Time to say goodbye..........

sorry but I am taking a long, long break.

The blog will remain open for people to look at but I will not be checking comments, and with this post, you will not be able to leave a comment.

I have a number of reasons as to why I will not be blogging, one of the ones is that my heart isn't in it anymore.

If you do need to get in touch with me, please feel free to contact Jane and she will forward a message onto me.

One thing I do have to say is a big thank you to people in the blog world for their kindness and support, it's been a blast and I have made many, many friends.

Thanks again everyone,

Gill

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Home of the Week and a cool link

This week's Home of the Week is overall okay, but I DO NOT like the furniture.  Also what is going on in the last photo, is that next door garage as well?  I actually love the wall paper in the powder room, despite not being a huge fan of wall paper.  With the way it is staged though it does not look like a house that is comfortable and lived in, especially on the main level.  Thought it was funny they have a sitting area on both bedroom floors; I guess you could get tired walking up and down all those stairs?

The Cottage of the Week is nice, though only accessible by boat, so I guess that could be a downside?  Love the furnishings, although I guess you could get a bit fed up of all that wood?  My only concerns would be with the plumbing and hydro, as with it being on an island, where does all the waste water go, and do you have back up generators, or is it generator only that gives you hydro?  Not sure I am worrying about all of that, as it's not like I have over $2 million laying around to buy it...LOL

Also have a Condo of the Week this week and if I had the money to buy it; it's on for $1 million and have over $1,000 a month to spend on condo fees I think I would go for this.  Those windows are just stunning; as are the views; plus you're right in the thick of things downtown.  My only gripe is that there is no outdoor space, as it would be neat to sit on your balcony and watch the world go by.  I even love the kitchen and the way it's laid out.

If you want to see a really cool wedding photo, click on this link and see the photo and read the article it's really neat.

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Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble Pie......

Picked some rhubarb from the garden and made a couple of Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble Pie's.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 pound fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
• TOPPING:
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking or rolled oats
• 1/2 cup cold butter

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg. Add the sugar, flour and vanilla; mix well. Gently fold in rhubarb and strawberries. Pour into pastry shell.
2. For topping, combine flour, brown sugar and oats in a small bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.  

I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and didn't include the egg.  Make sure you put some tin foil under the pie dish as it will more than probably run over.

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Bit late in posting this but........

better later than never.


I wasn't surprised to hear that Robin Gibb had passed as he had been ill for a while.  I did want to share with you my favorite song that he sings:







This is my all time favourite Bee Gees song:







I was reading somewhere that their mother is still alive.  It must be so hard for her burying three of her sons. No parent should have to bury a child in my opinion.


Do you like the Bee Gee's and do you have a favourite song of theirs?

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What we were up too on the Long Weekend.........

First let me say the weather was too hot for me.  I know am I ever happy with the weather........not really.  Temperatures in the 30's oC do not suit me, and as I am a stubborn old thing, who thinks that as its only May why would we put the a/c on this soon, we suffered in the heat.


Saturday morning, ds arrived for a couple of hours and along with dh dug over some more of the veggie patch.  By lunch time it was too flipping hot for us, so we went to Home Hardware in Shelburne as they were having their yard sale.  Picked up a couple of things, then decided to go to our friends and dig up three more saplings.  They are huge one being at least 12 feet high, we immediately put them in a garbage bin of water to make them less stressed.


Sunday morning I planted the trees and have to say they still look very stressed, so fingers crossed they take.  Again by lunch time the heat was just too much for us.  We then decided to go out and buy some more weedkiller for the driveway as I think we have found one that actually works.  It's Scotts Path Clear.

We bought the 1 litre concentrate and use our own applicator to apply it.

Monday morning had us out in the garden by 7:30 a.m. in the hopes of beating the heat. Dh managed to rototiller the part of the veggie garden we had weeded, and I got four rows of potatoes put in, and some other veggies.  I also got a couple of raised beds finished off and planted.  One has garlic it in and the other has strawberries in it.

At lunch time dd arrived and we had pulled pork sandwiches and she brought over baked beans, I must get the recipe from her, as it was good.  We went out to Home Hardware again as they had some under layment on sale for laminate flooring in the basement.  It should have been $50 a roll, we paid $25 a roll, can't beat that.  We don't have any intention of doing the floor until the Fall, but it was too good a deal to pass by.

We also did a number of other things over the weekend, but those were the main jobs.

It's just a shame it was so hot over the weekend, as we could have got a lot more done.  Thankfully it's a lot cooler today, so I am having a day in the house to try and catch up as you can write your name in the dust around here!!!!

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"Submerged," by Dani Pettrey

"Submerged," by Dani Pettrey

Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey, Alaska, again. She has a past, and a reputation--and Yancey's a town that doesn't forget. She's returned only to bury a loved one killed in the plane crash, but then dark evidence emerges and Bailey's own expertise becomes invaluable for the case.

Cole McKenna can face dangerous rescue dives. He can face the fear a murderer may be threatening his town. But facing the reality of Bailey's reappearance is a tougher challenge. She broke his heart... but doesn't seem to be the same girl who left Yancey ten years ago. And he's not the same guy she left behind.

Racing against the clock and a rising body count, Bailey and Cole must move beyond the hurts of their pasts to work together until the truth of what is hidden in the depths finally surfaces.

Never read a book by this author, but after this one I'll be looking out for her books, and can't wait for the second book in her "Alaskan Courage" series.

This book had the right amount of mystery and suspense; the right amount of romance and the right amount of faith in it's pages.  The lead character's Cole and Bailey  were perfect, and the book introduces you many more characters, that I hope will feature in her up coming books.

I enjoyed the Russian History aspect of the book, and that it was set in Alaska, a place I would love to visit.  One of my biggest gripes with books is the way they end; I had no problem how this book ended, it all made sense and it left you wanting more.

Stars out of 5 : 5 and a very solid 5 at that.  I was hooked from the beginning and needed to know what was going to happen next.  A really, really good book, very well worth while reading in my opinion.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from  Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

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Good Sunday morning........

So we have gone from miserable cold weather to stinking hot weather.  I swear there is no in between over here.  As I say every year Spring is gone in a blink of an eye, so we end up thinking we had no spring.

Spent Saturday morning in the garden, by lunch time it was too flipping hot out there, so we ran some errands and picked up three more saplings at our friends house, so guess what I am going to be doing this morning!!!!  Lets just pray and hope my back holds out, as its sore this morning.  Dh is going to dig over more of the veggie garden.  However I am guessing by lunch time it'll be too hot again as we are expecting temperatures up to 30 oC today with the humidity...............oh yes, the dreaded "H" word is appearing again, HUMIDITY!!!  Heat I can tolerate, Humidity though just wears you down.

Finally input my grocery totals for the week and I spent a total of $54.96 with coupon savings of $12.40 this week.  So I have $51.05 left for the month, as my monthly totals are $248.95 spent and a HUGE $338.78 in savings.

I cashed in my air miles this week so have $40 in Metro gift certificates.  There are some odd cleaning things I need, like carpet cleaner which is a one off, so I may use the certificates for that.  Regardless I am super pleased with how this month has gone grocery wise.

Have you stayed on budget with your grocery bill this month?  Do you have a monthly budget for your groceries?

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