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At Home With Ailsa - November 2005

- At Home with Ailsa -- My Update Page! - December '05 - November '05 - October '05 - September '05 - August '05 - July '05 -June '05 - May '05 - April '05 * March '05 * February '05 * January '05 * December '04 * November '04 * October '04 * September '04 * August '04 * July '04 * June '04 * May '04* April '04* Archived At Home With Ailsa Pages * At Home I * At Home II * At Home III * At Home IV - At Home With Ailsa - Menu

Monday, November 21st, 2005. Hello, there, My Tasty Little Cupcakes! Oooh, it's all about the food around Thanksgiving, ain't it? Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October, but it's nothing at all like the Huuuge Thanksgiving Celebrations in The States. Oh, I loves me some States! And the colder it gets up here in Alberta, the more I want to get back to the California Sun... Anyway, when I was living in California back in the day, I was amazed at what a big holiday Thanksgiving was. For me, it had always been about gathering Apples at a local Apple Orchard, going home to bake a delicious Apple Pie, and have a big Turkey Dinner with our Friends & Family. When I was down in California, people went all-out for this special 4-day Holiday... Food, Drinks, Family, Friends, Major Travelling -- and the most Shopping Deals I'd ever seen. What I thought was really cool about that was the fact that Thanksgiving is one of the few truly Non-Denominational Holidays, so everyone can partake of the Festivities... and yummy festivities they are!

I'm watching The View while I'm writing this (I am Thankful for my lovely Glassed-in Office with a perfect view of the TV! And that Ellen DeGeneres was on The View, today!), and they're doing a Wine Tasting Segment, right now -- I did a little Wine Tasting on the weekend, myself, and each glass was delicious! Dwight & I went to my Queen's University Alumni Holiday Event, one of my favorite 'Adult Evenings' of the year. (Of course, I don't have very many 'Adult Only' Evenings throughout the year, so it's easy to choose...) That crazy Dwight comes over to me after about my fourth glass of wine (I'm a Red Wine Girl), and he says, "Oh, no. You're drunk!" Like that's a bad thing. Very annoyink! It's the one night of the year I feel like being Married pays off, since I have a built-in Designated Driver... makes it all worthwhile, no? ha,ha,ha!

You know how we are outside of 'The City', and how I resist going into Town if I possibly can. And here's the sad part -- we're a 15 minute drive from Calgary... but those are the 15 minutes I need for reading, or maybe having a wee drop of Tea with a Chocolate or two (I'm sure Dwight's wish is that I would use those extra 15 minutes to clean the toilets, because he has high hopes for that and he's special like that)... so you can see how I'm too busy to go into 'The City'. Anyhooo, that's a long story to tell you that since we were already pretty close to the Downtown Area of Calgary where all the Good Dance Clubs live, we wanted to take advantage of the proximity and the previous drinking and go out dancing. Fun, fun, fun, except that I spent a good portion of my time at the Dance Club (Tantrics, I think it's called -- wonder how they came up with that name?? It's a mystery...) trying to sober myself up. I tried to do that by switching from Red Wine over to my favorite Beer, Corona with a Lime slice. Mmmmm. You know, that didn't realy help me to sober up, but I did have a fabulous time dancing all the alcohol off!

Speaking of a Slice, I'm having a lovely slice of my favorite No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake that I made yesterday. Yes, on Hangover Day... but I'd already bought the Whipping Cream and I didn't want it to go bad... plus, there was a lot of work going on over here, yesterday (cleaning out my old Van to get it ready to sell it, since I just got a 'new-to-me' van a week ago -- I don't think I would ever buy Brand New -- too much depreciation when you drive off the Lot..., and we finally got the Baseboards done. I only have one stack left to paint, and I'm just going to paint them to shut Dwight up, since he talks on and on about that, and I'm looking for a wee bit of silence! About the Trim-work, anyway...

