Assorted Cards - My Art

I took advantage of an offer from Shutterfly for a pack of 12 assorted cards and this is what I received in the mail. I am impressed with the quality and thrilled! You may recognize some of my paintings below:

A Favourite Dessert

If you have 20 minutes to watch this Monica Lewinsky TED video it is well worth it. She speaks of the price of shame but more importantly about compassion and kindness in the internet age.

Son K and I grabbed lunch last week at Swiss Chalet restaurant. They have a $7.99 chicken special until May 8th, you just have to show them the coupon. Anyway, we split this brownie sundae dessert topped with whipped cream. It is to die for. This is one of my favourite desserts next to chocolate fudge cake. What's your favourite dessert?

Sunday Sketches - Snowdrops

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! These are spring snowdrops I did on a green (3" x 3") post-it note in watercolour pencil. Are you looking forward to starting some gardening? I'm not looking forward to the weeds.

If you can read this

We were invited along with another couple to a wonderful dinner party at a friend's house last weekend. I ate too many appetizers and couldn't quite finish my main course but had enough room for most of my dessert! The wine flowed liberally, and we left feeling very well treated.

Paint Party Friday - Spring Flowers

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! I did some spring flowers on a yellow (5"h x 3"w) post-it note in watercolour pencil. Have a great weekend!

Now this news site I follow usually posts a topic question to vote on. The question yesterday was 'A Maclean's story suggests that increased spirituality leads to increased happiness. Do you agree?' A majority of people, 61% said yes. It thought you might find that interesting.

On a cold, blustery day or kindness

So I have started eating chocolate eggs, this one's a Cadbury Fudge egg, it looks new!  It has a fudge centre inside a milk chocolate egg.  I actually don't usually eat these, but wanted to try this new one.

Husband M and I were in a coffee shop one morning, it was a cold, blustery day.  There was a man sitting at the table behind me working on his laptop.  M must've gone to refill his coffee when this man came up to me and asked how much longer we would be there.  I said maybe about ten more minutes.  He asked if we could watch his (large, black) bag while he quickly went to the bank nearby.  I agreed, thinking we must look like trustworthy people.  He quickly left the building, then I started hoping there wasn't a bomb in there.  Then M returned.  After several more minutes, M decided to go to the washroom.  The man returned and thanked me and we exchanged some small talk about the blustery weather before he went back to his table. 

And that ended up being my random act of kindness for that day!

You know husband M slipped out to the washroom on the night of the superbowl.  He was at a friend's house and preparing to go home thinking the score was pretty much settled.  Then the game turned around at the last minute and he comes out wondering what happened.  It was kind of like in my story above.  He would not have been much of a witness to the events.

English Muffins

Daughter L made these overnight English muffins with her boyfriend's mother when she visited the other day. Don't they look professional?

Have you ever wondered how old the Von Trapp kids from The Sound of Music are today? See what they are up to in this article. Liesl ('I am 16 going on 17') is now 72!

Creative Tuesdays - Bouquet

Here is a heartwarming local story of a boy whose lonely birthday turned into something different thanks to social media. He has Asperger's syndrome and none of his classmates accepted his birthday invitation.

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays! The current theme is 'bouquet' and here is mine, in watercolour pencil and crayon on textured cardstock. It's a greeting card.

How to Eat a Tim Tam

I'm only hearing good things about this movie:

Daughter L introduced me to this Australian/New Zealand snack biscuit called a Tim Tam.  Apparently we can buy the cookies here.  This is a video showing how to eat them in an authentic way.  I advise taking one quick slurp of warm, not too hot tea to get the full effect. And they taste pretty fattening!

And just wow, read this inspirational story of a mother's quest to cure her son.
She is soon to earn her PHD on neuroscience with a goal to curing her son of a serious genetic disorder. She has actually helped solve a piece of the puzzle and this may help other kids too.

Sunday Sketches - 2 Belugas

For Sunday Sketches this week, I did 2 beluga whales on textured coloured cardstock (6" x 6"). I used watercolour crayons.

A Gift

It's officially spring now! Welcome to the season I say.

This touching story of friendship almost had me in tears last week.

It tells of 2 lifelong friends, and of how one volunteered to be a surrogate mother for the other. What a gift.

