New Year's Eve 2015

I found this website which suggests keeping a happiness jar.  It suggests you write down something that made you happy every day for the coming year then read all about it next year! 

On password security

We finally woke up to some snow yesterday, it was heavy and wet and it really helped to use the snowblower.

I came upon this article on poetic passwords. The poetic password site will generate a password poem for you that they say would take 5 million years to crack.

On Monday morning son K found an email that was confirming his activation of a new cashback credit card at our bank.  I called the emergency customer service number in alarm because he had done no such thing.  After checking his online profile we were told it was likely just a spam email, not to worry.  Whew, and at the same time we will keep checking his online profile just in case.

An Enjoyable Evening

My godmother is usually in town over Christmas and she had invited me to her sister's house for dinner on Boxing Day.  She has known my mother since elementary school, so they are 77 years old.  I told her I would be able to bring my mother along and she was delighted.

My mom, who has some dementia, remembered her good friend.  

The large home was full of people and fun conversation.  The host made up his own prayer as we said grace before the meal, it was thankful yet funny. 

I had forgotten how lavish their dinners were, the food was absolutely delicious.  Here's my plate:

One of the host's brothers apparently always wears colourful clothes. That night he wore orange jeans, a pink shirt, pink socks and a burgundy red vest.  Someone asked where he gets his clothes.  He said he shops in the women's department.  The reason is that he finds men's clothes dull and are in fact more expensive.  He will just have the ladies jeans altered with deeper pockets. His long time girlfriend was also at the party.   I would guess he is in his seventies and I think it's great he is just being himself (non conformist) and in fact looked good, very dapper.

My mom had a wonderful time, ate well and was very animated.  I must say I also enjoyed the evening.

Eggnog Latte

Husband M and I had gone for a walk just before lunch on Christmas Day.  The weather was mild and yes, the squirrels were out.  I heard they have gained a lot of weight with the extra foraging time due to the warmer weather. We stopped in at a rather crowded Starbucks, it was about the only thing open on Christmas Day on Main Street.  I decided to try a small eggnog latte, it was 'comforting' to say the least!

Have a look at this fabulous photo taken by a Nunavut photographer showing a friend throwing iced tea behind his head in -40C temperatures.

Christmas Eve Recap

Here is a link to Chocolate Banoffee Biscuit Balls that Beate asked for the other day in this post. I had referred to them as chocolate covered cookie caramel pops.

These are some photos from our Christmas Eve dinner with husband M, daughter L and her boyfriend, son K and myself.  I started cooking at around 4.30 pm, I was roasting chicken.  All the dishes turned out perfectly including the homemade apple pie my friend had given to me.

After dinner, we decided to watch the Star Wars IV movie, it was very good considering it is a 1977 movie.  It was well after midnight when the movie ended and we decided to open our gifts so that we could all sleep in on Christmas morning.  We planned to attend M's extended family gathering that afternoon.

 It was an interesting coincidence knowing that it was the first full moon on Christmas Day in 38 years.  The last full moon on Christmas Day was in 1977, the year Star Wars IV was released and here we were watching it in the wee hours of Christmas Day 2015.

Dinner Table

My Dinner Plate

Dessert

Homemade Apple Pie

My dessert plate

Boxing Day 2015

Hope you had a good Christmas, I know many are still celebrating in the next couple of days, with all the extended families.  Thoughts must now be turning to the New Year.

Here are 13 facts you never knew about Food Network chef Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.  Most interesting is that she can fly a plane, worked as a budget analyst for the White House, excelling in school in science.  Her most popular recipe is her balsamic roasted beet salad, I will have to try this sometime.  Do you watch her Food Network show?  I own one of her cookbooks.

Paint Party Friday - Christmas Camel

For Paint Party Friday, I did a Christmas Camel in acrylic on good quality (6" x 6") textured orange cardstock. I kind of just whipped this one up in half an hour as I didn't know Kristin and Eva would be running the co-op on Christmas Day (why not)!  Thanks ladies!  Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas from our home to yours, have a safe and beautiful day!

