about an hour and ended up leaving him there. I went and saw him on my break - he was all hooked up and not a happy camper. I made him call his wife (he didn't want to!), then went and bought him a couple of books - to help him fight the "boredom factor" - and a teddy bear and card from our watch. The nurse said he was going to be there for at least another ten hours, so he was pretty frustrated. Oh, well, he's in the best place and I hope and pray he'll be out soon.

From there I had about 15 minutes left of my break, so I got in a Starbucks lineup for a shot of caffeine. While sitting there, I looked in my rear-view mirror at the couple behind me who were obviously not having a very happy conversation. The woman looked on the verge of tears and the guy was not thrilled himself. I thought about a thing Floyd and I had heard on the TV yesterday about something like 80 people in a lineup at a coffee place in the States - and how they had all paid for the person behind them. So, when it was my turn to pay, I picked up the tab for the couple behind me and hoped it made their day just a little bit happier..... It certainly brought me some peace.

Partying with "A" Watch...

Last night Floyd and I went to a co-worker's house for our Watch Christmas potluck. I made a trifle and "Swartzie's" potatoes - yummy. This was the first time we've done this but it's only been about a year since my work has gone on the "watch" system. At first I wasn't for the prospect of always working with the same ten people but we've become a really close group and have developed some very good friendships. Our supervisor is outwardly a bear, but inwardly a pussycat, so us women all know how to sweet talk him into seeing our way, even though he'd never admit it....lol. But we had a lot of fun even though not everyone made it out. It was a good time to meet spouses that we'd all heard about, but never met, as well. After a delicious concoction of food dishes, we went downstairs to play Wii and foosball. I discovered that I'm no good at either. ;-) LOL. We were playing Olympic events on the Wii (trampoline, swimming, track & field) and, yeah, poor Peach (my character) was devastated by her losses every time. I decided she needs some time with Kristy to boost her morale back up...

We got home about 10:30 and were thankful for the nice weather, not much traffic, safety on the roads, a fun evening with good friends and each other, and a warm snug house to come home to...God is good.

Emotional Basketcase....

...I confess, that's what I am these days. My eyes fill up at the slightest thing - especially Christmas carols... I'm missing my babies (okay, okay, I know...they're not babies anymore - but any mother will identify with me - they'll always be my babies)... It just seems as "the Day" draws closer I can't believe that none of them will be home with us. It's the first time in 30 years that it's just been Floyd and I. I know that they are all serving the Lord and can't be home for that reason, but it doesn't stop the aching in my heart. This is what was involved when we dedicated each of them to the Lord - we gave His precious gifts back to Him and I will never regret that decision. Sorry...oops... there I go again...

Tanya, Kristy, and Mandy - I love you all so much and miss you incredibly. May God bless you as you serve Him...

Samantha's Night to Shine!!

...and I was one proud aunt! Tonight was Dance Collective I at Samantha's school (Victoria School of Performing & Visual Arts). Floyd and I went, along with Cynthia, Andrew, and Bethany. It was 45 minutes of incredible dance - all different venues and music - the best I've seen for a long time. Congratulations to all! But, of course, we all sat up in our seats for the best number: "Walkman", that Samantha was in. She did such a good job and Floyd and I were so proud of her! I took two camera lenses with me in hopes of getting some photos and I was so pleased with the results! There was no flash photography allowed (hee hee), so I kicked the ISO up to 1600, put on my 50 mm lens, flicked it wide open (f 1.8) and went to town. I took 96 photos!! Ha ha...had a ball. Here's some photos the star! I'll post more in My Photos...

Appetizers, seat warmers and house showings...

Last night was a busy night at work - not insane, but steady. I don't like working this time of the year because of the suicides. It's just so sad. We get so many calls now of people who have taken their own lives, leaving their young children, elderly parents, and spouses, to not only grieve and fend for themselves, but to have to be the ones to discover their loved one... It's so very sad and just breaks my heart with every call...

