Neuroplasticity

My hairdresser's wife offered me these cookies the last time I was there to have my hair done. She made the one without the hearts. It was so good, with some kind of jam in the centre.

There was an interesting article in the paper the other day.  It concerned neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity says that the brain can rewire and repair itself from injury and disease. 

 Dr Norman Doidge has written a new book on the topic. It discusses using neuroplasticity to rewire the brain and thus treat conditions such as multiple sclerosis and attention disorders.

 'And in Toronto, children in headphones at The Listening Centre listen to sound frequencies aimed at training the brain to filter noise differently and, in turn, set off a series of signal changes that may reduce symptoms of ADHD, learning disabilities and developmental conditions like autism.'

Apparently many autistic children have inflammation in their bodies, and they now think this extends to their brains.  So it interferes with how neurons in the brain connect.  Doidge thinks sound therapy can help.

Paint Party Friday - Full Moon at Dawn

Welcome to Paint Party Friday.  This piece is called 'Full Moon at Dawn' and is the final page in my art journal (5"w x 7"h).  It's done in watercolour pencil.  I found an old art sketchbook that my son K used in elementary school.  It's mostly empty so that will be my new (8 1/2" x 11") sketchbook!  It does have his name on it.

At the Grocery Store

This is my boneless brown sugar pork shoulder roast straight out of the oven.  I was inspired by a Costco sample of a brown sugar pork leg roast the other day.  Apologies to the vegetarians!

So I was at the grocery store the other day.  This lady and I had finished paying for our groceries and we were packing our stuff into bags as the final process.  The lady says to me 'I hate this part, I don't mind doing the actual shopping for the items'.  I said 'yes, where are our husbands when you need them (I was assuming she was married)'.  She considers for a bit and says 'my husband is a paraplegic.  He fell in the kitchen and hit his chin.  It was a spinal injury.'  Shocked, I asked how long ago it happened.  She said it was 3 years ago, he was fit as a fiddle.  He is now in a wheelchair.  All I could say was 'you never know what fate has in store for you'.  She nodded and I went on my way.

Senior Safety

I saw this ad in a magazine which says they can cut an opening into your bathtub to make it more accessible. It offers an alternative for some who may need this.

Here's a good video aimed at helping seniors get organized for safety.

Gourmet Coffee

My sister who broke her ankle on New Year's day finally got fitted with a boot for it.  The swelling had gone down enough to be able to do that.  Apparently they don't do casts anymore, you are able to open up the boot if you get itchy or whatever.  It sounds like a real improvement.  Except that the foot has to be re-wrapped in gauze and re-padded daily, then the boot gets put back on.  Physical therapy starts in 2 weeks.  The foot muscle has already begun wasting away (atrophied) quite a bit.  She still is not allowed to bear weight on that foot.  At this point it sounds like the cast will be on for a couple of months.

Anyway, I was at the mall the other day and noticed this great selection of gourmet coffee in a store. So whenever I feel like some Cuban coffee, or Kona coffee, or flavoured coffee, it's easy enough to just pick some up these days. Usually when I travel I will bring some home with me if I happen to be in a place that grows good coffee. Costco also has a travelling road show that will sell nice coffee.  Do you have any favourite kinds?

And here's a cute video for you today.

It's a 'boy's awsesome reaction to catching his first fish'.

A new precedent

Here's a funny video for you today, it's a BMW Call.

On the weekend, husband M and I went to a 'Christmas' gathering at a nice restaurant at the other end of the city.  There were 7 couples, consisting of his co-workers and their spouses.  It was an enjoyable evening, the person who put the party together remarked that last October, November or December didn't seem to work for everyone.  Maybe this is the setting of  a new precedent.  Or maybe it means the Christmas season is now extending well into the New Year.

And I understand the NFL Superbowl is coming up.  More reason for another party.  If you live in North America, will you be celebrating?

Sunday Sketches - Squirrel

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! This one's entitled 'Squirrel'. It's done in my art journal (5"w x 7"h) in watercolour pencil. I think I have one more page to go and the journal's finished!

