12 Cups of Joy - Grove Place Market : Advent Calendar Review

I was not looking for another Christmas countdown or Advent calendar.  I'd sworn I had all I was going to get.  

Then we popped in to Peavey Mart and I found myself drawn to the festive packaging of the Grove Place Market 12 Cups of Joy coffee assortment.  It was only $18.99 CAD after all.  What could it hurt?

The cashier told me there was also supposed to be a hot chocolate one but it hadn't arrived in stock yet.

Two years ago I'd gotten a similar package from Ecs Coffee and really enjoyed it.  That calendar had a variety of presweetened flavours.  That's where this assortment box really differed.  I really appreciated that these coffees were flavoured but brewed up black.  That allowed me to add sweetener or milk to my liking.  

This box was 12 days of coffee as it says 12 cups of joy.  There weren't windows to open so I had to pull the tray out of the box every day to access the cups.  The Keurig cups weren't numbered so you could just pick and choose.  I'm an orderly person and worked my way from left to right.

There was a very nice assortment of flavours ranging from the obvious minty type ones to unique flavours with coconut or chestnuts.  I found them all nicely balanced...not too strong or weak. If I chose to add milk or sugar some of them could be classed as a dessert coffee.

If you wanted this as your eye opener bold wake up coffee then this wasn't it.

Over all, I did enjoy having a morning cup of coffee with a festive flavour.  While I enjoy tea the rest of the day, there's nothing like a great cup of coffee in the morning to get going especially during the winter months. 

Unfortunately, I didn't make note of the company that produced or distributed this cool little box of java and googling didn't produce great results either.  There's no way of knowing if I or anyone else could find an assortment box like this again next year or ever again.

I do know that sometimes boxes like this aren't flavourful and seem rather cheap but this was none of that.  If I came across it again, I'd certainly purchase it and I'd also consider giving it to someone on my Christmas list who enjoys Keurig style coffees.

Walkers Scottish Shortbread : Advent Calendar Review

My husband is not one for sweets or so he says.  He does love a great shortbread cookie though.  So when I saw an advertisement for the Walkers Shortbread Advent Calendar on the Tea at the White House social media, I knew I had to get this for him.

It had already sold out once.  I signed up for the email to be notified when they'd be in stock again and promptly ordered when they were.  The cost was $40 CAD and I did order a few other bits and bobs since they are a tea company after all!  I was told by friends and acquaintances that this calendar was available at local retailers for less money.

Walkers Shortbread is a Scottish company founded in 1898.  It began as a village bakery.  They boast a traditional proven recipe, the highest of quality of ingredients and some Scottish flair.  Their products are sold world wide and they ship world wide as well.  They also make other festive treats such as mince pies, cakes, Christmas pudding and gluten free items.  If you visit their website I encourage you to check out their recipe page!

The Advent Calendar itself was a stiff cardboard in the trademark Walkers red plaid with a very pretty snowflake pattern.  The inside was a white background with perforated doors to open for each day with little scenes of Walkers history.  There was 24 days of windows to open.  Each cookie was individually wrapped.  There was a variety of 6 shapes of cookies so there were several repeats but if you are a Cookie Monster that won't bother you at all.  According to the back of the box, there were different ingredients, although they seemed mostly the same.  How different can shortbread cookies be? 

There was as follows:

All Butter Shortbread Star

Chocolate Chip Butter Round

All Butter Thistle Round

All Butter Finger

All Butter Heart

Salted Caramel All Butter Square

There really wasn't a bad cookie and Hubby had his mostly as his afternoon snack with a cup of tea.  He made note of the Thistle Round and Salted Caramel flavours which makes me believe he enjoyed those slightly more than the rest.  It appeared to me as though the chocolate chips in the chocolate chip cookie were very small and didn't offer much in the way of flavour or sweetness.

When you narrow it down $40 is a lot to spend on a box of 24 cookies but if you have a shortbread lover in need of a gift then I'd recommend this cookie advent calendar.  Otherwise, purchasing a box of your favourite cookies from the grocery store might be more adequate especially if you lack the will power to open just one window a day on the lead up to Christmas.

Christmas Vacation - Jelly of the Month : Advent Calendar Review

I don't know about you, but one of my favourite all time Christmas movies is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  So when I randomly saw this advent calendar pop up on my Facebook feed I knew I had to look into it.  

The post said it was at Canadian Tire.  Canadian Tire is a store that sells lot's of hardware, plumping, automotive things but also kitchen and holiday items.  They also own other franchises such as Mark's, Party City and Sport Chek.

I quickly perused their online store and found that indeed this advent calendar was available and it showed they were in stock at the location near my home.  So off I went...

I found it in what we have coined "impulse alley".  That's the part near the cashiers where all the bits and bobs are found that you just * have * to pick up.  There were some other advent calendars too which looked neat and affordable but the Jelly of the Month club was what I'd come for.  I purchased two.  One for my husband and one to give to my parents.  They were priced at $24.99 CAD.

The calendar was a 12 day box plus a jelly spreader which I thought was a very nice addition.  There was nothing on the box indicating what brand of jelly or jam was inside and I kind of assumed it would be a no name type of variety.  You can imagine our surprise when the first day was opened and we found Bonne Maman jelly in dainty packets!  

There were repeats as the packaging does give away the spoilers.  It contained 3 strawberry, 4 raspberry, 3 apricot and 2 fig.  Each packet was glued in place by a glue dot which made it easy to remove from each window.  One had to open the entire box to remove the spreader.  The spreader itself was generic but totally useful and will find its place in the cutlery drawer.