I slept until noon then got up and vacuumed as we had a showing at 2:30. Dan has just flyered the market again with info on our house - he is so committed to helping us - we thank the Lord for him. We took Madison and went to Canadian Tire as we had a couple of items to return and we wanted to look at a new light for the dining room. Samantha has asked if she can have my Mum's chandelier that's over the table and we have decided that, if it's important and sentimental for her, she will have it. So, seeing as our previous offer fizzled, we now want to quickly take it down and replace it before another offer comes to the table. Whenever I go to Canadian Tire, I'm always impressed with their extensive line of kitchen items as well as home decor. I often forget to look there for items. They have the Debbie Travis line - of dishes/home decor/etc. - and I believe it's exclusive to their chain. Her stuff is really nice and reasonably priced. Having said that, we didn't see a nice ceiling light for under $150, so we're going to check out Home Depot tomorrow...

After that, still having time to kill for the house showing (or using that for an excuse!), we went to Kelsey's. We haven't been there since Mandy, Jorge, Kristy, and Bob came with us, I don't think, and that was a long time ago. In their tradition, we ordered the spinach dip appetizer - we'd both forgotten how good it was. We had a really nice time - laughing and talking about our future plans...planning holidays and family vacations...imagining our grandbabies' faces...stay posted! LOL! But first we gotta sell the house!! It's our "Ticket to Ride"!! Ha ha...

We came out of Kelsey's and when we got back to our car, Madison was all curled up in a ball on Floyd's driver's seat. We were laughing because we called her our "poor man's seat-warmer"! When we were taken around by a realtor in Lethbridge, I was in awe of her warm leather seats - such a nice feature in our cold winters! But then, when Floyd got in, he said, "Oh, my seat is all nice and warm!", so we figured Maddie is our cheap seat-warmer!

We went back home and were talking to Cynthia when the doorbell rang and it was another realtor wanting to show a client the house! So, this time we were there and they just did a quick viewing - and they are coming back tomorrow night with his family! Yay!!

That's it for today...I need to go and get ready for my last nightshift. Then four days off - woohoo!!

Call me sappy....

...but I tear up every time I see this commercial!! Ha ha. It just tugs at my Mother heart-strings...

Putting life in perspective....

Okay, so the Lord got my attention today, in a rather startling manner...  I've been admittedly worrying about how everything is going to "fit" with our move and my job situation.  Last night, over and over, I kept giving my dreams to the Lord.  As mentioned in my last blog, I fell in love with that Picture Butte house all over again this trip - even more so.  Floyd assures me that we can make any house our home and that *is* true, but this one just really felt like "home" already.  Then today I found out from work that I need to allow at least 6 weeks to get my LWOP approved and that the employee who does it is taking off next week for Christmas vacation...  Hmmm.... 

Soooo, on my break, I was walking to the bank, praying, praying, and just giving it all to God.  In my mind, I took my little PB house and lifted it up to Him and asked Him to look after it, if it's the one for us...and, of course, that our one here will sell.  Anyway, I was crossing an intersection and saw a van crossing as well (coming towards me) but figured he'd see me.  All of a sudden I realized he was making a left turn and speeding right towards me!!  I put out both my hands in front of me (smart move, eh?) and he screeched to a stop with his front bumper about 5" from my shaking hands!!  He rolled down his window and asked if I was okay - he said the sun was in his eyes and he never saw me...

I'll tell you, I walked away praising the Lord that I was still able to walk and that I wasn't laying on the street waiting for an ambulance...  It was then He reminded me, "Your very life is in my hands.  You can trust me with your house and job..."

(On an ironic note: the vehicle was a DATS van - I wondered if he was trying to drum up business...)

Round and round; Back and forth; Up and down...

...ever have one of those days? One of those weeks? Well, that's what the last four days have felt like for me...an emotional roller coaster, leaving me an emotional wreck. Ha ha...not really, but, yes, really! (See what I mean?)

I hate to do this to you, but, trust me, you'll be grateful in the end. I'm gonna blog in point form 'cause if I start the story it may never end...