Quick Tip: When you are Building or Renovating, and you want to have a relatively inexpense way to give your home a 'Higher-end' look, choose a large Baseboard -- 3 1/2 " or greater. (Don't choose a 6" Baseboard Trim for a small room -- I'm pretty sure that would just make the room appear even smaller...) Your Carpenter can often carry the same Trim around the Doors and Windows, too. Choose an even larger 'Header' for the top of the Doors, or carry the wide trim right around the door. Looks good either way. We have the Rosettes with a 'column look' for our Door Trim, but it was pretty pricey and time consuming. Looks lovely, but next time I'm going with an easier choice, and all the Trim will be painted by someone else, and it will all be installed before we move in... Live and Learn.

Oh, and I didn't get around to writing an update last week because I've started cleaning the house in preparation for our Giant Holiday Party. That's right -- it's a three-week prep time, if I am to remain sane throughout the process. We're having The Giving Tree, a wee thing I came up with when we started these parties, to raise Toys and Food for our Local Food Bank and Children in Need. I like the idea of keeping things in our own little area. Sometimes you Donate to a Cause and wonder who actually benefits from your Gift, and this way everyone knows their gifts are going to a Good Home. I'm not going to do any of my own Baking for the party -- too much work, too little time. I do a 'Costco Run' before the Party, and of course, a quick stop for a large selection of tasty drinks at the Liquor Store! Yuuum, The Liquor Store... think Homer Simpson, my fave guy! (That's another thing I love about the States -- you can buy Baileys and Beer along with your Groceries -- now that's what I call one-stop shopping! ha,ha!)

If you are having a Holiday Party at your own Place or at Work, consider adding A Giving Tree so people can bring a Toy or a Gift for People in Need. Adults love gifts, too, so I always like to pop in some stuff for a Mom or Dad -- God Knows they need a wee something, too.

Ooooh, Oprah's Favorite Things is on, and I looove that Show! Oprah is honoring some of the many people who selflessly helped out during the Katrina Disaster. Isn't that lovely? And, man, Oprah looks great! I think it's from the Weight-lifting! Yahoo for Weight-lifting ... That's my favorite thing! There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done to get everyone back on track from all the devastation in The South, so if you are feeling Generous this Thanksgiving, pop over to my Katrina Page to see how you can help.

Man, I haven't even touched on Desperate Housewives -- now which one is an actual Housewife, hmmm? What's up with the creepy new line -- all murders, all the time. Yes, women love that -- especially Desperate Housewives. I say, quit making Mike the Plumber a jerk, and then he can take his shirt off, again, then put the humor back into the show. Thank Goodness for Bob Newhart on the show -- he brings some much-needed comic relief... Less Creepy, More Funny!

What was that stooopid, stooopid thing that Lynette set up -- a fake Kidnapping of her boys. Ugh. No mother with a half a brain would do anything that crazy -- what, no Moms at the Writers' Table?? That would set the kids up to second-guess a similar situation in the future... but finally Brie got the clues that the pharmacist is a nut, thankfully. Interesting concept, though -- when and who do you believe when someone comes to you with info about your Significant Other that ain't so good? Depends on the source, but most women will be very up-front with another women when she is trying to provide safety info.

Okay, if I'm gonna partake in all the delicious Holiday Fare (and you know I will! I don't believe for a minute that deprivation is the way to go... those skinny girls don't seem any happier than I am! ha,ha,ha!), I'd better get to the gym!

If you want to make a great pie for your Thanksgiving Dinner, try my Easy Schmaesy Pie Crust Recipe. I usually only put a crust on the bottom, then put a Crumble Crust on the top of the pie, but you could probably put the dough betwen two sheets of Parchment Paper, or Wax Paper, and roll it out to make a top crust. Anyway, no need to fuss about in the kitchen. This Pie crst is a breeze to make. It's Low Cholesterol and Low-Fat, too, so you can have your Pie and eat it, too! To make any type of Fruit Pie, just prepare the fruit and toss it in a mixture of 2 Tablespoons of Flour or Cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons of Sugar. That way, all the fruit juice will 'set' and you won't have a runny pie. Just pour the fruit into the Pie Shell and bake at 350 Degrees F. for about 45 minutes. You can add on a Crumble Topping for the last ten minutes, or so. Put on some Music so you can enjoy the whole Cooking Experience!