Christmas Eve 2015

 Have a warm and wonderful Christmas Eve!  The weather here is unseasonably mild, a projected 15C (59F) and sunny today!!!   Apparently it will be the first full moon on Christmas Day in 38 years.

Husband M, daughter L and her boyfriend, son K and I went to see the new Star Wars movie late Tuesday night and enjoyed it.   I think I just saw the original first movie.   M really wanted to see it, as he is a big fan.

Here is a video of inmates in a Kentucky jail finding a way to keep hope in this season.

Chocolate Biscotti and the Senior's Residence

My girlfriend S gave me a box of these chocolate biscotti for Christmas. They are perfect dipped into a hot drink!

I called my uncle who moved into a senior's home this past fall.  I had to call the home several times until I finally got through.  I was able to speak to my uncle's partner first.  Then she woke him out of a light nap so I could wish him a Merry Christmas.  They will try to go to one of his sisters for Christmas dinner, but it depends on how he is feeling, mentally or otherwise.  He has some Alzheimer's/Dementia. Apparently some virus has broken out on the 4th floor of the residence.  My uncle is on the 2nd floor so hopefully all will be okay for Christmas as the residence is planning a Christmas party.  His partner is faithfully there with him every day, although she has her own apartment in the city.

Godiva Truffles

Daughter L brought these Godiva chocolate truffles home last week. She had been in the store and they told her it was a set price for as many truffles as she could stuff into the box, so she did a really good job of it. I tried the creme brulee truffle, it was hard to stop at just one!

Husband M and I got together with good friends over the weekend.  A friend had a potluck party at her house on Saturday night.  I elected to bring a fruit tray of blackberries, pomegranate, clementines, strawberries, red and green grapes.  It was colourful and healthy.  One of the guests was saying she attended a cousin's funeral recently.  She thought we shouldn't wait for a funeral to connect with old friends and long lost  relatives, which is what happened to her.  Another interesting thing was when this lady's husband, who works in Europe says he went to visit his parents in Germany.  He made the mistake of downloading a movie, and was billed $800 euro for 3 seconds of download time.  Piracy is taken very seriously in Germany compared to North America.  It was an expensive learning experience.

The next day we went to a nice restaurant with good friends.  It was great to get caught up on each other's news and exchange gifts.

Sugar Plums and a powerful article

I had got this funny one from Martha's blog the other day:

Marie of The English Kitchen posted this Sugar Plum recipe.  Have you ever made them?  I have saved it to try at some point.  There is no baking it seems, just a food processor would be handy.

I was reading this powerful NY Times article featuring our new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  Here is an excerpt from a debate he had with then prime minister Stephen Harper:

‘‘Why would we not revoke the citizenship of people convicted of terrorist offenses against this country?’’ Harper asked Trudeau incredulously.

‘‘A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian,’’ Trudeau replied defiantly. ‘‘And you devalue the citizenship of every Canadian in this place and in this country when you break down and make it conditional for anyone.’’

Oh wow,  is all I have to say. 

Sunday Sketches - Backyard Shadows

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! This piece is done in my sketchbook (8 1/2" x 11") in watercolour crayon. I called it 'Backyard Shadows'.  It's based on a photo I took in my backyard in the fall, I just changed it to snow on the ground.  We don't really have any snow right now, as it has been a mild December.

Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Daughter L was up north at her boyfriend's family's home last weekend and sent these photos. They did some phenomenal baking.  They made:

cinnamon roll casserole

sugar cookies

shortbread cookies

chocolate covered cookie caramel pops

Paint Party Friday - Topiary

Welcome to Paint Party Friday.  This piece is done in my sketchbook (8 1/2" x 11") in watercolour crayon.  It shows a view of seasonal topiary I have from behind a low wall.  I also tried to capture some morning shadows in the room at the time I took the reference photo.