The entire calendar box itself was a little flimsy but held up through the month of December which we didn't start opening until the 13th so that each day had a sample.  I enjoyed the following located on the back of the box "Who needs a swimming pool when you can have a jelly of the month club set? Count down to the impending holiday season with this hilarious and delicious jelly-filled treat, inspired by the beloved classic movie!  A dozen individual packets of jelly and a handy spreader knife make this a gift that keeps giving for 12 whole days.  Even better than a holiday bonus if you ask us."

Indeed!

I have no idea if this was curated just for this year or if it could ever be found again but I would recommend it if you love Bonne Maman jam and don't want the Bonne Maman calendar.  On the box it says designed and distributed by www.thoughtfully.com aka The Modern Gourmet.

What was my over all impression?

It was a beaut, Clark.

Bird & Blend Tea : Advent Calendar Revew

I don’t think it’s a secret that I whole heartedly love the Bird & Blend brand. 

I love their flavours. I love their commitment to making reusable or recyclable packaging. I love how they market for everyone from the newbie to the experienced tea lover. 

What I don’t love is how they are located on another continent. 

Last fall I began seeing their marketing on Instagram and Facebook about their Halloween countdown but then they starting promoting their Christmas advent boxes and I KNEW I had to order. I got both the Halloween countdown and their special Tea Lovers Advent. 

The shipping was very fast through DHL. The original price of the Christmas advent was $49 USD plus conversion to CAD plus duty and import fees. 😵‍💫 Yikes, I started thinking maybe I shouldn’t have done that. But I did, and there was no turning back and as soon as I’d received them I knew I treated myself well. 

The Halloween countdown was GLORIOUS and if you’d like a review of that on its own let me know. 

What I always feel is important that with a lot of European brands they curate in smaller amounts than what we’ve come to expect in North America.  For instance, one B&B tea bag makes 6-8 ounces of tea so if you use a large mug which is often the case in my house you need at least two tea bags for one cup and then you have to prepare yourself that it still may not be as strong as you are accustomed. There were 2 teabags behind every door of the 24 day Christmas advent calendar. Sometimes I used both and sometimes I only used one, depending on the cup I was using. So…the cup makes all the difference!

It’s a dream to visit the UK so it was very special that the Tea Lovers version of their calendar included blends that are curated especially for their different Bird & Blend locations and what their best sellers are. At first it seemed weird to have a tea from the seaside in something Christmas themed but I soon appreciated it because these boxes are so carefully curated with everything in mind so the holiday flavours soon followed. My favourite may have been the Christmas Cake or Mince Pie flavours.  I don’t know how they do that but they taste EXACTLY like the real thing. 

There was a terrific balance between caffeine and decaf tea blends. That made it easy to decide when or how I was going to drink each day. There were instructions on the box for making regular tea or lattes or whatever they recommended. Each tea tag had clear details of whether it had caffeine and if you should use milk or not and even if it should be enjoyed hot or cold! 

Bird and Blend just does it right. They had a digital advent option for each calendar which took you to a special page which had details on each tea, the ingredients and tips on how it’s best enjoyed. They also had a downloadable tea tasting journal! I admit that I tried to keep up with it but I just lost track…

Would I buy this again? OHMYGOD YES! Sadly, due to the cost of shipping it’s not likely it’s going to be soon though. I’m glad I purchased it and fully enjoyed it. Yes I’d recommend it to everyone but beware there could be extra fees depending on where you live…

…but maybe you live right there and can enjoy Bird & Blend whenever your heart desires. 

Lucky you!

I hugged it…I seriously did!

The Body Shop 2023 : Advent Calendar Review

In 2022 I'd bought the larger version of this advent calendar and loved it.  I used all the products and went back to buy more.  So in late September, when their social media started advertising The Body Shop Christmas countdowns I rushed to get one.

You can read about last years advent here LINK

I had problems purchasing the 2023 Advent calendar when I went to the store.    They had them and I was shown them when I asked however the manager said they weren't allowed to sell them yet.  I expressed how I'd seen it on their Instagram page and he agreed to let me have it.

I purchased the smaller of the three Advent calendars as I found the prices were more than the previous year.  I used my in store loyalty coupons to reduce the price to $95.  This year there were 3 versions to choose from.  I chose the smallest.  Last year's was medium and priced at $99.

There it sat while I anticipated December first.

The packaging is not as nice in the smaller box as the other boxes or the previous box.  The 3D figures inside do not stand up when you open the box.  They are supposed to stand up to present a Christmas diorama but they don't unless you fiddle with it.  That makes it a hard box to display.  Each item inside the box is in its own numbered box.  Each of those had details as to how the ingredients were ethically sourced.  While that's something to think about it's also not necessarily something you need on items themed to Christmas.

The entire box can be reused or recycled.  I recycled each individual box as I don't have a use for little boxes nor a place to keep them until I'd need to reuse them.  At this time, I'm unsure if I will keep the large box or not.  it's currently housing the excess items.  I did keep the 2022 version and use it to store my make up and other beauty items.

I don't find the design or pattern of the box to be particularly festive and neither were the contents.  This entire box was blue, does have a Christmas pattern and themed diorama inside and even though blue is my favourite colour, it doesn't exactly scream Christmas, especially when closed.  This was a flaw I found in the previous calendar as well.  The Body Shop does have "festive" scents but it seems they only have them in store closer to Christmas and they don't use them in the calendars.  Instead, it seems, the calendars are a mixture of what might assume to be their popular products or items they'd like to influence us to buy.

How dirty do they think I am?

If you followed along on my Instagram or Facebook page you'll know that there were several repeats of certain products.  This alone has made me determine to not purchase this again.  There are 6 shower gel/creams, 4 hand cream/balms, and 2 bars of soap.  I don't know about others but that's a lot.  There was only 1 lip product.  I also found there was zero in the form of a facial moisturizer while there was tea tree cleanser and toner there was nothing for the follow up routine.  Was this a marketing ploy?  So I'd have to purchase the remainder if I liked it?  Who knows.  

