Sunday the 5th – The kids came over for a belated birthday get together. Not being very original we stuck to the same old, same old – cold roast chicken, sliced ham and a couple of salads. I had already received my gift from Nat on my actual birthday and the kids gave me a gift card to the Future Shop so I could actually pick out the DVD’s I wanted (I have a list the length of  my arm!!). As the kids were getting ready to leave our good friends, Floris and Cecil, called and wanted to drop by in the afternoon and that was great by us. We never get to see them often enough so their visit was really nice.

Monday the 6th – Another quiet day at home. We decided to meander around the Future Shop and I could redeem that gift card. As luck would have it I found a TV series on my list and the first 5 Seasons were on sale for half price – bonus!! Being a no brainer I picked up all 5 seasons and I’m half way there.

Tuesday the 7th – I had an appointment at St. Catharines General for an updated echocardiogram, which went well, and we then headed over to Costco (since we were in town) for some more trout and haddock. We then headed for home with the rest of the day being spent doing the usual crosswords and whatever else we could think of to pass the hours.

Thursday the 9th - (Wednesday the 8th isn’t even worth mentioning!!) It was now time for the annual maintenance check on the Generator and one of Don Miskow’s men came by to give it a clean bill of health. After lunch we then drove to Welland to the Canadian Tire store to check out the Foodsaver vacuum sealing system they might have. Nat is still struggling with the one we now have and after packing up the fish from Costco yesterday, I’m more determined than ever to return to the little original one we had which worked just fine. We were a bit disappointed in what Canadian Tire had and decided to keep looking or else buy the one on Amazon.ca we found. I can always sell the one we have now at the next garage sale I decide to have and maybe get a little return on our investment (this sucker was a bit more expensive than the previous one we had). I’m so close to just going ahead and ordering that one on Amazon.ca without Nat’s knowledge, that I could spit. By the time Nat makes up his mind as to what to do the darn thing will be out-of-stock.

Friday the 10th – After doing the usual week’s house cleaning I decided to sit back in the afternoon and read the flyers that came with the newspapers. Going through them (and as it’s been on my mind for some time without Nat’s knowledge) I was taken aback by a recumbent bike on sale at Canadian Tire for a really, really good price. I struck up a conversation with Nat and asked his advice. He was a bit surprised that I was even thinking about one, as he’s been constantly talking about getting either a treadmill or something similar for himself. I explained how I enjoyed using the recumbent bike in Florida and that I knew I had to do something. I was neither gaining weight nor losing it and I’m now feeling so much better that I think I can maintain a proper routine. This bike in the flyer was small enough for the bedroom and compact enough that the price was right. I could place the bike in front of my bedroom dresser with the little TV and would then be able to do my biking while watching the television to take my mind off the mundane task I was performing. What to my surprise, Nat suggested that we head down to the store and check it out. Once we arrived there wasn’t such a bike on display and along with another customer looking for the same thing, we inquired of one of the clerks who informed us that they had only one left in stock. As we were there first, the other customer was polite enough to let us have it and the store would give him a rain check. Done deal! The bike’s in the bedroom and is working great. Now let’s keep the old fingers crossed and see if I can lose a little of that belly fat I gained after my transplant!!

Saturday the 11th – It was one of those weeks where we really didn’t need any groceries and with the snow now falling gently and accumulating somewhat, we decided to just stay put. After doing laundry in the morning, we decided to assemble the recumbent bike in the afternoon. Not having too many parts, Nat managed to assemble 99% of the bike while I assembled the little computer gadget. I was good to go.

Sunday the 12th - We were that bored in the afternoon we decided to head out in the cold and snow and pick up a few groceries. What the hell, if we got snowed in (which we didn’t) we’d at least have fresh food to eat!!

Monday the 13th – Up and out the door by 9:30 am, we were off to Hamilton for my annual visit at St. Joseph’s Hospital. One of those visits where we sit and wait longer than we actually see the Doc, but it’s a small price to pay and we’ve learned to make a day of it. My check-up was good and after a few laughs with the Doc (wherein the lobby could hear us!) we headed down the road for lunch – as it was now after 12:00 noon. Taking our time on the way home Nat decided to avoid the QEW and go our back route home – meandering along some lesser-travelled roads.

Tuesday the 14th – As usual, the old brain completely forgot what day it was, but dear hubby surprised me with a box of Nigh’s Chocolates – bless his gorgeous heart!!