Pork Tenderloin Roast

I made a pork tenderloin roast for the first time last week. I never had the right kind of pan that you could put in the oven and was recently given a nice one. So I did a jerk marinade for the pork, browned it in some olive oil on the stove top then put it in a 350F oven for twenty minutes (I have a hot oven). I let the meat rest for 10 minutes then sliced it as pictured and that was it! It was tender and delicious. It would be perfect for a festive meal. 

Ikea 2015 Winter Sale

This past weekend husband M and I went to Ikea to check out their 2015 winter sale. M likes their $1 breakfast as pictured below, the Ikea coffee is really good. The deal is if you arrive before 10 am on any day the $1 breakfast includes coffee, otherwise you will pay an extra dollar for the coffee. Well we got there after 10am, but we did enjoy our breakfast. M gets two pancakes for an additional dollar.

Ikea $1 Breakfast

Since M loves their coffee so much, we bought a couple of boxes to take home.

Ikea Coffee

I was surprised that Ikea was selling real Christmas trees for $20 each. They smelled really good. The stands were $22.50, more than the tree actually.

I enjoyed the wonderful Christmas music playing throughout the store as you shopped. It makes you feel like there is absolutely no hurry, as you are lulled into a wonderful Christmas spirit. It was a fun shopping day, of course I didn't need any furniture.

Seasonal Fun

One of my girlfriends is newly retired and went to work part-time at a thrift store this year. She invited me to their employee Christmas sale just over a week ago and gave me a special ticket for the after hours sale. Most of the stuff was 50% off that night. Husband M, son K and I went to have a look. I got this Lladro 1991 Christmas ornament for $1.50, it had never been used. Son K got an old Xbox game for about $2.

I should really go through our clutter and donate to this worthy store.

Lladro Ornament

X Box game

On hate and love

Hope your weekend was good.  The weather has been mild and I have been able to meet up with a couple of friends for walks.  We have also been exchanging gifts.

I was at a dinner party this past weekend and a beautiful rose was given to each lady to take home. 

Lady Fi has a wonderful quote from Martin Luther King as her blog header.  It is so true and at Christmastime with discord in many families, something to at least think about. 

'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. -- Martin Luther King Jr.'

 Browsing through Pinterest I came upon this article with a happiness formula:  letting go + acceptance + gratitude.  Letting go involves no overthinking, just be.  Acceptance is when you are okay with things as they are, no need to have control or to try to change things.  And of course, gratitude is thankfulness for what you have.  I enjoyed the read.

Sunday Sketches - Baby

Welcome to Alexandra's Sunday Sketches. This piece is called 'Baby', done in watercolour pencil and crayon on good quality coloured cardstock (6" x 6"). It's based on a photo I saw in the newspaper, it screamed 'paint me'.

Chocolate chip brownie cookies

Daughter L made these chocolate chip brownie cookies sprinkled with sea salt and sugar last weekend for a cookie exchange party that she was attending. She made these using a pack of brownie mix and added some flour and chocolate chips. I like her creative topping!

Here's a batch she made just for us, it was chewy and delicious:

Paint Party Friday - My Party Ornament

Welcome to Kristin and Eva's Paint Party Friday! I drew my party ornament for you today, isn't she glamourous? It's done on good quality coloured cardstock (6" x 6") in acrylic and fine point marker.

Here is a photo of the piece so you can see the metallic finish on her shoulders.

And here is the actual ornament, it was a challenge trying to recreate all that black tulle:

Healthy Food Tip

These are some gold beets I saw at a grocery store the other day. Have you seen them before? The prices at this store tend to be on the high side.

Son K and I were at another grocery store on another other day and there was a lady dispensing smoked salmon samples.  She had crackers topped with hummus then a sliver of smoked salmon.  It was delicious.  She mentioned the hummus being a healthier alternative to cream cheese.  I will have to remember this.  I had also read that hummus is a good alternative to mayonnaise that you would spread on sandwiches.  It's certainly worth trying, don't you think?

