Found it!!

The recharger, that is.

So, without any more ado, I present: The Floor!!





Isn't it bee-yoooooo-tiful?? Please also note the piano featured prominently (albeit somewhat out of focus). That is Grant's birthday present. Now, all he has to do is learn how to play "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and his life will be perfect.

I mailed the smelly prizes the other day. Unfortunately, Canada Post may be standing in the way of my future as a smelly stuff entrepreneur. It was freakin' expensive!! even when shipping to a Canadian address. (But who, you might find yourself thinking, was the Canadian?? We thought all the fabulous winners were good ole 'mercians. Ahhh, it is a mystery, isn't it?) But I hope all of you enjoy your giftie. Please make note of how it arrived and any suggestions you have for future creations.

I will try to blog again tomorrow, but after that, I will be in the San Francisco Bay Area for a week and then off to Tucson for another. I won't return until January 6th and until then, I am unlikely to have access anything other than dial-up. So, to all my loyal readers: Have a very Merry Christmas and a most prosperous New Year!

Sunday catching up

The floor is done. It looks spectacular, but I cannot post any photos because all the camera batteries are dead and I can't find the recharger!! So you will just have to trust me. The dog is not altogether sure about the whole thing; she finds hardwood a bit slippery for her tastes.

We have been reorganizing and rearranging our various tzotchkes. The good thing about doing major work around the house is that you are forced to take everything down. It is significantly easier to decide not to put something back than it is to remove it in the first place. I don't know why this is true, but it is. So, our life is looking less cluttered than before. Well, except maybe for the basement, which is the catch basin for all the old stuff. Still, I have put a lot of things in boxes for future trips to Goodwill. And nearly all the dust is gone.

One of the things I finally put in boxes are the prizes for Annika and Min. I am still waiting on Bradi for her address. I suspect she is leery, because she thinks I might try and steal Rocco from her. Don't worry! If I were to kidnap him, I would have to kidnap you too! Along with your piano. How else are we going to have showtune marathons? Anyway, the candles and bath salts will be shipped tomorrow, so expect them sometime around the New Year.

Now I better go look again for my recharger.

*cough cough*

There is dust covering every inch of my house, my furniture, even my clothes.

Every. Single. Inch.

Luckily, the part of the floor that is finished looks fabulous. And the dog and husband appear to be relatively dust-free.

In a heaval of up

Tomorrow, the guy is coming to start installing our NEW HARDWOOD FLOORS!!!!!!

But, thus, all of our living room and dining room stuff is in the basement, as are we. The dog is convinced we are moving again and has gone into hiding. But hopefully, by this weekend we will have beautiful new floors. This will mean we have satisfied three of our house's wishlist. And next on the list will be the kitchen cabinets (refacing) and the countertops and backsplash. Such a spoiled house.

You may already be a winner

Congratulations to Annika, Mindi and Ms. Bystander for volunteering to smell nice. Hee. Also I have one other lucky person who will be getting a package from me, because she has sent me so much of her stuff. And because she's pretty.

I have decided to listen to the voices of the masses. Well, the voices of four, anyway: Smelly Stuff it is. I created some labels yesterday, but I still have to make a web-friendly logo. I have used the hydrangeas picture I took in Ireland as my background. I think it looks pretty.

Since all of you are members on the WD, please send me your addresses by PM. I know I have at least one but I wanted to make sure everything is up to date! So, thanks for playing!

Want to smell nice?

I need some volunteers. As you know, Grant and I have been making our own scented candles and bath salts. We are feeling confident enough about the results that I am considering opening my own Etsy store to market them, but I want to explore some shipping options to make sure that it will be economically viable.

So, I am looking for three people who would like me to ship them some candles and/or bath salts at no charge. I would appreciate feedback on the products themselves as well as how the shipping worked. I will ship to the first 3 people who respond. Please let me know if you want both products or just one.

Also, I am playing with some name ideas. How does Scentillations sound to you guys? I would like to play on the scent/smell option, but have decided that Smelly Stuff by Allison may not fly. (Smelly stuff is what my husband and I call anything that is scented!) I am looking for any brilliant ideas you might have.

My favourite new video

Bullets: they're not just for assassins

• The pretty snow? Not so much anymore. More like icy and cold and dangerous. My bubble has burst early this year.
  
  
• I bought lovely Clementines at the store. But I seemed to have got some owies underneath my forefinger and thumbnails, most likely from dripping some hot wax while making candles yesterday. So, when I try to peel them---ow, OW, OWWWWW!! No Clementines for now.
  
  
• Speaking of candles, I made several batches yesterday. The new taller jars are not working out so well; the candles have sunk considerably, even after two pours of wax. I am displeased.
  
  
• I am also displeased because I am still not healthy!! It's been two weeks, people!
  
  
• All these "season finales" due to the writers' strike has got me planning my DVD viewing. I have Doctor Who and The West Wing for starters. We have also almost finished the first season of Dexter and have all the eps from this season so far taped on the PVR. I've got Friday Night Lights on the Ziplist queue, too.
  
  
• Which reminds me; if any of my Canadian readers out there want to join a Netflix type DVD rental program, let me know. I can get bonuses for referring you all to Ziplist.
  
  
• Finally, I could really use some brilliant ideas for the husband's birthday and Christmas presents. They are a week apart, which just kills my creativity.
  
  

Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow

You would think after nearly 8 years of living in Canada, snow would not continue to hold such a magical fascination for me. But it still does. This morning, I woke up to a fluffy layer of snow, soft and powdery, covering everything I could see and all I could think was "How pretty!"

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the 40 years I lived there, it snowed exactly twice. Only once was it cold enough for the snow to stick. Luckily, that was the first time, when I was still a kid. I can still remember my schoolyard covered in snow. What a strange memory. Anyway, if you wanted snow, it was simple: you drove up to Tahoe. Up there, the snow drifted into hills one story high. There was skiiing and gambling and gorgeous scenery. I didn't ski. I did gamble, but the very nature of gambling pretty much excludes snow. Unless we are talking about the 80's, then never mind.

So, snow was not much a part of my life until I moved up north. Then, of course, it became a regular event. Not that Southern Ontario gets all that much snow. The people in Montreal sneer at us (and in French, too!) when we complain about our snow fall. They get huge piles of snow, we get little hills. Still, it is 100% more snow than I am used to and it seems marvelous to me every year.

I know that by February, I will be totally done with snow. In February and March, the only thing snow is good for is a snow day--the rest of the time it is just a pain in the ass. But this time of year, when we have only had minor flurries, a true snowfall is just lovely. Of course, I call the flurries "snow". I will come in from outside, or look out the window and say " Look, it's snowing" and the people around me will scoff " That's not snow, that's just a bit of flurry!"

Well, too bad. White stuff falling from the sky = snow in my book. And today it's just perfect.