Cute One

I got this from the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF).

Which owl are you today? Lol.

Paint Party Friday - Mama

For Paint Party Friday, I saw a bunch of these animal photos with their babies an email and decided to draw this one in watercolour pencils on (5 1/2"h x 4 1/4"w) cardstock. They are King Penguins.  Happy Friday!

That's Life!

So I'm driving along with my mom a couple of days ago, we were going to McDonald's for lunch.  This cop pulls me over, he said I didn't stop at the Stop sign.   He proceeds to give me two tickets for $110 each.  The 2nd one was because my husband M had not signed our car ownership certificate.  Apparently I can meet with a prosecutor to show him the signed ownership and that ticket shouldn't be a problem.  For the stop sign, I wasn't speeding and in my opinion I did stop.  There was no one at the intersection.  He perceived that I just lightly tapped on my brakes.   So I will plead my case with the prosecutor as I will have 2 demerit points on my record for 3 years.  It would be the 2nd time in 36 years of driving that I have been pulled over and the first time was not for a stop sign.  I think I was going through some street during rush hour and I wasn't allowed.  Oh well, put into perspective, that's life!  I just wish the whole incident didn't make me feel so bad.

To a more pleasant topic, have you ever seen the Queen Anne's Lace wildflowers go to seed? Isn't the pod pretty?

Golden Beets

My friend S gave me some of these golden beets recently.  Her sister actually has a farm. They are the size of new potatoes and when you cut them, they are yellow inside. I put a couple of handfuls into some chicken soup I was making, they are sweet tasting and I liked them.  I just cut the ends off and left the skins on.  I also put in a handful of sliced red beets which turned the soup red, so I imagine the golden beets would have turned the soup yellow. Anyway, I had never seen these golden beets before, have you?  In fact I haven't seen them in the supermarkets.

Smile

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this poster displayed in a school counsellor's office the other day. It says 'Smile, it's the first thing people like about you'. Doesn't it make you smile?

In other thoughts, I realize I have been putting off reading the newspaper and magazines, preferring to go online and read stuff there first. It seems to be a quicker and more efficient way of obtaining information. In fact, I have to pull myself off the computer sometimes. How about you? I feel sad for the newspapers and magazines, it spells their ultimate demise perhaps.

Crockpot Oatmeal and a Close Call

We went to a show downtown on the weekend, a musical called 'Anything Goes'. It garnered a standing ovation, with an excellent cast.  The orchestra played wonderfully beneath the stage.  I thought it was a bit old-fashioned, but it was okay. I had gotten a half-price deal for the whole family.  L is leaving soon to return to school so it was nice to have us all together that night.

I noticed these pretty lights as we walked downtown. That is an RBC bank building and the CN Tower right beside it in red. It's neat how they have those blue lights running up one side of that building. We also noticed some teenaged street skaters skateboarding on a busy downtown road.  I had noticed one of them doing a trick leaping onto a pile of construction material on the sidewalk.  I suddenly heard a huge collective sigh of relief. My daughter L had seen the teenager tumble into the road directly in front of a car.   Fortunately the driver was alert and was able to slam on his brakes in time. That was a close call and the boy's time had not come!

This recipe is being shared on Facebook (Emily's Skinny Friends). It is delicious, it tastes like bread pudding and smells like a cinnamon bun!

place 2 sliced apples
1/4c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
in bottom of crockpot

sprinkle in 2c oatmeal (I used quick oats)
then add 2c milk
2c water 

do not stir

cook overnight 8-9 hours in your crockpot on low.

I actually added more water and a bit of extra sugar.

Sunday Sketches - Rose of Sharon

For Sunday Sketches, I did a quick ATC sketch using watercolour pencils of a Rose of Sharon branch I had photographed.  I was attracted to the three different colours of the flowers on the branch that I saw.  Can you see the burgundy, purple and pink?

Here is the photo:

I know my sketch doesn't do it justice but this is what I have for today anyway!

