Christmas in photos

We got blasted with three days of freezing rain as much of Canada did last week. We lost power for only about 6 hours on the 22nd so many lost power for so much longer days and days in fact. I felt terrible about all those dealing with the -22 temps. I suppose being in a newer area with few large trees spared us from long outages. The damage to trees in our city and surrounding cities was and is devastating to see. 

The ice did create some incredible sights.

 Waking up to our neighbours tree bending over was heart breaking, it is a pyramidal oak about 22 ft tall and it has really taken a beating.

 My little birch was bent over like a wheeping willow thankfully it is looking much better now and sustained only a little damage.

 So much thick ice for all the poor trees. It was no fun cleaning off 2" of ice off our sidewalks but it had to be done. I saw people skating down sidewalks with ice skates.

Thankfully we have a gas stove so we were able to make some coffee and a little breakfast. We headed out to survey the damage and try to find good coffee and salt, good coffee we found but salt was sold out everywhere, of course. 

 Thankfully everything went on and power was on in time for Christmas eve and we enjoyed a nice visit from family.

 Once that power came on we got the gas fireplace up and running , some people were able to run their gas fireplaces during the power outage but we for some reason couldn't.

 When the sun finally came out a couple of days later it made for a beautiful sight, the trees looked like they were made of glass.
Then the snow came , not great for our travels but it was short lived and we travelled and got to see more family out of town , it was amazing to see how some areas were covered in ice and others did't get any.

Can you see the ice layer and then the fresh snow layer on the branches...crazy. The ice all melted away a couple of days ago and now our trees are recovering and mostly standing upright again. 

Sadly and suddenly we lost my grandfather my Opa on the 27th of December at 101.5 years of age. He had had a bad fall at home in his apartment a week or so before and was in the hospital and was doing all right but his heart was functioning at only 10%( for a long while now) and there was fluid around his lungs and it was just too much and sadly he passed away. He was more than ready to go and we have all been ready in theory but I don't think any of us thought it was going to happen any time soon , the news truly was shocking, I suppose it always is.

Sorry to end on sad news but this was my Christmas this year. All in all we had a nice Christmas got to spend time with family and friends and we are all safe warm and happy and looking forward to New Years eve and a fresh start for 2014....I hope you had a wonderful Christmas...

New MMORPG League of Angels Slated for January Release

Global online games publisher Reality Squared Games (R2Games) recently publicized the upcoming release of their next game: League of Angels, projected for January 10th.

Developed by UZUU, League of Angels is a hybrid turn-based fantasy MMORPG/strategy game. Combining aspects of multiplayer games with a few new twists, League of Angels brings a unique flair to browser gaming - in addition to embarking on engaging quests, dominating in massive PvP and outwitting fierce events, players can also seek out and train angels and collect rewards from minigame challenges. With a selection of 2 unique classes, players set off on a journey to re-awaken the Angels to bring peace back to a broken world.

The story takes place in a fallen world, where Angels that once brought wisdom and guidance have long ago been cast down, stripped of their powers and trapped into a dreamless slumber. Refusing to give in to despair, great heroes known as the Brave arose to fight back and uncover the secret to re-awakening the Angels. Recruit and train allies, craft powerful equipment, and seek out Angels to fight side by side to save the world.

The newly launched game will also hold special events for players to win various rewards. Further details are to be shared shortly on the official League of Angels site: http://loa.r2games.com/.

R2Games has also teased at a having leading cosplayers portray some of the titular Angels from the game. Those interested in seeing live versions of their favorite Angels can sign up to the newsletter for the latest updates and cosplays on their official site.

The final and finished family room reveal

 We have finally moved back into the family room and we are loving it. I took a vote and everyone agrees the ceiling is the best part of the room followed by the floors.
I found a nice sisal 8x10 rug at Home Depot for $150 which was amazing, its synthetic because I have a family and pets and real sisal would not stand up to them.

 I moved the grey ektorp arm chair into the family room and we decided to leave the settee out of the room to keep it more open, we did lose seating for one but hopefully we will get that new longer sofa and we will gain back that lost seating. The room this way feels so much better now and all dressed for Christmas its lovely. You may notice I also changed out the lamps, I decided to try the dining room lamps and I love them with the burlap shades.

 Here is a good look at the floors I am so happy to have wood throughout this space now.

 I am so looking forward to my new coffee table, my hubby ordered it for me after returning that chair I mentioned earlier. Turns out another husband wanted it for his wife in time for Christmas and if we hadn't wanted it then he wouldn't have had it for her in time, so I think it was meant to be really.

So there it is as it is now, I will do a new post after Christmas with my new coffee table.
Merry Christmas...

here's a couple of before's for fun

Maastricht. A voyage to Maastricht, The Netherlands ( Nederland ), Europe.

 

Spanish and Roman ruins, sophisticated food and drink, French and Belgian twists in the architecture, a shrugging off of the shackles of Dutch restraint – are we still in the Netherlands?

Maastricht is a lively and energetic place, with appeal and allure out of proportion to its size. The people are irreverent, there are hordes of university students and the streets are steeped in history. No visit to the Netherlands is complete without a visit.
 

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