All right. Now I really have to go... Happy Thanksgiving to all my American Friends!! And a great week for everyone else, too! Love, Laughter and Safe Travels, Ailsa

New Pages from this Month: My Gym Tips - Teen Page - November Horoscope - You can even get a Sneak Peek into your 2006 Horoscope from Astrology.com, too!- Toys - Thanksgiving & Holiday Shopping - <California on sale: Save up to 15% on hotels this winter><Holiday & Getaway: Travel now, get $150 off your trip next year> <Americas Best Kitchens>

Tell a Friend about My Site - eBay - Ailsa's Favorite Books <Win Great Prizes at PermissionResearch!> Free Monthly Horoscope * Freebies! * Fitness with Ailsa * The Scottish Diet * Cool Stuff * Travel * Home Search -- MLS * Site Menu - <Find Old Friends, Lost Loves or Anyone><Find Old High School Friends at Reunion.com>

Monday, November 7th, 2005. Dude. What up?? You've been surfing all morning... on the Internet?? Much drier that way, but a bit less fun -- have to watch out for sharks either way though, I suppose... hmmm, had so much bizarre stuff to deal with this past little while. Last week, I came up with a great idea for an Article for me to write about how to deal with difficult people and difficult situations (they're always interconnected though, have you noticed??), and I had a whole thing on thinking of the issue as a Bomb that someone would throw at you (like a grenade...) that you could choose to Ignite and cause a major blow-up, or Diffuse, and things would calm back down... and then I had a situation that was sooo infuriating that I chose to blow it up -- with stooopid Purolator. Emphasis on the 'lator', and I think I'll change their name to 'Puroloooser', which seems more accurate.

So I was gonna advocate diffusing any situation to make you life better, and keep things running smoothly, but how does that really fit into the Reality of anyone's lives? Things are waaay too complex to think you can let everything fly by -- some things have to be dealt with head-on (and some with anger) to make sure it doesn't happen to you again, or to anyone else. I hate when crap happens to good people, and the baddies get to move on like nothing has happened, at all. I also despise when a Company blames the Little Guy for their own wrong-doings or sheer incompetencies. Ugh. I say, just take ownership of whatever bad thing has been done, 'fess up, make amends, promise to be good in the future, and then everyone can move on. Should be easy enough...(!)

Thanks Goodness for my nice little respite from Reality on The Desperate Housewives, but am I the only one getting a bit fed up with Eva Longoria's Character, Gabrielle, not looking a tiny bit Pregnant, and definitely not acting like she's Pregnant? Why did they even start that story-line if they weren't going to follow through with it? Very annoying. I haven't seen her staggering to the bathroom to throw up once... or take every opportunity there is to sneak in a wee nap. Surely there are some women on that Writing Staff who are real mothers... And is it getting a bit too creepy and pathetic, what with all the threatening stuff and Terri Hatcher's Character, Susan, to run after Mike the Plumber, begging him not to dump her -- whilst wearing a Wedding Dress? Ugh. Did they forget they have a Female Audience (and Dwight, who loooves Eva's outfits, and see's no problem with what she's wearing and the fact that she's supposed to be pregnant... not an issue for him at all!)?

I was gonna write on Friday, but our Painter was here to paint the Fireplace Mantels, which are gorgeous and were well worth the giant fight I had with Dwight to get them done (there are sooo many examples of things that will happen during a Build or a Renovation that you have to 'ignite the grenade' to get the right things done...). Anyway, the paint fumes were overwhelming, even though I was in my Office with the Door closed (it's a glassed-in office, so it's not like I was partitioning myself off completely...), but the fumes were too much for me and for Tia, my sweet little dog.

