Due to the nature of my husband's job we've moved often- thirteen times to be exact. This meant we did not spend a lot of time living in any one house. Fast forward to retirement and the house we have now lived in for thirteen years. A record for us by far. And while staying in a house this long has brought us comfort and ease, there have also been a few surprises of the maintenance variety.

For a person my age, I think I’ve been pretty lucky in the health department. Low thyroid, high blood pressure, the odd memory lapse and an arthritic hip, but that’s about it. For the last few years though, my Optometrist has been telling me I’m going to need cataract surgery soon. Well, it seems soon has arrived. Easy Peasy? I was not really worried about having cataract surgery. I’d heard from friends and family that it was a quick, relatively painless, straight forward procedure and really nothing to lose sleep over. And the fact that I may not have to wear glasses afterwards was a huge bonus. I was excited…

The other day I saw a piece about how "granny chic" style is all the rage right now. The article said it is defined as "donning vintage-style pieces like crochet sweaters and eyeglass chains." I suppose I should be happy that I am finally going to be on the cutting edge of style, being as how I am an actual grandma.

My husband is a runner and has been ever since I’ve known him. So it was no surprise when he proposed a “sport tourism” trip so that he could compete in a marathon. After all the staying at home we’ve done over the last two years it did feel like it was time to get back out there. And when I found out that the marathon he wanted to do was in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island, I was excited as it would give me a chance to see a part of the country I hadn’t seen before, and to visit my friend Anne, someone you may also know – Anne…

In many ways, my husband and I personify that cliche that says opposites attract. And no where is that more evident than when it comes to "stuff". He is not bothered by bits and pieces of everything laying around and likes to keep mementos of events big and small. I, on the other hand, prefer clean, clear surfaces and tend to let go of things perhaps a little too easily.

You may recognize the title of this post as a phrase from an IKEA commercial advertising the affordability of their products. I love this commercial and have been known to utter this phrase myself when it comes to IKEA, not because of their prices, but rather because I am excited to go to IKEA. You see, IKEA and I go way back. I am a huge fan. The Light Goes On Because we lived in a lot of small towns, I didn’t always have the opportunity to visit IKEA. But when we moved to a city that had an IKEA store that I could visit regularly, I was hooked. Oh…