- first of all, I promised Tanya I would tell the world about my foolish mistake. Moral of the story is, if in doubt, read the directions, even if they don't make sense. For 5 years I've been using my bread machine and getting so frustrated because the loaves always rise too high. And you can't just reduce the yeast without changing the other ingredients as well. So I just re-made all my favorite recipes to come out with a loaf that wouldn't hit the window at the top and keep pushing... Well, this trip, I brought her my machine and dug out the instruction book to give her as well. While I was flipping through it and pulling out all my little Post-It notes with revamped recipes, something jumped out at me at the very beginning...under the heading "Yeast" (sigh...you know what's coming, don't you?). It said, and I quote, "All the recipes in this book have been tested using Traditional Active Dry yeast." What the heck? All of the recipes in this booklet called for adding the yeast LAST - on top of all the dry ingredients - they said it HAD to be added then. Soooo...for those of you that don't know, traditional yeast is a small ball shape and *has* to be proofed in warm water and sugar before using. Anyone who has ever made bread knows that. As opposed to Bread Machine or Instant Yeast that is totally different and can be added with the dry ingredients. Yeah, so all this time I was using the wrong yeast. Double sigh. I went out, bought some of the traditional, tried the recipe - you know the results. I don't want to think about it. The good news? Tanya, you have a wonderful machine!! LOL!

- on the way down to Lethbridge, Floyd and I drove around Barons and Nobleford because we'd planned to look at some houses in those towns. Barons was definitely a "no" - it's a tiny town that time forgot...just really sad - LOL. Not going there. Nobleford was much nicer but we just feel drawn to Picture Butte...

- we had a lovely visit (as usual) with Tom and Tanya...I even beat Tom in Ticket To Ride - now that's one for the books!! We didn't see much of them as Monday and Tuesday were taken up with looking at houses, houses, and more houses. We checked out some in Fort Macleod as well, but none really appealed to us.

- Monday afternoon I had to go to LPS for a Computerized Voice Stress Analysis test. For obvious reasons, I'm not going to go into the ordeal here but it was an experience to remember... I came out of their office wanting to bawl because I was sure I'd flunked. So I did what any level-headed person would do - hit a Starbucks. Floyd tried to cheer me up but it sure put a damper on the rest of my day...

- yesterday we did another thorough inspection of our favorite house in Picture Butte. I fell in love with it all over again. Erilyn was with us and her and I had fun going from room to room and envisioning living there. We decided to come home, confirm that everything was a "go" on our house, then put an offer on that one. (ha ha)

- this morning, I got a call from LPS saying they would like to offer me a job! I couldn't believe I passed the interrogation but the lady just laughed and assured me I passed with flying colours. The job starts the third week in January which sounded perfect because it gives us a month to make the move. I went by the City Hall and signed all the papers...

- on the way home, Floyd and I chatted all about the "new" house - how we would decorate, what we would fix up, what colour we would paint, etc. We both decided we are really excited and ready for a change in our lifestyle...it just seems time.

- the drive went fine until about 20 minutes north of Red Deer when all of a sudden we began to see semis and other vehicles in the ditches. The road didn't look bad but when Floyd touched the brakes, we discovered it was a sheet of black ice. Fortunately everyone slowed right down and 2 1/2 hours later we limped into our driveway - our average speed for that time was around 40 kmh. But we made it safe and that's all that's important.

- we got home and called our realtor as agreed (to set up a time to do the final signing). He told us that the buyer backed out because he couldn't sell his car. I can't even start to go there - I'll let you do it for me. No further comment (apart from "What the heck???!!!")... So, as far as our house...we're back to square one. Please keep us in your prayers.

- that's all for now, more later...

The last couple of days.....

I'm just finishing up my nightshifts and so haven't blogged in the last three days because my work doesn't leave me much time for anything else...

Our offer was put in writing but it's kinda conditional (they want my kitchen island, the pool table, and some of our furniture!) and we found out today that they aren't even willing to meet us halfway - they say their offer is their top price, so I'm not sure we'll accept it as it's a whole lot lower than we planned to go...

On my second dayshift (Thursday), I met Val and Shyanne at a nearby restaurant for lunch as we've been trying to get together for our December games night and it just wasn't happening... Shy's expecting (yay!) and has been battling nausea and Val left for her Christmas holidays yesterday, so we figured it was a kind of "do-or-die" situation. It was good, though, as always when we get together. We chatted and caught up on all our news - I'm sure going to miss those two when (if) I move...