Tassimo Lattes

Daughter L got a Tassimo machine for Christmas from good friends. She loves making lattes with the machine.  It is great for making just one cup, and no cleanup afterward!  I can't say those coffee pods do the environment any good.

Paint Party Friday - Shoe Art

Just some 'Shoe Art' today for Paint Party Friday. The piece is done in my art journal (5w" x 7"h) in watercolour pencil.  Do you like high heels or do you prefer casual shoes like these?

On Weight Loss

These dry shampoo bottles were being included as a bonus with the purchase of a regular bottle of shampoo. Turns out daughter L uses this product, so I was happy to give it to her. Have you ever used dry shampoo?  L told me to try it and I did.  I think I'd rather just wash my hair, but she likes it.

I was lamenting to an older gentleman at the gym the other day on the fact that I've been trying to lose 5 pounds forever. I'm more in danger of adding pounds than losing, could it be that my metabolism is slowing yet again? He said I looked fine, and said he actually wanted to lose 15 pounds himself. I told him he looked fine too. He said he was actually happy with his weight before Christmas. Unfortunately, things went out of hand. And we laughed. We decided as food lovers that what we can do is keep up with our regular exercise. He has asked his wife to stop bringing desserts and treats home. I suppose I should stop snacking on peppermint candies.

Kumquats

I saw these kumquats at the grocery store.  I've never tried one before so did a bit of research.  It seems you just pop them into your mouth skin and all and optionally spit the seeds out.  They are sweet, tangy to the taste...grapefruit tangy I'd say.  Here's a video explaining how to eat one. And here's a bit more information about the fruit. Have you ever had one?  I can't say it's one of my favourites.

Homemade Pizza

Daughter L is quite the cook. She decided to make some homemade pizza the other night. She used self-rising flour, olive oil, salt and margarine for the dough. Then tomato sauce, olive oil, cheese and leftover chicken.

Here's a cute video for you to watch.

Ping Pong Nightclub

I had to share this one I got from Martha :

Daughter L was recently at a Ping Pong Nightclub in Toronto for a social gathering.  It's called Spin.
The 'club boasts 2 fully licensed bars, 12 ping-pong tables, cocktail menu, full food menu' and she said the food is absolutely gourmet and delicious. Times sure are changing, I've never heard of such a nightclub before, it sounds like fun.

Sunday Sketches - Fishing Boats

Welcome to Alexandra's Sunday Sketches! These are some fishing boats done in my art journal (5"h x 7"w) in watercolour pencil.

Laptops versus Desktops versus Smart Phones

This is a quick photo I snapped from the car window when we were driving in downtown Toronto the other day. Can you see the old church in the background next to the modern skyscraper? I thought it was a nice contrast on a sunny, cold winter's day.

Husband M noticed this article in the newspaper the other day. It sounds like the Desktop computer is virtually dead, and laptops are all the rage now. The article doesn't say this, but it seems people are using their smart phones and tablets more than ever. Hmm.  Maybe they will replace laptops. Talk about evolution. right?

Paint Party Friday - Caught

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! This sketch in my art journal is entitled 'Caught'. It's done in watercolour pencil (5"h x 7"w). It's based on a photo of my cousin's recent catch, they live in Florida.

On Retirement

This is a neat photo I saw in the newspaper recently.  It seems there is a national reading plan underway.  Visit here more info:

naionalreadingcampaign.ca

I met an acquaintance I knew from the gym in the grocery store around Christmastime.  We got to talking about retirement as her husband had retired 3 years earlier.  She said that in the first year they did a bit of travelling but eventually got tired of that.  Now her husband has just gone back to work full-time in another job.  He gets lots of vacation and better still, full health and dental benefits until he turns 65.   He is doing what he loves.  It turns out to be the right decision for him.  She recounted the years when he was home.  She felt it was her duty to be by his side, cooking 3 meals per day and watching a lot of TV.  They both gained weight.  She gave up her regular activities, before she was in great shape and spent a lot of time at the gym and with her friends.  They both were more bored than happy with their so-called 'good life'.  In retrospect, she feels it is important for each person to keep their 'sense of self', and live their separate lives, keeping their own hobbies and interests.  It makes the time you spend in each other's company more enjoyable and with more of a sense of fulfillment.  It sounded like great advice, for them anyway.  What do you think?