Great Results

I'm sharing my healthy snack with you today, a handful of blackberries, seedless grapes and there were 3 pieces of light marble cheddar cheese on the plate! It's completed with a glass of 1% milk.

Husband M had a successful checkup with his doctor last week. His A1C reading was 7.2, down from 9.2 just two and a half months ago. These are his blood sugar test results. The doctor would like to see that number under 7 but was surprised at how well he was doing in such a short time. She was all prepared to raise his medication which is what she does for so many people. She took notes on what he was doing as she wanted to inform her other patients. He told her that for him, the 2 diabetic clinics she had sent him to were invaluable as he learned a lot there. He had switched from granola type cereals to one we found called Fibre 1 by General Mills. In his favour, his blood pressure and cholesterol are normal. M's next checkup is in 3 months, so hopefully things will still be on track!

In other complications, M remembered his needed an ice breaker tool and promptly went out and bought one. Remember that we are giving him one for Christmas as a surprise! I had to tell him, so he will return the one he bought and the surprise will be in what kind it was and what this one looks like.  I can nag him for weeks about other things on his todo list, they never get done, go figure!

Creative Tuesdays - Old World Christmas

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays! My piece is done in acrylic on good quality green cardstock (6" x 6"). I used some of my Christmas ornaments for reference. The little boy is dressed in suspenders from a time past, as is the snowman in his retro outfit complete with a top hat.  I hope I have created a sense of an 'Old World Christmas' here.

I was listening to this 'beat the bank' type of contest on the radio yesterday and a man took all the risks and won the maximum $10,000 prize!  When asked what his plans were for the money, the first thing he said was that he would donate a large portion to the incoming Syrian refugees.  That was so heartwarming to hear, I was expecting him to say the more usual stuff.  He sounded like a young man but it's hard to guess from the radio.

The lost gift card

Son K took this photo one evening at sunset when we were out shopping, I thought it was pretty:

So last week I was rushing out of the house and stepped out into  my garage the wrong way and hurt the instep on one of my feet. I was okay until many hours later that night when the foot started to hurt and I couldn't put any weight on it.  It was a terrible, helpless feeling although my family was very helpful.  Fortunately, I was able to limp around by the next morning and things improved quickly as the hours went by.

I had gone Christmas shopping that day and realized one of the gift cards I purchased was missing!  We decided to go back to Walmart to see if the cashier might still have it.  The cashier didn't but she thought she might be able to re-print the gift receipt and cancel the card.  She went to check with her supervisor and the supervisor said 'was it a red card ...with a receipt folded over it?'  It seems she had found one lying on the floor next to the cash register hours earlier!  So we went to customer service to retrieve it, armed with my bill of sale.  I don't know if a $25 gift card was worth twisting my foot over, but it was still a good feeling.

Sunday Sketches - Bendy Snowman

Welcome to Alexandra's Sunday Sketches! I did a bendy snowman in acrylic on good quality purple cardstock (6" x 6").  I actually have him sitting in my Christmas tree!

Tree's Up

So our tree's up for 2015!

Son K found the perfect gift for his dad, we will all claim it as his gift from all of us as he is
difficult to buy presents for!  It's an ice breaker tool in case we get an ice storm!  Now let's hope husband M forgets he was intending to get one.

Paint Party Friday - Vintage Bear

Welcome to Paint Party Friday, thanks as always to our hosts Eva and Kristin! I did a vintage bear ornament for you today, done in acylic on good quality (6" x 6") green cardstock.  I added a photo so you could see the glimmer of the copper tones that I used.  I used an actual ornament I have as my reference.  I have him standing in the snow, could it be that he came to life?