Shanghai Dim Sum

We decided to try some Shanghai dim sum the other day.  It is a bit different, maybe larger sized than the more common Chinese dim sum.  My sister had been talking about the famous soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) or (XLB) and I don't seem to have a photo of it here. These are dumplings where soup is cooked with the meat inside it. So we made sure to order some of those.  Here are some of the other dishes we enjoyed. My favourite were the pan fried pork dumplings.   Apparently and unfortunately, even the steamed dishes are not deemed to be healthy.

spring rolls and shrimp and pork sui mai

pan fried pork dumplings

stir fried bean leaf with garlic

Paint Party Friday - Harvest Moon

For Paint Party Friday I've done a 'Harvest Moon' piece. I thought the tall grasses would add to the sentiment of the Fall Harvest theme. Acrylic on cardstock (6" x 6").

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

Crabapples

It's that time of year and the crabapples around the neighbourhood have ripened on the tree.

You know I have been hearing from several sources (friends of friends, newspaper stories) that the modern way to meet potential partners is through online dating. And it can result in serious relationships. For my generation, it may seem like a horrifying and scary thing, but people of all ages seem to be embracing this method of finding a mate. What are your thoughts on this matter?  Are you more old-fashioned or do you think it's a good idea?

Kohlrabi

My girlfriend S gave me these Kohlrabi vegetables the other day. I had never made these before. Apparently you can eat them raw in salads. I ended up roasting mine. They have a 'radish' kind of taste. They may be better in soups or stews or maybe even stir-fried. Still, it's a great vegetable. Do you know any good ways to prepare Kohlrabi?  Or have you ever heard of this vegetable?

Kohlrabi

Sliced Kohlrabi

Creative Tuesdays - September

Creative Tuesdays' current theme is 'September'. I decided to do something with the harvest moon which will occur on September 22, 2013 this year.  It's done in acrylic (6" x 6") on cardstock.

Thanks to MMm for hosting!

I was inspired by this beautiful old painting I saw on one of Adam's posts at Neko Random.

Fat Free Creamer and a Movie

So I bought this small carton of 'fat free creamer' as I couldn't resist trying it. Well, I read 'fat free cream'. Anyway, save your money, I wouldn't buy it again. It's better to go with the real thing, I buy 'half and half' or 10% milk fat.

In other news, we all went to see the movie 'Lee Daniel's The Butler'. I had been at the gym watching 'The View' and Oprah came on with some of her cast members and they did a great job selling the movie, I felt it would be a good one to see. It's a powerful film and I see lots of Oscar nominations here.   There are a lot of 'big name' actors in this movie.  It's serious but with lots of humourous moments. At some points I was moved to tears.  The audience clapped at the end.

Sunday Sketches - The Dress

Happy Birthday Alexandra!!! Thanks for always hosting!

I'm showing a couple of ATCs this week in acrylic. They were inspired by a lady I saw in the grocery store recently. I wish I could've taken a photo of her dress instead of trying to re-create these versions from memory here! I also showed the lower dress at Paint Party Friday.  The one on the easel is new for Sunday Sketches.  Happy Sunday!

Linking to Sunday Sketches.

Once a Pun a Time

These are hilarious, enjoy!

Puns For Educated Minds


1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He
acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye-doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to
be an optical Aleutian .

3. She was only a whisky-maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber-band pistol was confiscated from an algebra class, because it
was a weapon of math disruption.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum
Blownapart.

8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

9. A hole has been found in the nudist-camp wall. The police are looking
into it.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the
other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'

13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at
large.

16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned
veteran.

17. A backward poet writes inverse.

18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your
count that votes.

19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris , you'd be in Seine .

21. A vulture carrying two dead raccoons boards an airplane. The stewardess
looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per
passenger.'

22. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says,
'Dam!'


23. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the
craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your
kayak and heat it too.

24. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other
says, 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'

25. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a
root-canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

26. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at
least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Paint Party Friday - The Dress

This is an ATC in acrylic entitled 'The Dress'. It was inspired by an outfit I saw a lady wearing at the grocery store the other day. I couldn't take a photo, but tried my best to capture it here. Hers may have hung more loosely and the colours may have been slightly different, but she looked so comfortable and stylish at the same time.