Another inclusion in this box was what I'd call a shower buff.  The fabric is not very soft and it's quite small.  I don't think it would be easy to use and I'm not even sure if I'd call it a travel item.  I'd say this was the worst item in the box.

My favourite item in this 24 day countdown was a hair clip.  The other favourite items were the Shea shampoo and conditioner as well as the Tea Tree toner and cleanser.

This calendar retails at $95+ CAD but the website touted it was worth far more.  That's approximately $3.95 a product for the 24 day advent calendar.

As stated above, I won't purchase this again. I will use the items but, yes, I am disappointed. I would recommend the larger box but again beware of the repeat products and don't expect fun festive scents because they aren't in there.

Did you get the Body Shop Advent Calendar?  What did you think of it?  Do you have any recommendations of other beauty calendars to try?  I'd like to hear what they are to plan for next year!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Bites Recipe

Are you like me and the Christmas treats and snacks are down to the last couple in the cookie jar? Maybe you’ve decided to do away with them because you’ve got to fit in to “real” pants to go to work tomorrow. 

You probably wouldn’t be impressed if I said Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it (it was * just * December the other day after all). This is a recipe I originally found on King Arthur’s Baking LINK but have changed and adapted it for my own liking. 

For Christmas I found peppermint candy cane topped chocolate wafers at Bulk Barn.  They were easily cut in half to fit on the tops of these small one bite cookies.  For a winter treat, a mini marshmallow would work in the middle as would a cinnamon heart for Valentines Day or a Hershey’s kiss, but not the full size, I’d choose the baking ones instead. Or just leave the topping off all together. 

I used Tim Horton’s products and even these could be played around with. After I’d made these they released their Candy Cane Hot Chocolate for the season. Starbucks had a Hot Chocolate mix out as well but I find their products pricier.  So you see, you can almost do as you like. 

The decaf coffee lends an interesting note but isn’t prominent. I used decaf because who wants to have their sleep interrupted because of too much caffeine? Maybe only Santa!

I really enjoyed these cookies with evening tea and now that the dull January days have started you just might enjoy them too. 

 

You Can Change Any Time You Want

There’s a lot of pressure at this time of year to make sweeping and drastic changes to your life because of the ringing in of the new year. 

I’m here to tell you that not only do you not need to do that but also that you can change any time you want to. Just because a New Year is approaching doesn't mean you have to have everything suddenly figured out or accomplish everything on your to-do list for 2023.  

You don’t need to do it January 1st 2024 either. You can do it today. You can do it Jan 15 or July 15 for that matter. 

Here's something else that might blow your mind.  If you do decide to start, you can re-start too.

And you can do that as many times as you want or need.

You can make and re-make the to-do list.  We change and our priorities change and it can all happen in a split second.

In a blog post I wrote last year, called Diet is NOT a Christmas Word, I talked about letting go of diet hang ups and enjoying all the season has to offer, within reason of course.  I'm not going to preach about healthy eating habits or joining gyms instead I think these words sum it up well.  "It's all right letting yourself go as long as you can let yourself back."  Mick Jagger said that.  I have no idea what it's in reference to but I'm fine not knowing because it serves me well just thinking about it.  I even have it as a quote in the sidebar of this blog page.

You have to give yourself permission to let yourself back.

We've all indulged over the holiday.  Sugar cookies, fudge, extra handfuls of M&M's while baking etc etc.....  I made the personal choice to just not worry over the holidays.  Do I want to be the miserable one wishing I could have the Nanaimo bar?  No.  However, just like I made that decision to not worry, I've also given myself the timeline to stop too.  Because in the same way that I don't want to be unhappy by having to decline Christmas goodies, I also don't want the feeling of how snug my pants feel.  The day I'm stopping?  That's the day my Christmas vacation is over and I go back to work.

We know that memories and food are tied together.  I remember one Christmas Eve we had a large family meal at my In-Laws and then went to the Christmas Eve church service.  We were so full!  We had to stand and sing and I recall looking over to my Father in Law because he too was struggling to sing and breath just like I was!  We decided to not do that again - the service not the food. Ha!

I also recall another Christmas where I had gotten pants as a gift and they didn't fit.  I went to the store in January and the size bigger didn't fit either.  Nor did the size bigger than that.  I felt so awful.  I was also unaware of how retailers are sneaky with their sizing.  Since then and working a stint in women's clothing retail I've realized the letters and numbers on the tag don't really mean a lot from store to store or within the same building!

Another friend, no not Mick Jagger, but Denny said to me many times ago, but I paraphrase... Christmas is 1 day out of 365 and not 365 itself.

Trying is the important part.  Will it be easy to have one snack instead of two?  Stop having the cream in my coffee or tea? Making sure I eat a fruit and a vegetable everyday?  You better believe I'm going to try though and try and try again.

In the autumn of 2020 I made the choice to try and be healthier.  T R Y.  I've made a lot of lifestyle changes since then which I'm very pleased with.  Times change and our bodies change and I am deciding to once again make health a priority.  I know that I have to exercise for my mental health as well as bodily health.  I know I need to keep track of my sugar, fat and fibre intake.  These are the things that have gotten me to 2023.

You can bet that I will restart many times.  It's fine if you do too. Starting or re-starting doesn't mean you've failed.  It means that you care enough to keep going.  Remember, failure is how the diet industry wants to make you feel and it's how they make money.  Words like "on track" or

"cheating" are words that fit into that category too.  Don't let them have power over your feelings.  Give yourself the power instead.

Fuel your body and mind. Nourish your soul. Make memories.  

Here's to all of us in 2024 and the changes we want to make or don't want to make.  We are all pretty amazing the way we are but I know, for my own self, that I can be an even better version and that's what I want to strive to be.