New Antibiotic

I found these little trees and thought they would look nice in the house as winter home decor!

A promising new antibiotic has been found in the soil.   A new superdrug is desperately needed as there has been no new discoveries to fight increasingly resistant bacteria since 1987.  A 'team of international researchers used a device called an iChip to collect 10,000 bacteria strains from a grassy field in Maine, including a previously uncultured bacterium that makes teixobactin'.

Creative Tuesdays - 2015 Word

The current Creative Tuesdays challenge '2015 Word' is to come up with your inspiration word for 2015. Mine is 'CONFIDENCE'. And here is my sketch to go with it. It's based on one of my favourite old movies 'The Sound of Music' with Julie Andrews. Some of you will know the song she sang 'I have confidence in me'. I can always use more confidence personally.  The piece is done in my art journal (5"h x 7"w) in watercolour pencil.

You know, one year we were lucky enough to visit Salzburg, Austria and we quickly drove by the actual street and house where Julie Andrews sang the song, it was a thrill.

LED dresses

Lindt Chocolate Temptation

I've been eating too many candy canes, I had forgotten how much I loved them in childhood!  Eeps.  Do you have any childhood treats you still might enjoy today?  Another one of mine is cheesies, the hard ones.  And I will stop there for today.

I found an interesting article on the latest fashion, including LED dresses of all things.
'This dress is color sensitive. By touching any color to a sensor trigger at the top of the dress, the LED lights (which cascade across the fabric) change.' Or how about the 'notification dress' 'This dress syncs up with your smartphone and displays incoming call alerts, social media alerts and other messages directly on the embedded screen.'

Sunday Sketches - Cloudscape

This piece for Sunday Sketches is called 'Cloudscape'.  It's done in my art journal (5"h x7"w) in watercolour pencil.  It's based on a photo I took, I just made the street light into a more beautiful wrought iron piece and put some colour into the grey clouds. Do you spell the colour as 'grey' or 'gray'?  It's one of those words like focused/focussed.

Custom Shoes

Daughter L made these chocolate chip/brownie cookies recently, they were so good, I think she found the recipe on Pinterest.

I read an  article in the paper last week regarding a custom shoe fashion trend.

There are a new younger customers who want to learn about the craft and are interested in owning several quality shoes as opposed to many inexpensive ones. These shoes range from $500 to $6000, depending where you order them from. There are a number of stores in the Toronto area and a few places such as Poppy Barley, have internet-based service.  Have you heard of Berlutti in Paris and John Lobb in London?  Custom shoe service is also popular in Italy and Hong Kong.  It can take 3 months from fitting to delivery of your finished shoe.

Well, I thought it was interesting to know about this but I can't imagine paying those prices.  Son K liked the idea of having custom shoes to match the trim of his imaginary sports car. 

Paint Party Friday - Moonset

This piece for Paint Party Friday is called 'Moonset'. It's done in acrylic paint on a piece of light cardboard (8 1/2"h x 11"w), you know the cardboard at the back of a spent notepad. I'm happy with the way this piece turned out.

Maple Bacon Sandwich

It was sooo cold yesterday, the coldest day of our winter so far apparently.  It was -16C (about 3F) when I went to the gym in the morning.  There was a small amount of snow on the driveway so I did shovel quickly on my return home.  At least it was bright and sunny.  The trick is to dress in warm layers, gloves, boots and head covering are a must.  Husband M landed a free ticket that night to a hockey game downtown with a friend and reported great 3rd row seats behind a goalie.  By then the temperature was -20C (-4F) with a wind chill of -30C (-22F).

This is Tim Horton's new Maple Bacon breakfast sandwich, it's supposed to be with egg white, but that looks like a regular egg to me. I did taste the maple flavour in the bacon. Other than that, it could have been a McDonald's egg mcmuffin sandwich.  I should have uncovered my small latte for the photo!

I found an interesting article concerning '12 toxic behaviours that push people away from you'...it's a good list.