Linking to Paint Party Friday, thanks as always to Eva and Kristin for hosting.

A Favourite Drink

McDonald's Iced Coffees are a popular drink around here this summer. They've priced a medium sized iced coffee at $1 all summer, what's not to love?

Inspiration

Isn't this inspiring?  I love it!

Yesterday after dropping my daughter L to the train station, (she works downtown), I had a quick breakfast at McDonald's and got the combo meal which comes with a hash brown. I got the hash brown to go as my son K is always happy to eat that. As I left the gym I decided to offer it to the receptionist who always has a friendly greeting for me. He was glad to have it. Then I went to the hairdresser's who kindly offered me his copy of the latest Chatelaine magazine. I told him it was okay and that he could save it for his other customers to read.  However, he insisted, he said his wife told him 'if Christine comes today, please give it to her as she likes this magazine'. I guess it was a 'give something get something in return' kind of day! Might I mention it was a beautiful morning. We've only had a few days this summer where it has been really 'heat wave' hot.  Mind you, last night was a bit cold  (sweater weather).

Beautiful Voices

Hortensia?

So I was in church on the weekend, and it was a wonderful experience.  A well known priest was visiting from Jamaica.  He brought these 2 singers with him who were out of this world, with soaring, beautiful, moving voices that filled the entire church.  The congregation applauded after each song.  It was like being at a concert, the 3 songs they sang.  They seem to visit every now and again, as I remembered the male singer from this post last December.  The 74 year old priest himself writes most of the songs for his  'Missionaries of the Poor' foundation and he is a powerful speaker.  However he is anti gay marriage and abortion and was very outspoken about it.  That's the Catholic church for you.  He has devoted his life to the poor, ill and imprisoned.  This post is really about the impression left by those beautiful gifted singers and the powerful, emotional songs written by Father Ho Lung.  They really lifted my day.

Another thing I noticed was that the man sitting next to me left his car keys on the bench and went up to receive Holy Communion.   People leave their handbags like that all the time, but these were just his keys.  It seemed like a test of honesty!

A nice cottage

On the weekend, we were lucky enough to be invited to my husband M's old classmate's new cottage up north in the Lake Simcoe area. We had great conversation, another classmate and his wife were also there.  The topic these days turns to retirement plans and concerns about our children's futures and job prospects.

We had delicious barbecued chicken and roasted corn, and lots of other yummy food. They actually soaked the corn on the cob in water, then let it steam in its skin inside the barbecue as the chicken cooked. It had a lovely, steamed texture.  It's funny as I brought a carrot cake for dessert and the hostess had also baked a carrot cake from a gluten free mix.  So we had pieces of each, all good.

My son K had a ton of fun riding on their new seadoo.  I only had one or two mosquito bites.  My daughter L socialized with one of their daughters who had a friend also visiting.  It turns out L used to go to dance class with this friend when they were little girls.  It's a small world.  The kids had fun roasting marshmallows and eating them between chocolate chip cookies.

sunset at the cottage

Sunday Sketches - ATC

This is a tiny ATC (Artist Trading Card) done in acrylic.  Happy Sunday!


Linking to Sunday Sketches.

Blueberries

The gorgeous summer weather continues. It's even great for walking around late at night. My daughter L and I are doing a fasting blood test in the morning, checking for routine stuff like blood sugar and cholesterol. The hard part is fasting for 12 hours although you go to bed and have it done first thing in the morning. I suppose we shouldn't have eaten fried food the night before.

Blueberries are plentiful at this time of year. I found an easy blueberry muffin recipe and made these recently. I decided to substitute brown sugar in place of the regular sugar.

And can you find the cat in this photo?

Paint Party Friday - Cosmos

Today's piece called 'Cosmos' is a (2" x 2") canvas in acrylic, outlined with a fine point marker. The materials were gifted to me by Valerie at Bastelmania, isn't it so tiny and cute?  It's even smaller than an ATC (artist trading card).