With no more appointments scheduled now for a long time, I spent the rest of the week getting caught up on my baking – managed to get an Apple Loaf, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies and some bread made. We’ll pick up some more time this next week as it looks like the freezer really is getting empty – oh my!!

The birthday morning was nice. I awoke, took my routine of pills and then opened up the birthday cards I had received earlier. (Nat doesn’t feel you should open your cards until the day of, so I abided by his wishes.) The cards from my sister-in-law, Jenny, and my cousin Wendy, in Britain, were especially appreciated. Nat then greeted me with my gift and card from him. His birthday card this year was spot on – he knows me too well and it’s a bit scary!! He gave me (or intended to) a Magic Trackpad for the Mac, but by accident had picked up the Wireless Keyboard which we already have. Before going to my birthday supper, we headed into Niagara Falls a little earlier and made the exchange. I’m anxious to get it going and see what all the fuss is about.

Around 4:00 pm we then headed into St. Catharines to try out Johnny Rocco’s Italian Restaurant for our dinner (after making the exchange at Future Shop). One of my dearest sisters (Thamazine) gave me a gift card for this restaurant in thanks for wrapping her Christmas parcels and both Nat and I were waiting in anticipation for this day. With each visit to The Keg  for previous birthdays and anniversaries, we passed by the newly built Johnny Rocco’s on Merritt Street, and each time our curiosity had been peaked. We now had no excuse not to give it a try.

We were not disappointed. The old building had been renovated beautifully and Johnny Rocco’s portion was gorgeous. The use of modern and old was extremely well done. The glass surrounding the pizza bar, the hi-tech televisions, the black and white old Italian photos hanging on the stone and brick walls blended nicely with the seating and rest of the decor. The food did not disappoint either. Nat ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and I ordered the lasagna. Once our plates arrived our eyes grew a little larger as we realized we were getting more than our money’s worth. The meatballs alone on Nat’s plate looked like they were On Top of Old Smokie, all covered in sauce … and my lasagna was smothered in gorgeous tomato sauce and towered 4 layers high. Each plate also came with a slice of garlic bread smothered in mozzarella cheese. We soldiered through our meals as best we could but alas neither of us could quite finish the whole meal. There wasn’t going to be any room for dessert. We could live with that, as we always enjoy our cup of tea once we get home and settled into our easy chairs.

We enjoyed the ride home listening to our favourite DJ, Robbie Lane, and tapping our fingers and toes to the oldies he was playing, along with one of our favourite songs, At Last, by Etta James, who had just passed away. The night was complete and the day was great. Hopefully I’ll be back this time next year singing that other golden oldie – When I’m 64.

Being both of the same mind, at times, Nat began to look for some sort of small steam cleaning machine and asked me about the Little Bissel Steam Cleaner on sale in this week’s newspaper flyers. I’ve had my eye on this little machine at times, but finally concluded it wouldn’t serve all of our purposes. We ended up discussing the matter and came to the conclusion that (1) we need to look for a new chair and (2) some sort of small rug steam cleaner was necessary.

With our weeks not exactly being overly booked, we made a list of the furniture stores we knew and liked and decided to hit the trail the next day. Our first trip on Wednesday landed us in Fenwick at Lampman’s Furniture where we had purchased our original sofa and chair. With a good look around we came upon a pretty close match to our wish list – matte green in colour, had to rock and had to recline. I wasn’t exactly in love with the pattern, but the colour was really good and it rocked and it reclined. As it happened, this particular chair was being discontinued and was on sale. Knowing me like he does, Nat pulled me aside and said not to hurry and make a hasty choice. He advised we still had more stores to look at and to take my time or I might be sorry. He was right. I’m always anxious to get things done and have made hasty decisions in the past that I’ve regretted. In my defence, I was a little worried as this chair was being discontinued, it was the only one left, and it might not be there if and when we returned. I knew Nat was right and we advised the sales clerk to at least put a hold on it for 24 hours and we would give them a call once our decision was made.

