My mitts are finished

I finished my mitts at Gord's folks' place last night.

I'm pleased with the way they turned out.

Then I started another pair and finished them just now. Same pattern but with just one colour.

Early Christmas celebration

Gord and I, along with Ken, Gord's son, spent the weekend at Minnie and Keith's, Gord's mom and stepfather. They live about a three hour drive NE of Toronto, north of Belleville. We drove up yesterday afternoon and came back this afternoon.

We celebrated an early Christmas with a big delicious turkey dinner and gifts with Judy, Gord's sister, and Doug, her husband, and Kyle and Kerri, Judy and Doug's son and daughter-in-law.

Minnie and Doug

Minnie, Doug and Judy

Ken

Keith

Kyle

Freckles enjoying her "hour long" bone

that lasted about 15 minutes!

Kerri and Gingham

Gingham and Calico

Keith discovered two kittens on their porch at the end of October and took them in. Minnie has named them Gingham and Calico.

They are about four months old and very cute. Minnie is trying to find a good home for them, though deep down she'd like to keep them.

Gingham

Calico

Because they are kittens, they are into wrecking everything ... plants, etc. So sometimes Minnie has to put them in "jail" for a time-out to settle them down.

They ended up with Snowflake in the same way a couple years ago.

His leg was broken and his face was scratched ... they assumed he had been tossed from a car. His leg didn't set right but it looks like he has found a good home with them.

Gord's Christmas Party

Gord's work Christmas party was tonight at Six Steps.

Again Gord's company hired Kenny MacLean and his band, Rock Through the Ages, to play. Kenny was part of Platinum Blonde, a Canadian new wave band in the 1980s.

Platinum Blonde 1985-1987

Kenny's band carried him (not literally) as he appeared to be hammered ... he only sang a couple songs.

Interestingly, the bass player was our waiter at the Cadillac Lounge on Canada Day.

City Hall - after dark

On our way home, Sister Sarah and I headed back to City Hall to see the lights.

Upfront Bar and Grill, Toronto, ON

Sister Sarah met Gord after work at the Upfront Bar and Grill for supper.

Gord, me and Sarah

Gord, Sarah and I

Sister Sarah skating

Sister Sarah had her heart set on skating at City Hall.

I don't skate. I skated when I was a kid but was pathetic the last time I did six years ago. So I swore never again!

Sister Sarah had a rocky start ... but was looking like a pro by the end!

Swarovski Crystal tree, Eaton Centre, Toronto, ON

Sister Sarah and I were at the Eaton Centre today looking at the decorations.

The Swarovski Crystal tree:

Sarah

me

Honeycomb mittens

So now that I have the hang of making the honeycomb mittens, I picked up some nice wool at Romni yesterday and made a mitten last night. The other one will be finished in the next day or so.

The grey and purple match my jacket nicely!

Honeycomb mittens

I finished my mittens a couple days ago and tucked in the loose ends this afternoon.

KC is stylin'!

Sister Sarah and I did some shopping today.

I bought KC a new sweater and boots (the salt and snow hurt her paws).

Usually KC stops and lifts a paw and we have to give it a wipe before she'll continue. She hates boots but she was leaping around in the snow without stopping. Yay!

The front one fell off just as we got home.

Sister Sarah, Santa and me

Sister Sarah and I saw Santa today and told him what we want for Christmas.

I assured him that I've been a good girl this year! Please don't tell him the difference!

Milestones, Toronto, ON

Sister Sarah and I had lunch today with our aunt, Carol, (she is our mother's half sister) at Milestones.

I hadn't seen Carol since Sister Sarah's wedding five years ago (though we both live in Toronto) so it was good to catch up with her.

Sarah and Carol

Me, Sarah and Carol 

Sarah and Carol

Snow day

Remember how I was whining a couple times this week about all the leaves that had fallen on our steps and terrace? Gord and I swept again yesterday morning.

But it's not a concern anymore!

We got some snow overnight and this is what we woke up to.

Book ~ "Alice Cooper, Golf Monster" - Alice Cooper (2007)

From Amazon.com ~ With his first book, Cooper, the original shock rocker, attempts to combine autobiography and golf manual in one snappy narrative; that both parts are equally half-baked hardly matters, as Cooper's simple, frank account of his 40-plus years in the rock and roll biz is great entertainment. Cooper started playing golf in the early 1980s - as many as 36 holes a day - to fill his post-rehab days and keep him from the destructive spiral of alcoholism. Thus, golf plays a vital role in this memoir; indeed, without golf, Cooper might no longer be alive - and not incidentally, the rock legend has since become one of the best players on the pro-am tournament circuit. Cooper devotes 12 sections to his "steps of golf addiction" ("Be a Good Imitator," "Let the Adreneline Flow," "Play with Those who Inspire You"), interspersed between short chapters that present a Cliff's Notes version of his life. Revelations include the truth behind the infamous 1969 incident in which Cooper threw a live chicken into a rabid Detroit audience, an unexpected backstage encounter with Liberace and Cooper's late-life conversion to Christianity. While there's more here for fans of Alice Cooper's music than his fellow golfing nuts, the man deserves credit for finding a way to tell his life story that's as unconventional as the life itself.

I've always been a fan of Alice's so found this book an interesting and quick read. There is a lot about golf in it but most of it was interesting (I skimmed over the parts where it's really focused on golf). He hung out with some interesting people and it's cool the names he mentions ... Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Janice Joplin, David Cassidy. David Cassidy?! Huh?

Christmas Lights Walk

I hosted a Single Horizons Christmas lights walk around Yorkville tonight.

First we met Mary and Malcolm at the Pilot for some jazz and supper.

Gord, Teena, Sarah, Mary and Malcolm

Richard from Muddy York Tours conducted the walk.

Gord, Malcolm and Jim

Greg, Sarah, Mary, Harvey and Richard (our guide)

Millie and Sylvia

After the walk, we went to the Duke of York.

Richard, Millie and Gord

Teena and Sylvia

Greg, Harvey and Sarah

Jim, Malcolm and Mary

Get connected!

Sister Sarah and I went to a craft show in our 'hood this morning.

The most interesting exhibitor was Jeff from Joy Apparel.

Joy apparel is a socially conscious T-shirt company created to promote peace and equality on a global scale. Opposed to all forms of discrimination, every face found on the website has been inspired by a real person. Upon selecting a face, you then customize your own shirt, choosing from a variety of styles, sizes and colours. When you wear your shirt, you are encouraged to think about that person and how your everyday actions can affect others and the world we live in.

After purchasing a shirt, you may then participate in this global project by submitting a photo of your own visage, which will then be drawn by hand and posted on the website for the rest of the world to wear.

Wearing a Joy T-shirt is about taking an active stance against racism and discrimination. It is about loving your neighbor, because in someway or another we are all connected!

As an example, this is Nik Piepenbreier.
Country: Germany
City: Nordrhein-Westfalen
Age: 18
Passion: Spending time with people I care about.

So go check out Joy Apparel and get connected!