At the Hairdresser

I was at the hairdresser last week.  He was late coming in, so his assistant coloured my hair.  I told her about the estate sale in my neighbourhood that I visited recently where I got a wheelbarrow for a couple of dollars.  She told me she loved garage sales.  In fact, she bought this sealed box of high quality pyrex dishes for $20 at one time.  She ended up giving it to a friend for a wedding gift.  The funny thing is, the friend loved the dishes and asked her where she got them.  She had to tell her that she forgot where she bought them.  We laughed at the 'little white lie'.  Most importantly, the dishes were loved!

So then, the esthetician came over to us, bringing me a cup of coffee.  The assistant thought she had not made it the way I like it, but indeed she had put 'just milk'.  I was surprised that she knew how I liked my coffee and I mentioned how lovely her hair was looking that day.  She told me the assistant had done her hair.  When the esthetician left, the assistant confided to me that it was in fact a wig!

The assistant had also been busy with another customer and quickly washed my hair before she had to attend to the other person.  The hairdresser came in just in time to cut my hair.  While he was cutting, the assistant came over and put mousse in my hair asking if I felt all the grey had been covered.

I left feeling very pampered that day!

Our first Christmas card

I received my first Christmas card (pictured above) on November 27th in the mail! I think everyone is in the Christmas spirit early this year. I visited a girlfriend that same night and she already had her Christmas lights turned on and there was a wreath on her front door. So I was inspired to put my tree up the next day!

Request to Graduate

Welcome to December! The Christmas decorations are up all over the city now:

I must admit I have been listening to a lot of Christmas music from a local radio station.  December seems to have crept up on me, I have been enjoying the fall season so much.  Now it's time to get the Christmas cards ready and do the Christmas shopping.

In other great news, son K submitted his official request to graduate from his college, having finished  all the credit requirements for his program.  He will have his final mark in January and the graduation ceremony will be in June 2016.  He still has his part-time job for now as he searches for a suitable full-time job. 

Today's thoughts

Fall Skies

I heard on the radio the other day that you should sleep with your bedroom doors closed in case of a fire.  The doors will hold back the smoke as they have discovered in tests.

Husband M has discovered that white rice is really bad for his blood sugar readings.  Two slices of rye bread has such a different (better) effect, something to keep in mind if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

My sister found this most romantic true story from the New York Times
'She Answered His Ad for a Roommate, Moved In and Never Left'.  I enjoyed the read.

Sunday Sketches - the Moon

Welcome to Alexandra's Sunday Sketches! This piece is entitled 'The Moon', done on an index card in watercolour crayon and pencil. Happy Sunday, hope it's not too cold where you are. I have a cousin in Florida who was saying how cool it was at 72F the other day (she called it a cold front). I just said 'ya, really'.  I think she was actually glad to have a break of the humidity!

Las Vegas 2015 - Bacchanal Buffet

It would be remiss if I didn't tell you about the Caesar's Palace Bacchanal Buffet where we did a weekday lunch on our recent visit to Las Vegas. I took photos of what I ate, there had to be 300 items to choose from, so I did my best to do it justice!

Caesar's Palace

Bacchanal Restaurant Glass Chandelier

My first plate

Lobster chowder, oyster shooter, pork belly plate, lobster ravioli, crayfish, paella, prime rib, mussels.  The chowder was a bit salty so I just tasted it and had a bite of the ravioli.  There were 2 oysters in the oyster shooter which sat in a Bloody Mary type of mix. The pork belly plate was to die for,  the pork belly sat on some kind of sauce and was topped with a tiny piece of apple.

Caesar's Palace Washroom sink

My Second Plate

poblano chicken, mini zucchini and tomatoes, corn, kale salad, baby spinach salad, tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, truffled scalloped potatoes

My Dessert Plate

I have to say their desserts were the best part of the meal, superb, incredible chocolate!  Buttercream stick, raspberry coulis, tiramisu in a chocolate cup, creme brule, watermelon.  Husband M said they had a large selection of sugar free desserts as well.

And that was my Bacchanal Buffet gastronomic experience!