Thursday morning we decided to check out several more stores in the St. Catharines area – Better Shade, Leon’s, The Brick. We had until that afternoon to call Lampman’s and decided to check out others before doing so. Better Shade had very few rocker-recliners all of which were way too big, too expensive and looked like they belonged in a fancy family room. We then drove over to Leon’s where all kinds of makes and models were on display, but the catch was you had to take what was there. Leon’s wouldn’t order the chair you liked in the fabric you liked. Too bad! I had spotted the perfect chair – contemporary/modern in design, small in scale, rocked and reclined, but in the absolute wrong colour. After discussing our needs with the salesman, he recommended that we also try Wall’s CountryWide, which we had never considered. Deciding to bypass The Brick, we headed straight to Wall’s. We were greeted immediately by a fairly nice salesman, whom I’m thinking was on commission, as he walked us through the entire store trying to entice us to each one he came upon. Some were too big, some were over-stuffed, some were just ugly, but on and on we went. As we decided to leave things for another day the sales man began to walk us out of the store and suddenly he noticed two new models that had just arrived. Voila!!! The lights came on, the bells whistled and my tired body sat in what I soon realized was the one for us. It rocked, it reclined, it was a wall-hugger,  small in scale, could be ordered in the perfect colour and contemporary/modern in design. Without being too anxious I discussed it with Nat and it was a go. We were soon looking at fabric swatches which we could take home and then phone in the proper colour to get the chair ordered. I was pleased the whole process was over. I love looking for furniture but I’m not one to know how it’s going to look once home. I know what I like, but this time we didn’t want a mishmash of furniture in our living room and wanted at least some pieces to look at if they went together. This little chair did exactly that. So now we’ll wait the 5 – 6 weeks before taking delivery. In the meantime I’m not to rock ‘n swivel too often for fear of little dusty grits that may gather beneath me!!

By Friday we had settled back into our quiet routine. After my hair appointment Nat informed me that we had received another call from Canada Revenue regarding our tax-free savings account. We had closed this account two years ago and still someone, somewhere within the halls of the Government of Canada – Tax Department can’t seem to get things right. My birth date had been mis-typed on the application and we had resolved this problem after we closed the account and again last year by informing our bank and calling Canada Revenue. It was only after a few more phone calls that we were informed our bank needed to supply the Government with a certain form in order to correct this whole affair. Why, oh why, did they not tell us that in the beginning???  Hopefully we’ve now straightened out this whole affair and will be done with it.

The weekend has been quiet. The usual groceries and house cleaning on Saturday and a relaxing Sunday of crosswords, baking chocolate chip muffin tops and watching golf on TV, all the while snow was falling, the sun shone now and again, the wind began to howl and the snow began to fall again. Staying indoors made me more than happy.

With the two new book cases now snuggly in their places I’ve been having a great time getting re-organized. The DVD cabinet is looking great and also makes that little alcove look bigger – bonus!! The (wrong coloured) cabinet is now in the office closet (replacing one of those plastic 4-drawer thingies) and is even better than I had hoped. It’s holding so much more that the 4-drawer unit and looks great despite the fact it’s hidden behind louvred doors. I also had to re-arrange one of the two Ikea book cases that Mom gave me for Christmas oh so many, many years ago and which have never left my side. I’ve used them wherever I’ve moved and they’ve survived the test of time. Managing to empty all of the papers, office supplies, tape, envelopes, etc. to that book case, I can dispose of the one filing cabinet and make the office look bigger – another bonus!  Not wanting to spend a lot of money on this project, I still managed to buy a couple of organizers, trays and racks to fill my little heart with glee as I whiled away the hours clearing, sorting and putting things back. It’s a silly thing, but it’s my thing – and I absolutely love doing it. I literally go to bed thinking ahead of time of how and where I’ll put stuff. It’s like Christmas to me!

The last of the cabinetry to be decorated is under the television, but I’ll work away on that as I find a couple of small items that will look good and fit the rest of the decor.

With the bulk of the organizing now complete, Nat and I headed into St. Catharines this afternoon. My regular check-up with Dr. Broksi was good news all around. The blood pressure was up a little bit, but the drive into the City has horrendous. We drove through blinding snow, whiteout conditions and an unplowed QEW. A bit hairy to say the least but we didn’t realize how bad it was going to get until we reached Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. It was slow going and just as well we left a bit earlier than expected, as we arrived just a couple minutes short of my scheduled appointment. With the good news in hand we took a chance and trekked over to WalMart on 4th Avenue to pick up a couple of small items and then back to Niagara Falls to drop off the rest of Lucas’ birthday present. We had ordered movie tickets with free drink and popcorn for two and they arrived today in the mail, so we made the excuse to drop them by his Mom’s on our way home. As the snow was really blowing at this point we dug in our heels and headed for the warmth of our little house, ordering pizza on the way.

