It's a small World After All!

It was late Friday afternoon, about 20 minutes before it was time to finish work for the day.  I had spent the better part of the past two weeks balancing accounts in four companies for the 20 some specialists I work for.  There were three accounts that were giving me fits for about three days running, and finally I was able to balance them and so complete the year-end balancing portion of  the year end procedures.

I cleaned off my desk and organized the piles of papers on my desk so I could start again the following Monday morning.  My brain was mush - but there was still a few minutes left so I logged on to Kijji to see what, if anything was new in the doll section.

I hadn't been there in a couple of months - and there were a few new dolls, but none that called to me overmuch.  I was just about to log off and head home when I spotted this...

Wow! A co-worker and myself had just been talking about tin doll houses a couple of weeks ago.  I did not have one of these as a child, but she had, and she wanted to find one again.  I forwarded the add to my co-worker and went home.

The next day being Saturday I decided to check out the local thrift store (I had not been there since before Christmas and I was in need of some books to read).  My husband was anxious to head to Future shop to buy me a case for my new Samsung tablet, which he informed me would be my Valentine's Day gift - which was fine with me.  But since he mentioned Valentine's Day, I decided to show him the Kijji add  - well  - just because!

Off we went in -30's temps, I was dropped off at ValueVillage, and hubby and son went on to Future Shop.

I happily did the store in leisure, nick-knacks isle first, followed by books (I got one) and then the toy section.  I was not really looking for a doll but there was a fairly sizable pile of naked bodies, and one particularly large pair of feet could be seen smack dab in the middle.  I walked away!

Yeah right!

I pulled on the big feet and out came a large 1950's Dee & Cee Boy Doll!  He was filthy dirty and had a bit of a wonky left eye - but otherwise in perfect shape.  I tucked him under my arm and headed to the cash register!  Here he is all clean and fixed up, wearing a hand knit baseball suit and Jon's first ever sneakers and a "Little Slugger" cap Jon wore as a toddler.    This big guy know lives in the "Man Cave " downstairs where all the baseball stuff seems to be popping up!

Back to last Saturday:
The guys picked me up from the thrift store and announced we were going for lunch.  I asked to see the case for the Samsung, and hubby told me he had changed his mind.  He thought perhaps I would rather have a doll house for Valentine's Day than a tablet case.  

Off to lunch we went and then we headed to Brian's Antique shop to look at the doll house.  By now you might have guessed that doll house is mine... but there is more.  Jonathan was in a mood to shop.  He loves anything Batman and already has a nice collection of stuff (wonder where he gets that from).  He found a couple of things at Brian's and then suggested we go to Thrifty's Flea market just down the road for more.

Thrifty's is a car collector's dream.  Sad to say no dolls, but I wandered around anyway and saw more than a few things that I already have in my house.  When I finally found my guys again hubby was smiling from ear to ear.  In his hand was a brand new still in the box case for a Samsung tablet -  $40 cheaper than he would have paid at Future Shop.  My Valentine's Day gift after all... or not!

Any way you look at it - It was my day.  A Doll, A doll house and a tablet case... 

Of course I could have held out for diamonds, flowers or chocolates, but then again, Valentine's day is still a couple of weeks away!

Have a great weekend everyone!

SUPER HERO'S

I was going to continue with my Kijji story today, but something much more important happened yesterday, and I really need to write about it today.

Yesterday we learned that our niece's child has been diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma.  This is rare and dangerous form of cancer and the news that young Sean has it has made everyone who knows him and his family heart-sick.

It is bad enough when cancer strikes us as adults, but it seems so cruel and wrong when it happens to a child.  Human nature is to ask why.  Of course we ask that question, everyone does, but truthfully there is no answer for that question, so we have to leave it behind forever, and instead ask... What can I do?

At this moment in time, there is very little for us to do.  The physicians, surgeons, oncologists are the only ones who can physically do something right now - the rest of us can think positive thoughts, give hugs, give encouragement, give love, and best of all ... pray.  Perhaps down the road there will be more we can do - but right now, we can only assist in the unseen part of Sean's treatment.  This we can do, for Sean, and his parents and family.

And we can be happy - because happiness promotes positive outcomes.  Doom and gloom have no place in cancer  treatment - I know this for a fact, but if you don't believe me go and visit a chemo floor in a cancer center.  You won't see tears there.   What you will see is smiles, and love, and more smiles and love. Sean will need our smiles, our happy thoughts, our goofy moments much more than he will need our tears.

Please keep Sean and his family in your thoughts as you go about your day today, and tomorrow, and the days after that...

And Sean - You are my new HERO!

We'll try this again!

Good thing I didn't specify which Monday I would be back - and here it is Tuesday!  Seems to be how my life goes, these days... full of great intentions that never get off the ground!

So happy Tuesday everyone - we are almost at the end of another month - but sadly winter just keeps on howling around these parts.  We have been the unhappy recipients of almost two solid months of extreme cold weather.  We have a day warm up every couple of weeks and then right back down into the frigid temps we go again.  For instance yesterday morning it was -31 with the windchill -45.  Today not much different -32 and -43 with the windchill.  Very hard to get motivated to get out of bed in the morning and get off to work... but we do.  Nothing closes here for the cold weather - kids trudge off to school, parents trudge off to work, retirees trudge off to Tim Horton's for their morning coffee and visit... You have to be sick in bed with the flu to escape it...

And that's where I have been for part of my time away since the New Year started.  I've been fighting the same virus for about 3 weeks now.  No matter what I do, or what I take I just can't seem to shake it.  I missed some time off work, which was not great because it is our yea-end, which is always a panic and a stressful time at work, but we are getting through it slowly and hope to be done soon.

January has been an odd month for me.  I have been feeling somewhat blah about so many things - maybe because I have been sick, maybe because work has been stressful - but the blahs have hit hard and lasted much longer than what is normal for me.  I seemed to loose interest in everything I have been doing.  Didn't care about the dolls, or quilting, or crocheting, or house cleaning, or cooking or baking or even music.  A pretty complete BLAH - if you ask me.

And then I was happened to go on Kijji for just a moment last Friday....


To be continued...

Happy New Year!

I really can't believe it's been three months since I posted here on my blog.  I was going to take a little "rest"  - and I did - of sorts.

I hope everyone has stayed healthy and I hope we have all survived the Christmas and New Years Season with renewed energy, positive thoughts and love all around us.  The older I get the more convinced I become that those are the keys to having a happy and fulfilled life.  Energy, positive thoughts, and knowing you are loved and loving others.  Pretty basic stuff - but perhaps the most important of all.

The only other thing we need in our lives is Faith.  If we don't have Faith in something well I do believe we are truly and totally lost.  Sometimes you have to believe in something that you cannot touch, or see... just because we cannot see it or touch it, does not mean it does not exist.  In our world of spiraling technology where we see so much and do so much at random we often forget to feel or believe or have Faith in something...  That something is up to you - it's an individual thing - but it is so important to a happy life.

So now we get a fresh start to a New Year.  I have heard so many people say that 2014 is going to be the best year for them - talk about a leap of Faith - it's wonderful!  That is the perfect way to start off the New Year.

I think I would like to jump on that wagon and shout the same thing.  2014 is going to be a Great Year!

So with that thought in mind - I wish you all a great weekend... I'm back - talk to you on Monday!