Don’t Buy Me Anything

My husband and I agreed to not exchange gifts this year.  It's one of the best decisions we've ever made.  It took the stress away of shopping when neither of us had the time to shop or find gift ideas.  As a result, we both enjoyed the lead up to Christmas so much more.

This idea isn’t for everyone likely. We just figured we buy whatever we want anyway so let’s do away with the secrets and subliminal hints and chances of disappointment. 

I remember one Christmas when my parents were supposed to do the same thing. 

Mom said, “Don’t buy me anything.”  But Dad knew he should and always wanted to treat my Mom to some kind of extravagant gift. 

In the 1980’s there was a local business that was advertising these new amazing coats from Norway or Sweden. LUDA coats. They were warm and very nice looking. Every evening after the news that store would do a fashion show on tv. It was a precursor to the infomercial. Dad had been into the store and arranged to have them model the couple of coats that he thought Mom would like. He watched for her reaction and then decided which one to give her for Christmas. 

Unbeknownst to Dad, the owner of the store knew that Dad liked a coat too. So he contacted mom and she bought dad a coat. 

I knew Dad bought Mom a coat. I knew Mom bought Dad a coat. No one else knew. 

Come Christmas morning there were two identically wrapped boxes underneath the tree. 

“What the heck is going on here” I’m sure my dad said. 

Well, they each got their coats and I was glad to not have to keep that secret any more. They wore those fancy coats for years and years.

Neither my husband nor I caved and we stuck to the agreement of not buying gifts. Now, if only we could agree to stay away from the leftover Christmas baking!

It’s All Gravy

Back the early 90's ( or the late 1900's as the teens say now ) when I was a newlywed, we lived in a little apartment on the second floor.  It had it's own outside entrance and I still remember counting the steps every evening when I'd return from work.

1 2 3 4 5 6...7 8 9 9  10 …and two steps to the door…11 12

We lived on a tight budget and while we had a tv and VCR, we didn't have cable TV.  This was before we all had computers and smartphones and could stream things from anyplace we happen to be.  If you weren't home to watch it, or didn't have the VCR timer set, you'd miss it.  It was as plain as that.  It was ‘must watch tv!’

My parents would record shows for us and we’d watch later on the good old VHS tape  They’d record things like Days of Our Lives, Martha Stewart Living and even the Seinfeld finale  

One winter evening for some reason I decided to see if there was anything beyond the few channels we got. CBC and CTV were the main channels with the French CBC and the parliamentary channel which no one watched.  

Then…

…It was like magic.  Beyond the snowy screen and static some images from Food Network and the W Network came through.

We still didn't have cable...but our neighbours did.  Their connection was on the same wall as our TV and our TV was picking up their coaxial signal through the wall.

I could almost hear a choir in angelic refrain.

For a few glorious weeks leading up to the holidays I was able to watch these fun and festive networks.  They'd come in particularly clear late at night and a favourite to watch was a lady whose name I think was Sara Molton.  All of her shows were instructing on how to perfect each part of a holiday meal.

I was in my early 20's and I'd never really had to be responsible for being able to make all the components of a festive gathering.  We had decided to start the tradition of having family members to our home on Christmas Eve.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes AND I had to be able to make gravy.

I wrote down all the steps from Sara's cooking show.  Her secret?  She used cornstarch as a thickener instead of flour like most do.  I have no recollection if I had a few trial runs before the big meal but I do know this method was very successful.  I still do it her way when making gravy from scratch!

Unless I'm using one of those handy clubhouse packets...

Then, just like THAT, we couldn't get the feed through the wall anymore and our tv returned to snowy static.

No more Food network.

We’ve come a long way since then.  It’ll be our 31st Anniversary this year.  I am a much better cook!  We don’t live close to family and I never have to prepare a large meal anymore.  Sometimes, late at night I still get that feeling of awe when the thought crosses my mind of  how the tv came to life for those few weeks that winter.

Recipes

My Mom's Punkin' Muffins

What's For Supper Tonight (Tex Mex Slow Cooker Recipe)

Cake Mix Cookies

My Go To Meatloaf Recipe

Grandma Larson's Casserole

Grandma Johnson's Casserole

Valentine's Day Cookies

Christmas Cookies

Swedish Brown Beans (Instant Pot)

Mocha Sugar Cookie Latte Bite Cookies

Oh Fudge!

A Recipe & Midnight Madness

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Bites

A Recipe & Midnight Madness

In what feels like another lifetime, I worked for one year as Assistant Manager of Warehouse One, which is a Canadian clothing retailer.  The shopping mall was a destination back than and big box retailers weren't yet where we all demanded to shop and we definitely weren't choosing online shopping either.  It was the mid 2000's and at Christmas time the mall was a fun and festive place even though I'd not wish working retail at that time of year or any really on anyone.  One big event leading up to Christmas was Midnight Madness.

Midnight Madness happened on a few weekend evenings in the month of December leading up to Christmas.  Each store would stay open well passed the regular 9pm...until 1am instead and many would have special deals for that time period.  It was nowhere near as hectic as Boxing Day was but still a stressful time for anyone having to work in a store.

At the far end of the mall was a Starbucks.  Myself and a coworker were working this late night shift and we were both concerned for staying awake and alert.  For some oddball reason we both thought it would be a good idea to buy chocolate covered coffee beans.

You probably see where I'm going with this.

Starbucks used to have little boxes of these coffee beans right by the cash register along with mints and biscotti.  I don't think they have this anymore and if they do I haven't noticed.  These were obviously nice little add ons if you were purchasing a latte or cranberry bliss bar.

The chocolate covered coffee beans did indeed keep us awake and alert...not only for the Midnight Madness but for the entire night.  We both vowed to never do THAT again and told the legend to all our others coworkers.  It's a story I found myself telling a few students last week which they all found highly amusing.