Thinking of Bonnie and knowing she doesn’t always get a chance to go to Ikea, I sent her an email, told her our plans and she was in. Off we drove into Burlington on Monday morning with list in hand. We had checked the Ikea catalogue beforehand, did our measurements for height, width and depth and pretty much knew exactly which cabinet we were going for. The three of us strolled along the display rooms chatting away, checking things out and soon came upon the cabinetry section. With our details having been written down we made note of the Aisle and Bin numbers where we could find the same and continued strolling along until we stopped for a drink at the restaurant before proceeding down to the Marketplace. We found what we were looking for after walking through the Marketplace and picking up a couple of extra doodads – my supply of napkins and a drawer organizer. We were then off for lunch at The Gateway in Grimsby and homeward bound. We dropped off Bonnie so she could get back to her designing job and Nat and I continued over to Costco to pick up some fresh trout and haddock while we were in the area.

Tuesday:-  Before we had left for Britain, Nat’s name was called for July duty. After advising of our plans, the Court put Nat’s name over for the January sittings and that Tuesday had now arrived. He was off to Welland in the morning, expecting to be there most of the day, and while away I decided to put together the cabinet we had purchased. Being the organizer that I am, I laid the top, the bottom and sides in their proper order on the floor. Following the instructions, I was able to put together the cabinet with relative ease, taking me a couple of hours (having a bit of a sit down in-between instruction pages!).  Quite proud of myself I pulled the cabinet up, pushed it over to where it was going to go and what to my surprise I noticed a problem!! A problem that I wasn’t too sure was that big a deal, but I’d have to check with Nat. He had called just after noon hour, not being picked, and was able to come home and enjoy the rest of his day. He sat down and told me how things went and the procedures that were followed. It was interesting to listen to, being a retired legal secretary (albeit a corporate one) and we were both glad it was over, at least if and when he was called again. (He’s been lucky enough to have been called twice before!!).

I soon told Nat to check out the cabinet that I had so proudly finished, but discovered that we had chosen the wrong colour, and did it make much difference? The colour we were going for was “Beech” to match the coffee table and TV cabinetry. Apparently we had picked up the “Birch” which looked a little pale next to the other furniture. Taking the rest of the afternoon to get use to the colour and discussing our options, we soon came to the conclusion that it would have to be exchanged. However, we had also purchased the doors that were extra, but a nice touch. Doing more research to make sure we could get the proper colour, I checked online and discovered that Ikea didn’t have “Beech” listed in its colour choices for these cabinets. With more back-and-forth discussions, we soon concluded that we would go for the “Medium-Brown” that would match the CD cabinet, still be able to use the doors and that we would keep the lighter cabinet and use it in the office. We’d still take the doors with us,  just in case we had no luck at all and could, in fact, return them.

Wednesday:-  As usual, we had nothing to do the next day – Wednesday – so back up to Burlington we went. We arrived by 10:00 AM on the dot, trotted through the design centre again and headed straight to where the cabinetry was to get the new Aisle and Bin numbers. We headed down to the warehouse, picked up the new cabinet and we were off and home in time for lunch. Job done! Plus the rest of the day would be spent putting the new cabinet together and our day would be complete!

Thursday:-  This morning woke up and all excited to get all of our DVD’s organized in the new cabinet. Once completed, it looked good and was pleased they all fit and had room for more! Nat had mentioned that after lunch he wanted to re-work the Ikea TV cabinets. He wanted to return the back to the one cabinet in order to make it square and the doors would then be inline. We had originally left one back off in order to put all of the electronics in it – stereo, cable and DVD receivers – and it worked well but was always on Nat’s mind  that one cabinet was not sitting completely square if you moved it, and this was the day to finally put things right. The two cabinets would be switched and the electronic equipment would be put in the other cabinet that had only holes cut out in the back. Confusing story, but we knew what had to be done. Each and every component had to be unhooked, unplugged and taken out, along with the Apple TV and the Wii. Now that I had removed some of the DVDs there was going to be a little more storage space in the second cabinet that could be used for anything extra. As with all things Nat and Twila it didn’t necessarily go as easy as we had hoped. We ended up fussing and mussing about, unhooking, unplugging everything, re-hooking, replugging in everything not once but several times in order to get things straight in our heads. It looked as if nothing had changed. Nat was at least able to put in the back of the one cabinet and it was now sitting square and the doors, once re-hooked, looked perfect. In the end we ended up with one cabinet full of electronic components and the second cabinet now empty – the same as we had started! All for one piece of veneer backing!! This was one of those Frick and Frack days where we at least knew what had been done!!

Friday:-  As of this posting, it’s about 7 hours away and trust me, no Ikea product will get assembled or re-organized. I’m cleaning and hopefully finding some doodads for a now empty cabinet.