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

This was my inspiration photo:

Evolution

I made this simple apple cobbler using a cake mix, based on a recipe I found on Pinterest. It was delicious! Seriously, you just empty a can of apple pie
mix into a baking pan, top with a white cake mix, then pour a can of sprite over top! Then you bake for about 45 minutes!

It's time to start thinking about my daughter L's return to her university for her final year.  Her time at home has gone by too quickly.  It doesn't help that my son K is out with his friends more than he is at home these days!  My husband M and I have to adjust to our upcoming empty nest I suppose.  We're approaching a different stage of life.  I think more about what it was like when I was in that 'emerging adulthood' stage of life and now I understand what my parents were going through.  My mother always said things like  'life is short'.  It is.  I get this way every year around this time!

A beautiful gift

I won this beautiful gift from Sandra and was thrilled to receive it all the way from Australia! Thanks again Sandra!

My husband M decided it was time to replace the windows and doors in our house, so we have been getting estimates from various vendors. It's a tiresome process but we finally found a company we like, and will go ahead with them. One of the last men to come to the house stayed for 4 1/2 hours and we really liked him. But the next day, a guy came for about an hour and we knew we had to select his company. It was a business decision as opposed to a popularity contest.

Too Healthy?

This is my favourite salad of the moment, I've been making it a lot. It has baby spinach leaves, walnut pieces, chunks of blue cheese, slices of pear and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I've also used apple slices if I don't have any pears around. It's the saltiness of the cheese, the sweetness of the fruit, the sour of the vinaigrette, and the crunchy texture of the walnuts that make it a classic, I guess.  Does this appeal to you or do  you think it's too healthy?

USB Hub

I was walking this weekend on a perfect summer morning, almost clear skies, birds twittering.  I hear this car honking, and honking, so I came to a stop wondering if the driver was trying to get my attention.  Then along came a cute little girl on her bike, she couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 years old.  The dad came out of his car screaming something like 'Camille!'  'Camille!'  as he ushered her down the road, I guess to hurry home, he spoke a foreign language I didn't recognize, maybe Russian?  I think she must have gone for a long bike ride and didn't seem the least concerned!  The dad must've been driving around looking for her.

Here are some pretty 'weeds' I photographed on the weekend.  The wildflowers are at their best at this time of year, Queen Anne's lace, chickory,  pockets of white, purple and yellow everywhere.

So have you ever seen a USB Hub? It's the grey device in the photo. To some people it's old news but I had never noticed one before until I saw it plugged into my husband M's computer the other day. It has 2 USB drives plugged into it, so they will appear as 2 extra drives on your computer.

Sunday Sketches - Waning Moon

This piece is done in acrylic on cardstock (6" x 6"). It's called 'Waning Moon', meaning it is getting smaller, moving from a full moon to a new moon. It's a time to break bad habits or to end bad relationships, from what I can google!  So are you superstitious?

I was inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest.

Linking to Sunday Sketches.

A Nice Summer Lunch

It is a Civic holiday long weekend here.

We had a nice summer family lunch the other day on the outdoor patio of 'The Pickle Barrel' restaurant.  The weather was nice.  Here are some photos I took of the delicious food.  It's interesting that we all mostly choose different items.  My husband M felt like having bacon and eggs, my daughter L and I split  a white wine mussel appetizer and a lobster and shrimp pasta.  My son K had grilled cheese of which I forgot to take a photo.

Bacon and Eggs

Mussels with White Wine

Pasta with Lobster and Shrimp

Paint Party Friday - A Floral Piece

I did a floral piece today inspired by some dishes I saw in a store.  It's acrylic on cardstock (6" x6").

Here is my inspiration:

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

A Top Seller

Welcome to August and what's left of summer (sigh).

I loved my McLobster sandwich, new from McDonald's in Ontario, Canada. The cashier said it was their top seller, in this area anyway. It's here until August 23 thanks to low lobster prices.  It's about $7 for the sandwich, $9 for the combo which includes fries and soda.

McLobster Sandwich