Crokinole....or Crouch as they say

While at my parents' place this weekend, my niece Kaelyn was visiting. I found her conversation to be so amusing I wanted to post about it. She is five and it the most hilarious kid I know!

My curiosity was peeked when she asked Grandpa if they could play "crouch". Dad just looked at her, puzzled. She said it again and he looked to me for help. Something clicked and I said "do you mean crokinole?" "Yeah! That's what I mean!"

So, we got the card table set up and the crokinole board out. Kaelyn & Dad were partners and Mom & I were a team. My dad is a crack player, so Kaelyn was happy to have such a good teammate. I was rather impressed with her knowledge of the game.

When she saw that the "white" team (her and Dad) were consistently winning, her comment was "Grandpa is the best player in the house and you guys are kinda suckin'."  Imagine this coming from a five year old. Hilarious!! At one point, Mom missed a shot and Kaelyn let her know that it was ok as long as she was trying her best. There was lots of encouragement from her...nice try, good try, etc. Then she informed us that she had to "concentrate" while making her shot. :) After missing her target, Dad couldn't help but ask "were you not concentrating?" Her response: "Oh, I accidentally forgot to concentrate that time." She was totally cracking me up!

At one point we were talking about the "kids" (grandkids) having a sleepover at Grammie's house. I asked if I could come and she agreed that I could because I'm an adult-kid which is kinda like a kid.

On the way home we were discussing Aunt Peggy and how she had to be in the hospital because she had fallen and broken her hip. Then she informed my mom that she was glad that she was a nurse because she could tell people what was wrong with them and they didn't have to go to the doctor. UNLESS Mom needed surgery because she can't operate on herself. Then she'd have to go to a doctor.

Hahaha....I enjoyed my time with the munchkin as she kept me laughing most of the time!!

Full Time Student!

Today I stepped into the unknown. I officially applied to be a full time student in September. For several months, I've been considering going back to school for Corporate Communications and Public Relations. The last few years have been really uncertain in my industry and I've been saying I need a Plan B. After lots and lots of ideas, but not a lot of follow through...this program came along. It was actually my friend & coworker Scrappy that suggested it to me. We perused the courses, job prospects, etc. and decided it was a great match with my skills and experience.

Last week I started 2 online classes at Fanshawe. With the expectation to go to school full time AND work full time in September, I'm trying to lighten the full time load by taking some classes now. Hopefully it all works out :)

In the meantime, I've got my Kermit messenger bag & notebooks all set. I was even offered a student discount at Moksha Yoga!

Standing on Guard, For Thee

As promised in an earlier post, this is the tale of standing on guard for my dear Grammie.

Several years ago, my sister Connie turned the big 3-oh. At the time, it was a big deal, as I saw that as being old. Well, now that I've passed that benchmark myself, it's not such a big deal anymore! ha ha. Anyway, her husband Steve threw her a party at "My Mother's House" in Sarnia. This was an old home that had been converted into a restaurant. It was a nice atmosphere and very fitting for Connie.

At one point in the evening, I was talking to my Grammie and said I needed to go to the washroom. She needed to go too, so we set out to find out where it was. Turns out, it was near the kitchen. However, being an old home...there was no lock, or it didn't work, or something. Anyway, I asked Grammie to watch the door while I went. She agreed and all went well. Then it was her turn. As she entered I said "I'll stand on guard for thee". We both had a chuckle. Soon after, someone came along and I started chatting. Losing all sense of responsibility, I forgot about my poor Grammie who was vulnerably doing her thing behind that unlocked door. I think we all know what happened next. Someone walked in on Grammie on the can. Yikes!! What was I thinking??? I felt so bad.



So bad, in fact, that I felt the need to create a special card for the occasion and send it off in the mail. To this day (some 8 years later) Grammie still has that card in her china cabinet. During a recent visit, we recalled this humorous tale. A few weeks later, we went to the Nutcracker Ballet. We stood for the national anthem and when it came to the line "we stand on guard for thee" we looked at each other and had a discreet little laugh.

Connie's of Petrolia

Today I had lunch at Connie's of Petrolia. www.connies.ca Might not sound that exciting, given that Connie is my sister and she lives in Petrolia. But I didn't have lunch at Connie's house...I had lunch at the brand new tearoom she opened today! She has been planning the launch for a few months and today was the big day.

As we pulled up, I could tell Petrolia was already a-buzz. Several people were gathered outside the window, looking in. (I later discovered they were perusing a menu that was posted in the window) Jo-Anne & I entered and were greeted by Steve. He had taken the day off for the big event. Mom had reserved us a table at the front. A prime spot for people watching :)



The morning started with a birthday party reservation for 8 ...and they just kept coming! It was fun to watch the comings and goings, the well-wishers and the curious. I had an egg salad sandwich and a fabulous piece of white chocolate, raspberry cheesecake.

I'm sure Connie is glad today is Friday and she has the weekend to recooperate. If you're in Petrolia, check it out on the Main Street.

Photo of the Day Project (December)

This is my final month of the Photo of the Day project. It's been fun to see my many "looks" throughout the year. I'm still trying to decide what to do with all the photos. I would like to make a mosaic but trying to settle on what the overall image should be. When I do, I will post it here.

Happy New Year!