Happy New Year!

The four of us wish you all a happy and healthy New Year! May it be filled with joy, laughter, love and health!

So, here we are, about to start a brand new year in a few hours. I'm not sure if we will stay up until midnight but we might give it a try. Our New Year's Eve is quiet, just the way we like it. We just got back from visiting with mom and dad. It was a nice visit and we brought the kids with us. Dad will be having another sleepover so that he can ring in the New Year with mom.   She continues to be stable and is looking very good. We're in a good place now and are enjoying these moments.

This morning, I was reflecting back on 2017.  The first half of the year was very good. The second half was a bit more challenging, having to deal with my mom's serious health issues, and my parents move to their retirement home. But, right smack in the middle of the year,  our lives got a little spicier....our little girl Spicy came into our lives.  What a joy she's been.  Both Coop and Spicy bring us such happiness and make the not so good days look so much brighter. We love them to the moon and back.

Christmas day was good. We all had lunch with mom. It was nice and relaxing. In the evening, my brother came over for dinner and stayed the night. It was a no muss no fuss kind of night. Our pooches really enjoyed having him around, so did we.

The weather has been frigid, everywhere. We went for a couple of short walks but that's about it. The cold temperatures didn't stop us from visiting Russell's dad's grave on the 16th anniversary of his passing. It was a beautiful sunny day.

This is the last blog of 2017. I hope you all have a very nice start to the new year. My only thought, going into the new year, is that life is short, whether we're young or old, healthy or sick, so let's make the most of each day. Be safe and stay warm! Love from our little family xo

From our home to yours...Happy New Year 2018 !
Health, happiness and love to all.

Mom and Dad enjoying the family celebration on
Christmas Day 2017!

The Pelletier family in all its glory on Christmas Day 2017 with
Dad, Mom, Lynn, myself and Francois.

Dad and mom with their grandchildren, Sean and James!

Russell joined the celebration while my nephew, Sean,
managed the camera....perfect moment with Mom and Dad.

Russell, Cooper and Spicy visit the resting place of his parents
on the 16th anniversary of his father's passing.

The kids just chilling while visiting mom
at Vivalis on New Years Eve.

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel!

Happy Christmas Eve! Russell, Cooper and Spicy join me in wishing you all a wonderful Christmas. May it be filled with love and joy!

I just finished prepping our Christmas Eve festivities, we're ready. We are about to have our favorite holiday cocktail...a glass of Prosecco with a touch of Pomegranate Liqueur. Very festive and very delicious. I made a shrimp and scallop gratin for dinner tonight. Another favorite holiday dish. It will be just the four of us, quiet and peaceful.

My dad is having a sleepover with mom tonight and tomorrow night. They are both looking forward to it. Mom is doing remarkably well. She looks very good. It's actually hard to believe the change in her. We are making the most of those moments.

Tomorrow, we will all be joining mom and dad for lunch.  The staff at the Vivalis was kind enough to set aside a table for us in the dining area, near my mother's room.  We are doing a pot luck kind of lunch, it will be nice and yummy. Mom is overseeing the preparations in her usual fashion. It will be a Christmas to remember.

It's a short blog today. Our holiday cocktail awaits us! Be happy and be safe!

Cooper and Spicy wish everyone a very Merry
Christmas and all the best for 2018...lots of
love, health and treats!

The Duncan family stocking are hung with care....knowing
Saint Nicholas soon will be there...woof, woof!

T'was the week before Christmas

Happy Sunday everyone! Just think, one week from tonight, it will be Christmas Eve.  Everyone will be waiting anxiously for Santa to make his appearance in our homes. The countdown has begun.

Mom is doing quite well and looks much better than when she was in the hospital. This is partly due to the environment where she is now and the fact that her medical condition is stable for now. She had a hair cut last week and is getting her hair done again this coming Tuesday. Her room is nicely decorated for Christmas. We savour each good day.

This past week was good. I went to the gym four times...I had planned on five but I just couldn't fit a 5th class into my schedule. That's OK. It felt good to work out. I got all my baking done and froze most of it. Russell was kind enough to offer to do the "Christmas Baking Tasting". You gotta love this guy!

We had our first real snow fall on Tuesday. We didn't get nearly the amount of snow predicted, about 10 cm. Although we shovelled paths for Coop and Spicy, we quickly found out that our Spice Girl needs more than paths in order to do her business....you see, Spicy likes to spin in circles before finding the right spot, totally hilarious to watch, so, guess what... mommy opened up a whole area, free of snow, so she can spin in circles for as long as she wants. The things we do for our pooches!

Today, we had auntie Lorraine over for lunch, a pre-Christmas celebration. We had a wonderful time. She is such a nice lady.

This coming week is kind of busy. Russell has his phlebotomy tomorrow afternoon, we both have dentist appointments on Tuesday, we get our hair cut this week and our pooches are getting their Christmas bath on Friday, this is in addition to the other stuff that we have to do. It will all get done!

That's it for my blog. I wish you all a great week. Will do a short blog on Christmas Eve.

