gifts – Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie

December 27th – It’s Over

December 27, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in A Time To Celebrate - December 2021

For better or worse, the Christmas of 2021 has come and gone. It was definitely nice that Dan had the day off this year. In fact we had a few days together. It was very special to have some quiet time to relax in front of the fireplace (which is conveniently placed under the television) and enjoy each other’s company.

Santa Dan was good to me as always. He was out and about for two days finding me the perfect winter boots – with is no simple task and a new elephant to join our herd.

**Short enough to be easy to put on but tall enough to cover my ankles, solid enough to be safe on icy walks but light enough to drive in, warm & cozy but stylish to boot!**

Granddaughter Genie and Alex came by on Christmas morning to drop off a Christmas bouquet and pick up their gifts from us. They stayed for a lovely visit.

We had a good phone chat with son Dan and photos from Amanda of the kids opening their gifts. Gabby and Lucas were obviously happy with theirs. It was a bit harder to tell with Cason from his ‘butt shot’. 😂 I had a call from son Mark later in the day and my siblings and I exchanged seasonal greetings by email. Dan and I had a nice long video chat with his sister Joan.

Dan and I enjoyed a nice ham supper for Christmas Eve and a beautiful turkey supper for Christmas Day. We have officially perfected the art of making turkey stuffing. It was our best ever! In between ham and turkey and Boxing Day quesadillas, we snacked on an abundance of treats including the gourmet chocolates I picked up a few days ago. 🤢 I saved Dan from the Rose Petal one.

That it for today. I hope you all had a nice Christmas with the perfect mix of food and family and peace and goodwill.

Take care and have a great rest of the holidays. 🎄

December 22nd – 3 More Sleeps

December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in A Time To Celebrate - December 2021, Uncategorized

Every day is still a day to celebrate the season! I have gotten a few things accomplished lately and could realistically be ready for Christmas any time now.

We packaged up a few things for son Dan and family. Dan sent it out for three day delivery on Monday and Amanda let me know they got it yesterday. (Way to go Canada Post!)

**I wrapped presents – without a single glass of wine 🍷. Not that I need wine to do anything, but it helps if that anything involves rolls of paper, sharp instruments, and sticky tape**.

I received the last of the Christmas gifts that I had ordered for Dan and the birthday gift that I had ordered for granddaughter Genie. Dan drove me to ‘Chocolate Regina’ to pick up a small box of gourmet chocolates and we stopped by a the recently renovated restaurant at Casino Regina for lunch. The food and the restaurant were both very nice but the rest of the renovations left a lot to be desired in my mind. I am not a fan of clutter and chaos and that seems to be what they were going for.

**Bernard Callebaut chocolates are amazing! Definitely not a treat we buy every day but they are Christmas worthy.**

I have done a bit more cleaning up and decorating around the house. I love this little candle and these placemats that I picked up from The Dollar Store.

I also ran to Walmart to pick up a few last minute things while Dan was at work yesterday. Their Christmas displays are running a bit low but they brightened the place up by adding shelves of Valentine’s chocolates and Easter bunnies. That is not too wierd. Who buys Easter bunnies in December? 🐰

Today I am going to try to get a bit of baking done and wrap the rest of the gifts.

That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!💞

Another Round of Elephants

June 13, 2020June 13, 2020 by annemariedemyen, posted in nature

It has been a bit since I posted photos of my elephants. These are just a few of my random favourites. That is not quite accurate. Every one of my elephants is my favourite.

A ‘Dumbo’ collectors elephant from my daughter. He should be kept in original packaging but then I would not get to thoroughly enjoy him.

Scented Oil Diffuser – A bit off track here but did you know you should avoid certain scents if you have animals? Dogs are adversely affected by eucalyptus. They become lethargic and depressed by it. Strange but true.

Two Elephant Pins & A Ring – I also have an elephant bracelet that I received for speaking at a career day for Genie’s class but it is out for repairs at the moment.

Tea Diffuser Elephant That I Received for Christmas From Son Danny & Amanda

My PrimRose Elephant. She was only two 🤷He stayed on the elephant shelf🤣

These are just a very few of the elephants I have. I have everything from a huge stuffed elephant to outdoor elephants to micro mini elephants. I saved one very special elephant for grandson Rory’s birthday post tomorrow. 😉

Take care and have a great day. 🐘🐘