Escape Games

I don't think I've shown this one yet:

And these Escape reality type games have popped up all over the city. Daughter L went to one with her co-workers at the start of the Christmas season. They had so much fun. 'You and your closest friends step into an alternate reality with one goal: to accomplish your mission and escape. You'll be faced with challenging puzzles, cryptography, obstacles, and a time limit of 1 hour. Think you are smart enough?' So you can choose your mission, such as a prison escape, solve a mystery, that type of thing. What will they think of next.

In other news, my poor sister who broke her ankle by missing a step on New Year's Day had to have immediate surgery for 3 severe fractures, with ankle plates and is looking at 3 months rehabilitation.  Apparently they use titanium  metal plates now, and patients can be released home the same day instead of having to stay in the hospital for longer.  She is 51, still relatively young,  it may help her recovery.  Having a bad sprain in the other ankle doesn't help.

Creative Tuesdays - Ringing in the New Year

Hope you are settling well into the New Year!  Reflecting on 2014, it was a pretty good year for me and my family, full of accomplishments, travel, albeit with some extended family discord on my side.  But that has been going on for years.  New Year's Eve and Day were quiet for husband M and I, a welcome quiet.  I put my decorations away on New Year's Day.  Son K went downtown with friends to Nathan Phillips Square for New Year's Eve, where they had skating, fireworks and a show leading up to the countdown.  On the way home, K reported seeing a man vomitting on the subway and seeing a girl passed out from too much alcohol and her friend carrying her into the subway.  He also saw this girl sticking her head out of a cab to vomit. They even witnessed a screaming, loud breakup of a relationship at a bus stop.  There was free transit that evening.  He describes this as a fun night.  Daughter L was partying out of town.

Anyway, my festive piece is done in my art journal for Creative Tuesdays. It's done in watercolour pencils (5"h x 7"w).

Awesomeness

I read this Pixelcrush article on creating a 'Jar of Awesomeness' as we go into the New Year: 'fill it with notes of awesome things that have happened during the year. By awesome I mean anything that has put a smile on your face, made you feel all warm inside – nothing is too small or insignificant.'

It sounds like a good idea, time permitting.  You could even just jot quick things down in a online notebook.  I use evernote for recipes, medical records and things.

I went to church on the weekend, husband M came along.  The weather was awful and wet with slushy snow.  It was a bit of a storm. I actually used my umbrella.  The priest seemed to have a hard time pronouncing a word, I think he wanted to say 'characteristic' and it came out as something quite unintelligible. His sermon was quite boring.  This family sitting in our row held up the wrong hymn books for most of one song.  Strange mass.  There are 2 hymn books, one red and one green.  They announce which book, and the song number before the hymn is sung. It was nice that the church was still singing Christmas Carols.

Sunday Sketches - Blue Topaz

These are some blue topaz earrings I did for Sunday Sketches in my art journal (7"h x 5"w) in watercolour pencil. Son K bought this for his girlfriend for Christmas. But they seem to be drifting apart, and the earrings may never end up being given to the intended recipient! They are gorgeous anyway, K has good taste. Actually he hopes to give it to her at some point, even if it's just a friendship gift in the end.

Intelligence Test

I found this intelligence test, you may want to share if you understood it!

In other news my poor sister who lives in Florida missed her step in someone's home on New Year's Day and seems to have fractured one ankle in 3 places and sprained the other ankle. What a way to start the New Year. She is in a cast and will find out on Monday if she needs surgery.

Paint Party Friday - Two Canoes

Happy New Year and welcome to Paint Party Friday 2015! I often wonder how much longer Eva and Kristin will continue to host this lovely art co-op as we approach 5 years.

My piece today is entitled 'Two Canoes', inspired by various photos of mountains and canoes and reflections that have resonated with me. It's done in my art journal (5"h x 7"w) in watercolour pencil. This art journal is almost full, after about a year!

A Brand New Year

I saw this pretty chandelier painting in the store and snapped a quick photo of it.  It looks like a celebration in itself.

Welcome to a brand New Year!  It was cold yesterday -7C (19F).

Have you heard about these new 'selfie sticks', it's a stick to which you attach your phone at one end.  It extends beyond your arm, so you can take a better 'selfie'.  Do you think you would get one?  I got a tripod many years ago as a gift I had asked for.  I don't think I've ever used it.