Last night work was busy - typical Friday night - and, in the midst of it all, at 0300 hrs, Kristy called from Africa! My heart just jumped at the sound of her voice and I felt so bad because there was no way I could talk to her. But we made a quick "date" to meet online this morning, so that made me feel better as we haven't talked for quite awhile. So, when I got home at 0700, I signed in and, lo and behold, Mandy and Tanya were online as well as Kristy! So the four of us chatted for a bit until Mandy left and then Tanya, Kristy, and I did a Skype conference call. We weren't sure it would work but it did! I think it was a little hard for Tanya to hear sometimes but Kellen was able to say "hi" to his Aunty Kristy! After chatting with KB for about an hour (I love you and miss you, KB!!), I went to bed and slept until about 1230. Only 4 1/2 hours, but I'll take it...sigh...story of my life. However, after I'd been up for awhile, I took my friend Tammy's advice (she's always telling me that I need to nap whenever I feel tired, seeing as I sleep lousy at night) and turned on my heating pad, cuddled up with it in a velour blanket and turned Andrea Bocelli on low by my bed... I slipped into blissful sleep for about an hour and a half and woke up feeling really refreshed! Thanks, Tam - I love you!!

Tonight at work Mandy called me! It's always such a nice surprise to hear from my girls when I least expect it! It was only a brief conversation but it was good to hear her voice... I'm praying for you, Mandy, that you'll feel better soon (she had a headache and didn't feel good). I also brought my camera to work tonight to try and get some candid shots of good old "A" Watch but discovered that a lot of them are camera shy and didn't want me stalking them - LOL. But I got a couple of poor Tammy (with a teabag hanging out of her cheek 'cause she just had her wisdom teeth removed) and Shaun and Justin, who are always ready to pose for a shot! I'll try again when we have our watch Christmas dinner - I've given them all fair warning now...

Are you sitting down??

Guess what?? We got an offer on our house today!! Okay, it was, like, way below what we are asking, but, hey, it's an offer! At least someone has shown an interest... We'll keep you posted...

I haven't slept more than two hours per night for the past 3 nights. I just can't handle it much more. Today at work everyone was giving me advice which ranged from hard-core prescriptions (tried those) to a soft mallet to the forehead (might have to try that!). So, I'm off to bed, with my Sleepytime tea in hand, hoping, praying, that I might get a few good hours in La La Land before my alarm goes off at 5 a.m... I've never, in my life, had problems sleeping but lately it's been a real challenge. If you think of me, I'd appreciate your prayers....

Good night, God bless...

14 Ancient Grains of Goodness....

I realized today that I hadn't mentioned about my new "baking machine". I bought the Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine and, so far, am thrilled with it. It's supposed to be the best bread maker on the market and, of course, can also be used as well to do virtually any other mixing job in the kitchen. I tried it out a couple of days ago to make a batch of Ancient 14-Grain bread. It made five loaves and Floyd and I both love the bread. The ancient grains? Kamut, spelt, teff, quinoa, and amaranth + nine other grains. All of them are ones that are coming back into use - but classified as "ancient" because they date back to Biblical times and before.

Anyway...I couldn't sleep tonight and thought I'd take a couple more pictures of my Christmas tree (Amethyst got me started on the Photo Challenge Blog, which, for those of you who have fallen by the wayside, is up and running again!) with my star filter. Here's a couple for you:

And the winners are....

...Randy Travis and Josh Groban. Every year I usually pick up one or two Christmas CDs and today I bought Randy's "Songs of the Season" - because I just love the unique sound of his voice. And the other is a new artist for me. But I'm thinking that he probably shouldn't be...ha ha. The reason I say that is because I was working in New Beginnings (our church bookstore) and a lot of people kept asking me, "Is that Josh Groban?" (I had his CD playing in the store). Finally, I thought, "You know what? I really like this CD and obviously I'm the only one in the world who's never heard of this guy..." It was kind of like the feeling I had when Tom introduced me to Andrea Bocelli - I wondered where he'd been all my life... So, I bought Noel, Josh's Christmas album, and I think I've discovered someone who's music I might well be buying more of.

Apart from that, let's see what's been happening. Last night we had a wonderful supper with Ray and Shelagh - although I must confess we four did the male-male, female-female bonding thing! Ha ha. I don't even know what Ray and Floyd talked about all evening! But Shelagh and I did what we always do...talk about our kids and grandkids, shed a few tears (hoping the guys won't see), and encourage each other. She's such a dear sister - I love to get her perspective on things. After that Floyd went to the Dutch club to help Benny with some setup and I went home to get an early night. I hopped into bed with my laptop and watched about an hour of Lord of the Rings. I think I got to the same place that I've stopped the last two times I've watched it!! But this time, I've promised Tanya that I'll watch the whole thing. Mind you it's not because I don't enjoy it, it just seems that I don't have the time to watch it all and then never get back to it, so I have to start all over again. But now I'm into my days off, so it's on my list of "to-dos" over the next 3 days. I fell asleep about 9:30 and slept till 7:30 this morning, so that did a lot in helping me recover from my two night shifts.