Even though I will likely never have chocolate covered coffee beans again, I did love those cranberry bliss bars and still do.  Starbucks has changed the recipe so a few years ago I scoured the interweb for a copycat recipe.  What you'll find below has become a staple in my holiday baking every year.  I've tweaked it several times but decided to finally write it out instead of deciphering my cryptic notes in my home made family cookbook binder.

I'm sharing it all with you.  Feel free to click on the recipe photo and save it to your devices.  Let me know if you make it as well!

* If * you do try it make certain to not skip 2 important steps.

1) Make absolutely sure you coat the baking pan with cooking spray and coat with flour.  If you don't you wont ever get it out of the pan.

2) You most definitely will need to coat your hands with cooking spray to pat it down and stretch it into the pan.  The batter is EXTREMELY sticky so if you don't you'll be covered in it.

The original recipe was in an 11X17 baking pan but I don't have one that size and I'm pretty sure it's not a standard size either.  My recipe is 9X13 which is a size we all own.  This makes the bars a little thicker and the Starbucks version.

My oven runs hot so regardless of what I think they get removed at 20 minutes.  I'm going to caution you as well...they may not look cooked but trust that they are.  If they are over baked they become very crumbly.

Enjoy and happy baking!

Kick Off Weekend

We always made sure to decorate our home for Christmas the last weekend in November.  That weekend also just usually happened to be CFL Grey Cup weekend.  It became a tradition that we still hold fast to.

For several years in a row we'd host my husband's parents for the first weekend of December, the weekend following Grey Cup and what we eventually coined "Kick Off Weekend".  

It had nothing to do with football.

What it was, was a festive filled weekend of shopping, sight seeing and other festivities to rev us up for the month of December.  

D & D would arrive Friday evening for visiting and catching up.  Sometimes they'd arrive early as to beat the rush to the city.  I remember one time they did that exact thing and we'd decided to go to the mall downtown.  All was fine until I remembered that school was out that day for an in-service and we came to a fast realization that going to the mall was not going to be for us.  The above ground parking was filled and so was the underground parking.  Folks were driving in and turning around and driving out.  We didn't really need to go to the mall anyway...  

Our meals during the weekend would include a mixture of homemade, Starbucks coffee, Venice House pizza or Montana's for ribs but it was breakfast we enjoyed most.  We'd get up early on the Saturday and hit up the breakfast buffet at the the Flying J.  They had the best breakfast buffet.  There was anything you'd ever want, but my favourite was the strawberry stuffed French toast.  Sadly, this buffet is no longer offered and it's now a Denny's.  I still remember how special those morning meals were.

After we were adequately nourished and caffeinated, we'd go to the Sundog Craft Faire.  This was a juried craft sale on two levels of an entertainment complex.  One level would be all the wares that people made and the second level was all the food stuffs complete with many free samples.  My Father In Law loved a free sample.

Conveniently, next door, was Costco.  That was always another stop on Kick Off Weekend.  Costco always puts out the best things at Christmastime and has unique goodies in their bakery as well as gift items.  It's a huge bonus if they hand out Lindt truffles!

Sometimes we were lucky enough that The Festival of Trees landed during that same weekend and we'd get to take that in as well.  Hubby and I went last year and wandered the streets of historical Boomtown gazing at the trees and the historical memorabilia.  The Christmas trees are so different from how we decorate our own.  They all have themes.  Some would make us ooh and ahh while we'd agree others were not for us.  There were gingerbread houses on display too that had been in a contest and we'd marvel at how intricate they were.  

One thing that we always made sure to do was drive through the Enchanted Forest.  This is an event at the Forestry Farm aka Zoo.  Different sponsors decorate a meandering drive through trees and displays of everything Christmas.  Every couple of years a new attraction is added which keeps it all fresh.  Sometimes, we'd have hot cocoa from Tim Hortons as we drove and sometimes they'd hand out candy canes.  The radio would be tuned in to a special station to narrate the tour.  One memorable time was when my Father In Law decided he wanted to see more (one trip through was all they'd allow) but he swerved/drove around a barricade in determination to see it all again!

Things have changed a lot in the last few years.  The Sundog Faire was cancelled last year and isn't offered anymore.  A local greenhouse did a similar event one year but so far I haven't seen anything advertised.  My Father in Law passed last year and my Mother in Law has moved.  The kick off weekend is a thing of the past but the first weekend of December will always hold wonderful fond memories and no matter what our house will be ready for company on Grey Cup weekend.

1980 - Something

Picture it.

The Christmas mixed tape is playing on the home stereo with the same songs I enjoy to this day; Jim Reeves, Buck Owens and The Chipmunks. Dad is bringing all the decoration boxes from the basement. In the box there’d be some miscellaneous newspapers from Christmases past which always mystified me. We assemble the Christmas tree and Dad strings the full size string of lights carefully on each branch.  The sky is a rose gold in the setting sun, the snow outside is light and sparkly and there’s the faint smell of the heat from the lights touching the plastic branches.  They don’t make candles to recreate that festive smell do they.

It’s nineteen-eighty-something and completely magical.

There were some Christmases that we had two Christmas trees.  We had the artificial one in the basement and a real tree upstairs.  Dad’s brilliant trick to filling in the bare spots on the real tree was to take a branch from the bottom, drill a hole where the bare spot was and attach the branch.  It’s a trick I think he got from my Grandpa.

The decorations were a mixture of shiny baubles, felt ornaments and things we made. One decoration was always a small bell with a blue ribbon that I think had something to do with my brother (his birthday is Christmas Day) but I don’t know what.  There was silver garland and not tinsel because that was too messy.  The tree topper was a multi coloured star.  At the bottom of the tree rested a small plastic manger scene.