Auntie Lorraine has the Spiced one in her arms...while
Russell has a grip on Coop in front of the
Christmas tree...me on camera! 

Cooper and Spicy decided the chair was the spot for
the photo session with Auntie Lorraine and me.

Cooper worn a string of lights as he pondered
what he is getting for Christmas.

Spicy likes to hang with her Teddy friends at
Christmas.

Cooper was happy to soak up some sun in a snowy backyard.

Spicy is a diva and she struck a pose in the backyard today.

The smell of Christmas baking

Happy Sunday to all! A cloudy day and getting colder tonight. We are expecting our first significant snowfall on Tuesday. We are ready for it, so are Cooper and Spicy.

All is good with us. We are slowly getting into the Christmas spirit. Today, I baked my first batch of Christmas cookies. I am two weeks behind in my baking but I will catch up, I promise. I will bake more tomorrow.

Last week was a difficult one for us. My mom was transferred to Vivalis Palliative Care. What a wonderful and serene place and we can't say enough about the caring staff. Mom is very comfortable and I will say that she is adapting very well to her new surroundings. Dad got her a CD player and we have been playing her favorite CDs, one of them is by Jesse Cook. I will not dwell on this other than to say that we now live each day to the fullest and try to bring mom all the pleasures that she so likes. On that note, I took Spicy to visit her on Friday. Needless to say that it brought a smile to her face, and my dad's. She was the perfect therapy dog. Next visit will be with the Coop.

Russell and I are managing the best we can and support my dad every way possible.  Having said this, we try to go about our day to day life in a normal fashion. I skipped the gym a few times last week but plan on going five times this coming week. As for Russell, he's doing well and he's been my rock, that's all I can say. But he also has a medical issue that he's dealing with. A few months ago, he was diagnosed with Hemochromatosis, a genetic blood disorder in which the body loads too much iron. If not treated, it can cause severe damage to internal organs. Luckily for him, he was diagnosed early and his internal organs are not affected. The only way to treat this condition is by giving blood (phlebotomy) once a month. So, next week, Russell will be doing his second treatment. For now, he expects to have to give blood once a month for 5 months and then a few times a year. He is getting regular blood testing to determine the iron level.  Hoping his condition continues to improve the way it should.

Yesterday, Spicy graduated from Obedience Level 1. She did very well and I look forward to doing Level 2 in the Spring. As for Cooper, we are done with our Fun Obedience training until mid-January. He's such a good boy and LOVES training.

That's it for my blog today. I leave you with some photos of our doggies and our special Christmas decorations for them. Have a great week!

Spicy and Cooper have their ornaments hung with care....
knowing that treats will be there!

Spicy providing my Mom some
comfort.

Spicy can always be counted upon to
make herself comfortable...
even on mom's bed.

Me and Spicy in the line up....waiting for next instructions.

Focus is the key and Spicy has it!

Spicy says, yum turkey bacon!

Me and our newest graduate form Level 1 Obedience...
Spicy!

A sunny December Monday

Happy Monday everyone! I hope your Christmas preparations are going well. Three weeks today. It's hard to believe, especially when we look at the weather. Sunny, warmish and no snow yet.

Russell and I got back from Toronto late yesterday afternoon. We had a wonderful getaway, so did our pooches. Our time in Niagara-on-the-Lake was really nice. The town was all decked out for the holidays and full of tourists. We treated ourselves to a much needed 80 minute deep tissue massage. Oh, it felt so good. Too bad the feeling cannot be bottled and applied as needed. We had a great dinner at Noble, the restaurant at the Prince of Wales Hotel and tried the tasting menu, which was delicious.

On Saturday, we drove back to Toronto and went to the Christmas Market in the Distillery District. The weather was perfect for strolling through the market.  It truly is worth going.  The ambiance was wonderful and we could feel the magic of Christmas all around us. The market was packed with people, lots of kids and lots of doggies. We wished we could have had Cooper and Spicy with us.

Saturday night, we had dinner with our good friends the Lulhams. We went to Cibo, in Yorkville. We had a great time and shared some good laughs.

So, our magical weekend came and went and my mother was never far from my thoughts. I found myself feeling quite nostalgic at times. Mom's condition has not improved. She is not in pain, which is a blessing, but is getting weaker every day. We are now at the point where we must think about finding a more comfortable environment where she can continue to receive the care she needs. Heartbreaking times for my dad and all of us.

That's it for my blog. I leave you with photos of our weekend. We created new memories that we will always cherish. I wish you all a wonderful week.

Russell and I under the heart in the Distillery District
at the Toronto Christmas market.

People everywhere at the Christmas Market.

There were sights, sounds and smells in the air at the
Market....truly a feast for the senses.

A children's choir entertained the large crowds

The Market Christmas tree was over 40 feet tall.

The setting sun cast golden light on the skyline just outside the
Toronto Christmas Market as seen on Mill St.

Just 22 days till Christmas....and counting! 

Russell and I in front of the lovely Christmas tree
of the Prince of Wales hotel after a marvelous meal
in NOTL.