Kristy, here's a photo just for you - because you asked me to take pics of my house "all decorated" for Christmas! Sorry, but we're gonna have to rely on our memories or photos taken in the past for that to truly happen because this year, this is about as good as it gets. I'm just trying to minimize the clutter and realize that, hopefully, I might have to take it all down soon...

Boney M, Michael, and Me....

To say yesterday was a different day is a definite understatement! I went to work the night before, after my class, and staggered my way through the nightshift. I have a head cold and the night felt like my whole face was a fountain and I couldn't see for the clouds. The supervisor took compassion on me and sent me home ODS at 3:15. I was so grateful to her and glad they had enough coverage to let me go. I slept until 10:30, then woke up and took some cold meds.

Poor Floyd broke the tap in the kitchen the night before, so by the time I got up, only his feet were showing out of the cupboard underneath the sink. He'd already spent the previous evening painting the ceiling in the back entranceway - he really didn't need this... Then awhile later I heard a short mumble and, sure enough, something else had broken off... oh, dear... We went to Canadian tire and bought two new sets of taps - we figured as the water was already shut off, we might as well put new taps in the bathroom as well...but that might change if the kitchen keeps proving to be so difficult.

So, my goal for the day was to provide support but stay out of his way... LOL. I decided to set about putting the Christmas tree. This is a traditional "Mandy-and-Mum" job, so to say I missed her was an understatement. We usually go out together to pick a tree, have a lot of good laughs on the way, and come home with a Charlie Brown tree that we fix up to look beautiful. I find it hard to give up traditions. But there was nothing to be done, short of not getting one at all... So, I did something I've never done in my life, and hope to never do again. I gave up the idea of a real tree and hauled up the artificial one out of the basement. This has been a "spare" tree that we've sometimes put up in the basement but this year, it will be our only one. Reasoning for this was (a) I didn't want to go out looking without Mandy, and (b) Floyd and I figured it would make for quicker and easier clean-up should we sell our house. So out came the decorations and on went the Christmas CDs. Boney M and Michael W Smith kept me company as I made the tree purty. And it does look nice...just not what we're used to.

Speaking of Mandy, after I'd put up the tree and a few choice decorations (not going out full-tilt this year in order to maintain the "clutter-free" look for showing our house), she pinged me on Skype and we chatted for awhile. I'd just finished speaking to Kristy as well, which is always a joy. Mandy sent me a couple of photos of herself - side shots showing her little pregnant tummy - ha ha... She said she's going to post some herself so I won't share them yet - I'll give her some time to put them on her blog.

Later on, Dan (our real estate agent - and good friend) came over and we, once again, talked about the market and our situation, etc. We did decide to go down a bit more as he showed us examples of others selling in our area for less than what we're asking. I think this will be our final reduction though (God willing...). The good news is that prices on houses down south have also dropped drastically so we should still even out.

I went in to work at 6 and my supervisor told me that the S/Sgt from Lethbridge Police Service had called for my boss, so I must still be in the running for that job. It's kind of exciting - I think I'm ready for a change. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed work last night (except for the sneezing and sniffling) - I had good pod partners and, while it was busy, we had a few really good laughs. I do love my job and new co-workers. It's nice because they've been putting through so many new classes that most people there now have under 5 years service and it's always good to have fresh perspectives. My supervisor was worried about me spreading my cold to everyone else in the center, so, once again, she sent me home early (4 a.m.), which was nice. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to sleep right away though...and ended up drifting off about 6 and sleeping until 10:15. So, it will be an early night tonight...

Floyd and I had fun looking at houses on the internet for about 2 hours - but in the end, we were so confused, we gave up. There are just so many out there now! And the prices are excellent. We discovered a few in Barons that we're going to check out as well...

Tonight it's supper with Ray and Shelagh at Moxie's, so I'm going to try and grab a quick nap before then...