Some years Dad would want to hang streamers and foil stars from the ceiling. Mom would protest…”what are you doing that for?”…but often let him get his way.  There’d be a wreath that hung on the back door window that made the curtain puff out kind of funny.

My fuzzy Christmas stocking would rest on the arm of the couch. We didn’t have a fireplace or chimney. I hoped Santa had a key.  

It was probably a Sunday evening in December and when we were done we’d sit in the dark with just the retro glow of the Christmas tree and soft music playing. The next morning, getting ready to go to school, the tree would be lit up in its comforting glow in the coolness of winter. 

Everything would be ready and waiting for Mr Claus’ annual visit.

Oh Fudge!

I’ve tried to get Siri and Google to bake for me. I thought I’d try Alexa this year…

No luck. 

In an effort to get started in my festive goodies I made the recipe shared on this page. It’s a gateway recipe before the main frenzy starts. It doesn’t require baking at all and takes a short time to accomplish. Hurray! Because the one thing we all lack at this time of year is time. 

Add to your shopping list the following:

• 1 tub vanilla creamy frosting (I used Betty Crocker)
• 1 package peanut butter flavoured chips (I used Chipits)
• 1 package mini Reese’s pieces (I used Chipits)

The equipment you’ll need:

• A small saucepan
• A spoon
• A spatula
• 9x9 cake pan
• Tin foil

Warning! ⛔️ If you’re allergic to peanuts then obviously this recipe won’t be for you or anyone you know with nut allergies. 

Method:

• Combine Peanut Butter Chips and the container of frosting in a saucepan over low heat until smooth and combined. 
• Cool slightly then mix in half of the bag of mini Reese’s. 
• Spread into lined baking pan
• Top with remaining Reese’s
• Refrigerate until firm 
• Cut into 32 bars but can also be cut smaller as they are very rich!

These fudge squares are super easy to adapt with different flavours of chips or frosting. 

They keep very well in the fridge or freezer. 

Advent Adventures 2023

Every company seems to have an Advent Christmas Countdown Calendar of some kind these days. I really enjoy finding out what little present lies behind each window leading up to the big day. So what calendars did I purchase for this years holidays? Read on!

The first calendar I purchased was from The Body Shop. I had gotten one last year and it helped me to relearn how to relax and take care of myself. As with everything the prices have gone up and this year I purchased the smaller version. It’s called The Advent of Change and comes in lovely blue packaging. The display isn’t as stunning as the larger version but the smaller rings in at $95 CAD. I purchased it back at the end of September and used my birthday rewards coupon for it. It says it’s a value of $181 so we will see when I get to start opening on December 1st. 

The second countdown calendar I got was from Bird and Blend. I TOTALLY splurged on this and for those reasons I’m not going to include all the extra fees I paid. As well I had ordered the Halloween countdown at the same time so charges were a bit more. I LOVED this one from a few years ago. The packaging is 100% recyclable and very festive. The main Tea Advent Calendar is priced at $49 USD. However, the one I purchased was specially curated for the tea lover and Bird and Blend customer. It’s called the Ultimate Tea Lover’s Advent Calendar and lucky comes in at the same price of $49 USD. They also have a Matcha calendar!

That was going to be it, but just this afternoon I found a coffee 12 Days of Christmas. I purchased the Grove Place Market keurig cup coffee countdown at Peavey Mart for $18.99 CAD. It does not appear on the Peavey Mart website but similar boxes seem to be available elsewhere. The cashier said they were also waiting on a hot chocolate one. 

Okay, but what about your husband? You can’t forget your husband! 

Right you are. I have found 2 calendars for him this year. The first is the Walkers Shortbread calendar which is a 24 day countdown. I originally ordered from Tea At The White House but they sold out twice. Since I’ve been informed it can be found at London Drugs and a few other retailers. I spent $40 but apparently they can range in price. 

The other countdown I got for my husband I stumbled upon. I bought it at Canadian Tire for $24.99 CAD.  It’s the National Lampoons 12 Days of Jelly Advent Calendar.  We had the Bonne Maman calendar last year and really enjoyed it. This quirky calendar has repeats, comes with a knife and I’d say the packaging is a real “beaut”. 

There you have it. My countdown extravaganza. 

Only 6 days to go!

Who...Who Am I?

HI!  * waves *

The 2023 Holiday season is here and I thought it would be nice to reacquaint myself with my blog page and you!

I started blogging in another lifetime when the internet was fun and no one was afraid of making new friends.  I did it for fun and to have a bit of an online journal.  It was never meant as a money making scheme nor is my intent to influence you into buying or purchasing anything.

As my life changed, I moved into blogging about my favourite CFL football team and created ABC Football.  That was fun for a long time too.  During this time, sharing on social media changed and I found the pandemic changed not only the people who read what I wrote but I myself changed.  

Last autumn and into winter, I found myself wanting to just share again.  I brought Life, Donuts & The Crazy Music Lady back to life.

I hope to continue what I started last holiday season.  I plan to share the places we go, how we celebrate, and maybe some fun recipes and food experiments too.  You can also bet you'll find me sharing the current Advent/Countdown Calendars and Reviews!

So whether we follow each other here, Facebook, Xitter or Instagram, let's celebrate this fun time of year together.

T.Kettle Tea : Advent Calendar Review

I know what you're saying...

It's not Christmas.

True!  While I'm sitting here anxiously awaiting to open the first door on my Bird & Blend Halloween calendar I thought I should offer an update for the future holiday season!  I've pretty much been mute on this blog page for several months and really enjoy sharing in a new/old way what I've been up to.  I really loved catching up with everyone in this format last Christmas so maybe this is a hint as to what's to come... 

T.Kettle is a Canadian "born and owned" tea company.  Their website states their priority is wellness combined with flavour and great tea.