I had to open all the windows and Tia and I spent the day in the Sunroom ... not a bad day, at all! I had a chance to catch up on some reading (I finished Jon Stewart's latest book, read a bunch of letters from 'Letters from a Nut', which is hysterical, especially the letter about the Naked Gambling -- very funny -- then read some more of Wanda Sykes book, "Yeah, I Said It" -- hilarious! So I had a nice day, and Tia spent her time watching out for this crazy coyote who seemed to be making his rounds in our little Estate Area -- one of the joys of Country Living. The Fireplace Mantels look fantastic, and now I just have to hang the Drapes back up, which should be done hopefully by Christmas...

Can you see why I need to be at the Gym, these days? Yes, just a few things that make me really mad, so it's great to be able to go to the Gym and lift a whole lot of weight -- great therapy for me! Plus, my arms are getting into really good shape (I'm doing the flab-be-gone exercises...), so that's always good. I'm still waiting for the middle bits to get smaller, but my theory is that if I work on my Arms and Legs, surely something in the middle will get smaller... that's just gotta be true. At the very least, I get to see at least one other Adult a day, so that's a big change for me, and it's an hour when I'm not eating any chocolate, so that oughtta be good, too, right?? ha,ha! Oooh, and here's a quick link to my favorite new 'Gym Music' -- it's great to work out to a lil' Kanye West! This is the CD with Gold Digger on it -- I love Jamie Foxx on that song -- it's me fave song! <Late Registration >

Gotta go see if I can track down that stooopid parcel from puraloooser... wish me luck! I'll let you know if I get a written apology from them, which is the very least they could do -- that and give me my parcel, for Goodness Sake! Anyway, I hope you have a much better week than I'm having, and maybe my week will get better as I go along -- one can always hope! Just think of the giant muscles I'll have after all these fights! ha,ha,ha!

Love & Laughter, Ailsa (Now with Fewer Rolls...)

<Naked Pictures of Famous People
Naked Pictures of Famous People

>

<Letters From a Nut
Letters From a Nut

><Yeah, I Said It
Yeah, I Said It

>Sooo funny!

< Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince > You can use this little 'button link to go straight into Barnes & Noble -- I buy most of my books through Barnes & Noble, because their prices are great and they actually ship to Canada (with no hassles) -- a big deal around here! ha,ha!

New Pages from this Month: My Gym Tips - Teen Page - November Horoscope - Toys - Holiday Shopping

Tell a Friend about My Site - eBay - Ailsa's Favorite Books <Win Great Prizes at PermissionResearch!> Free Monthly Horoscope * Freebies! * Fitness with Ailsa * The Scottish Diet * Cool Stuff * Travel * Home Search -- MLS * Site Menu - <Find Old Friends, Lost Loves or Anyone><Find Old High School Friends at Reunion.com>

< ><Click Here to Claim Your Free American Flag! >www.Americanflags.com has and enormous selection of Flags from All Over the World.. Pop in and get your Free American Flag for Memorial Day! <Support the troops! Fly an american flag everyday. Want one free? >

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Live, Love & Laugh, Ailsa!

Hey, you can help spread the word about my Site -- here's a new 'Tell A Friend' that my friend James made for me. He's been working away to teach me some new things for my website that I desperately need to learn to make the improvements I really want. Oh, and don't feel restricted by the whole 'Tell a Friend' thing. You don't even have to really like someone to tell them about www.buildyourownhouse.ca! What do I care? I'm just interested in loads and loads of people coming in for a visit -- maybe even buying something through the Site! And who knows??? Maybe they'll quit borrowing money from you by learning how to Manage their own money after reading my Articles! ha,ha! So here it is, and it's easy schmeasy to use!<





> Thank You!! Soon we'll be enormous! (And I don't mean just because of all the Caramel Apples, neither! ha,ha,ha!) Uh, oh... I see there's no apostrophe in the Friends Name Box -- must tell James! Rest assured ( I don't want you to lose sleep over this!), I do know it needs and 's... we'll fix it for you! See ya'! Ailsa

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