T.Kettle opened in several of the abandoned David's Tea locations and I was pleased to have another Canadian tea retailer easily accessible.  That was until September when I discovered the location I often visited had closed up shop and the only location still open in my city is in a shopping mall I rarely visit.

I've never found their website very current or easily navigable.  I think this company could be more popular if this was updated and had a more user friendly layout.  I don't have a background in this.  I'm just a girl who likes tea and occasionally shops online.  

This Advent Calendar was the 2022 version.  I don't see one available for this year but like I said above, their website isn't 'great'.  It originally retailed for $49.99 but I purchased it in March of 2023 on clearance for $29.99.  The design is very similar to other calendars.  It has 24 days of tea in each drawer.  Each day consists of a small metal container which has a portion of loose tea for about 2 cups.  What I liked most was that each drawer had not only the name of the tea, but the ingredients as well as brewing instructions and caffeine level.

I was very pleased that there was a large amount of caffeine free options in this Advent Calendar.

My favourite flavour was the Fruit Cake because to me those are the flavours which sum up the holiday season.  In September which is when I decided to indulge in this calendar I was sad to find out that a lot...and I mean, A LOT of flavours in this sampler were discontinued so I couldn't find them again even if I wanted to.  That's not terribly unusual but if this was your first connection to the T.Kettle company it would be nice to be able to stock up on your favourites.  How long before I drank them had they been discontinued?  There's no way to tell.

Previous to this, their Gingerbread Cookie tea is the BEST, hands down, that I've ever tasted.

The over all appearance and design of the T.Kettle Advent was very nice and it sat in my kitchen easily and didn't take up a lot of space.  The construction was cardboard or thick paper with a magnetic door.  I'm sure my first David's Tea calendar was similar.  I recycled the whole thing including the small metal cups which held the tea.

Would I buy this again?  Yes I would.  If it were available.  At this time in October when many of the companies have posted their upcoming Advent Calendars you'd think if it was available for this season it would be out there too, but I don't see a mention of it anywhere.  Maybe keep your eyes peeled on their social media for such an announcement.

Ilchester Cheese : Advent Calendar Review

I bought my husband an Ilchester Cheese Advent Calendar for the 2022 Christmas season.  He likes cheese.  I like cheese.  I'd heard a lot about this calendar in 2021 but when I'd found it then it was too late.  This time I found it at our local Co-Op grocery store and it was on sale.

The calendar featured 24 days of cheese but there was only a variety of 9 flavours.  That meant there were several repeats.  The calendar was of cereal box cardboard grade and was apparently designed to fit in the door of a refrigerator even though I didn't store it that way.  The individual doors were perforated for easy removal and each package of single serve cheese was nestled in a light plastic tray.

The calendar price ranged from $36.99 to $29.99.  That breaks down to approximately $1.54 a piece of cheese.  However, when you consider that over half of the pieces were double flavours the cost is more.

What we enjoyed.  Well, Hubby really enjoyed getting a piece of cheese every day with his lunch.  We both enjoyed the information on the different flavours and it allowed us to explore different flavours which we'd never heard of or never had the courage to try before.  We discovered one flavour is aged, one is smoked, one is part of an annual festival where it's rolled down a hill.  We really liked the red Leicester flavour of cheese while the majority were very good.  The only one which didn't go over well was the one infused with cranberries and sage.  I liked it but it was a bit strong.  I realize it's a seasonal flavour so that's why it was included.

What we didn't enjoy as much was the repeat flavours.  So this calendar is all one brand manufactured by Ilchester Cheese.  Bravo for them creating a calendar!  However, when you end up having the same flavour a couple days in a row it becomes a bit "meh".  The other thing, which is not their fault at all, is that the brand isn't stocked here.  The only flavour that the grocery store tends to have is the Applewood smoked cheddar and in my opinion, there are other brands that supply that which we'd buy first in larger quantities.  Ilchester is a British cheese company and it seems that Cathedral is a more widely supplied brand.  So when I did want to purchase some of the flavours we'd tested - we couldn't.

It's worthy to note that while the advent calendar is adequately constructed, that by the time Christmas Eve arrived, the box had not stood up to the test of time.  The doors were torn and falling apart.  It went straight into the recycle bin.  If you are one to enjoy packaging then this probably isn't for you.

Do you have a cheese lover in your family or group of friends?  This does make a great gift for the holidays.  We did thoroughly enjoy it and I hope it continues to gain interest and that they include more flavours to make the calendar even more interesting.

Music Teachers | Teaching in a Time of Covid

I contemplated writing a blog about the Blizzard of '07 but honestly there wasn't a lot to tell.  It was a huge blizzard which shut down the city.  We canceled our music students for the day (it might have been two days) and we did make up lessons later on.  It's an event a lot of people recall.  I think it was a Wednesday.  That's really all there is to that story.

Tuesday March 17th will always be a date I remember. Not because it was St Patrick’s Day, but because it was the first time ever that I had to teach piano lessons virtually and boy, was it a steep learning curve. 

The previous week the first case of Covid19 was announced within the city.  That evening I stopped at the Shoppers Drug Mart on the way home to pick up some milk.  There was a sign on the door that said they were already sold out of hand sanitizer, masks and toilet paper.  It was surreal inside the store.  There was a man with a shopping cart looking for the sold out items and kept badgering staff because it seemed like he didn't believe they were actually sold out.  I got my milk and continued on home.

The next day at work, parents were already concerned and students were cancelling lessons.  Rumours were circulating that the schools were going to be shut down the following week.  It was a very odd time.  Us teachers stood distanced from each other in the showroom talking about what was going on.  Over the weekend, there was a discussion about the Academy closing its doors or how this was all going to be handled.  At the time we believed it might only be a couple of weeks but minute to minute and hour to hour things changed.  I suggested we attempt to teach via Skype as I'd heard others were doing it.  Sunday night it was decided that Monday the 16th would be the last day we'd teach in person and we'd begin notifying our students that Tuesday lessons would be moved online.

Over the course of 3 days over 600 students were notified by phone call and set up with skype accounts.

I had gotten an iPad for Christmas and had subsequently purchased a tripod which would hold it.  My digital Technics piano was in our home office, also known as the Star Wars room.  What complicated everything was that Hubby was also sent home to work for the first time on the same day.  We couldn't work in the same space as our hours overlapped.  We moved his computer to the basement and purchased all the necessary equipment he required.

It took me a week to bring home all the materials I needed from my classroom.  That first week, I took a ton of notes and transcribed them all onto my laptop.  What became very apparent was that I had taken for granted the ease of phrases like "play that part again" "look for bar 10" or just being able to count along with students playing.  I couldn't just point at something.  Students had to become so much more self sufficient and be ready with pencils and markers and highlighters to make corrections for themselves.  They also had to take the homework notes.  Some students did very very well but it was also really hard for others.  Sometimes calls would drop or they wouldn't be online on time.  It was crazy but then wasn't everything.

School had been cancelled so I saw students suddenly practicing who hadn't worked very hard before.  I heard from parents how grateful they were that we had online lessons to look forward to because as wild as the times were the piano lessons gave a sense of normalcy.  The feeling was mutual.

We taught virtually from March 2020 through the summer until the end of August 2020.  In the summer because my schedule was reduced we moved my piano to the basement and Hubby moved his office to the Star Wars room, where he still works to this day.  At the end of my work days, I'd come upstairs and holler "I'm home!" and we'd laugh.

Miraculously, I myself only lost a handful of students.  In September, donned in mandatory masks and with cleaning protocol in place, we returned to in person teaching while some students and teachers chose to remain online.  I was so thankful to not have to deal with technology anymore.  

On one particular day my mask was snug and I complained to my student how it was flattening my nose.  I said "what will you say when we don't have to wear masks anymore?"

He replied, "my, you have a flat nose".

Spoiler.  He didn't.

We adapted so quickly and now working virtually is a way of life.  We jump online through Skype or Zoom with ease.  We held festivals and concerts online and while that's fading away working virtually will always be an option now.  Those few months changed everything.

Music Teachers | The Time I Broke A Piano

 

All was fine until I went to work. Over that weekend, the piano that was in my classroom was loaned out for an event, an accountant’s convention apparently. I didn’t have an issue with that, after all I didn't OWN the Technics PR54 which happily resided in my classroom, but I felt like it was mine. I used it every day.  I no longer teach anyone who would remember that music rest Christmas paper wrapped piano, but if you do, you must be very special.

What I am about to relate to you will no doubt surprise you as much as it did me!

With that in mind, here is what happened on that Monday when I arrived at work to my classroom. My piano was not in its correct location.  There were two windows separated by a length of wall. I simply preferred the piano to be centered on that wall. I don’t think that’s a crazy demand. Things should be symmetric, that’s all. I barely needed to move it a foot.

This had happened before and even now isn't unheard of. When the piano wasn't in the rightful symmetric-wall-centered position I'd simply push or pull it back into place. It wasn't a heavy piano since it’s an electric/digital piano. I’ve helped move pianos in concerts and festivals for years! I am not new to moving things to and fro. 

Another tidbit of information which you need to know is that I am not a very strong person. I can lift some things. Move some furniture about in my house. But I don’t have what you could call brute strength. I am not Bam Bam. Nor Paul Bunion. 

So I grabbed onto the end and tugged. I did not turn into the Incredible Hulk when I pulled on the piano. But do you want to know what happened? Maybe I shouldn’t tell you….  The end of the casing of the piano came off in my hands! 

AHHHHH! I am so fired, I thought. 

At first, like Ralphie trying to get away with icicle broken glasses (oh my gawd, I shot my eye out) in the Christmas Story, I thought I could just push it back on and no one would be the wiser. Nope, it didn’t work. I stood back and surveyed the damage. The end of the piano had been held together with simple doweling.  The wires were hanging out the end.  It looked really bad.  REALLY BAD.

 
I am so fired.

I went and got Sharon from the front desk. Sharon was the receptionist, book keeper, maintenance man, carpet cleaner and all around handy-man, but I have to stress she is a very good friend. 

“Sharon, can I talk to you in my classroom for a minute.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Um, you really have to come here.”

“Can you just tell me?”

“Um….” Me, trying to spit it out. “I kind of wrecked the piano!”

She walked with me to my classroom. Her assessment of the situation? “OH MY GOD!”

Luckily, I was able to teach in another room that day. Also luckily, the academy director, boss and owner and her husband were away and wouldn’t find out until the next day.  Did they ever find out?  I guess they will when or if they read this! 

But here is just how good of a friend Sharon is. It bothered her so much that she couldn’t get a hold of the piano repair person that she went in on her own time, dismantled my piano, crazy glued it and put it back together again. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men did put the wrecked piano back together again! I didn’t know that she did this until a while afterward. Sharon retired twice, maybe three times and probably didn't get a lot of the glory at the Academy, but she was the glue that held so many things together.

Literally.

Just like the Mom in the Christmas Story when Ralphie got in the big fight and had to wait until the Dad came home. Sharon softened the blow. Ralphie didn’t get killed and I didn’t get fired. By Friday we were all able to laugh about it and now many years later it barely seems like it happened. 

What I know for sure is that I will never ever EVER touch that or any piano to move it again. If it is sitting in the middle of that classroom I will teach in the middle of the classroom. I will not pull, push or tug. Will I cringe?  Oh yes I will!  Because just recently, I went in to work, a Tuesday this time, to find a new Roland digital piano in the middle of my 2023 classroom.  

Was I going to move it?  

Heck no.  Not on your life.