I'm lucky about housework in that my husband M likes to vacuum.  Maybe I have to thank his mother for that:

Paint Party Friday - The Swimsuit

Here's an inspiring story on this 100 year old lady who got her first gallery show.

For Paint Party Friday I sketched a model in a cute swimsuit I saw in a sales brochure. It's done in my art journal in watercolour pencil and crayon.

Downtown Toronto

Some weeks ago, the 'S' key on my laptop computer started sticking.  I had to press extra hard on that key to get it to type correctly.  It was most annoying as my computer is not that old and I wondered what would happen if it broke completely.  Now, for some reason it has started to work properly again.  Needless to say I am overjoyed.  Maybe a crumb got stuck inside it.

I've noticed recently I am not receiving all blogger comments in my email, so I have to check my blog comments now as best I can  and hopefully I won't miss any.  Does anyone else have the same problem?

Here are some downtown Toronto photos I took when I was there recently:

The Toronto Stock Exchange

The financial district

                                                 You can see Old City Hall in the distance

New L Tower

The Perfect Lunch

The National Club

Lunch

Dessert

Husband M and I were lucky enough to be invited to a wonderful business luncheon recently.  It was hosted at The National Club, which resides in a 140 year old building in the heart of the financial district in downtown Toronto.  We had to dress business casual.  A financial advisor was touting a new technology type of investment.  I honestly was mainly interested in the food although I did pay attention to the product presentation.  And I did ask what I thought was an intelligent question.  (I inquired as to whether we might be in another technology bubble as in the year 2000.  They didn't think so.)

So I had perfectly cooked medium roast beef, salmon, mushroom-shaped potatoes, salad with a fresh raspberry dressing and vegetables.  I chose an olive bread slice to go with the meal.  Then I bit into the dessert and remembered to take a photo.  I think the trend is toward bite-sized portions which is a good thing.  I really enjoyed this healthy lunch.

Diaper Changing Tables

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Son K ate this delicious meat shawarma the other day while out with friends.

I read a story about Ashton Kutcher in the paper late last week, he said there are never diaper changing tables in the male washrooms and wants to see changes made.  He is a new dad as you may know.  Well, good for him!

Leafsnap

Daughter L made this fun treats for a party she hosted one weekend.  They are shown on small saucers to give you an idea of the size.

corn dogs and one with just cheese

zucchini brownie with berry compote

The Canadian Wildlife Federation has released this app in collaboration with Columbia University in Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution.  You can download it on your ipad or iphone.  So if you take a photo of any leaf, it will identify the tree for you and give you other information about the tree.  I downloaded it, so once the leaves return, I hope to be able to identify this tree that sprouted beside my kitchen window many years ago.  I can't wait.

Sunday Sketches - Atop the Hill

Oops Sunday Sketches is cancelled this week, fyi.

This is the piece I had done for Sunday Sketches. It's also the Ides of March. It's done in my art journal in watercolour crayon and pencil. I called it 'Atop the Hill'.

Inspiring Words

Happy Pi Day to all the mathematicians as I understand it is today, at 9:26:53, we celebrate the first 10 digits of Pi – March 14, 2015, 9:26:53 = 3.141592653

I saw this pretty floral arrangement in the store recently, I was tempted to buy it.  I'm sure even the birds wouldn't know the flowers were artificial.

This is an inspiring story I read in the paper about a quadriplegic mom raising 3 year old twin girls.

Quoting the most inspiring words I found from the article:

Burton overcame her anxieties by drawing on the same strength she used while learning to live with a devastating spinal cord injury.

“I learned how to adapt,” she says. “I also learned I had to accept that there were certain things I couldn’t ever do.

“I’m paralyzed. I can’t change that. But I can change my attitude about how I feel about my paralysis.”

Paint Party Friday - 4 Year Celebration

Welcome to Paint Party Friday's 4th birthday!  Eva and Kristin have a special 'self portrait' theme to celebrate and here is mine, done in my art journal, in watercolour pencil and crayon.  It started out as a quick pencil sketch then I decided to colour it in.  I had to really search for what I thought would be a decent photo to draw and decided on one from June 2013.  Can't wait to see what everyone else did!

Resizing Vs Downsizing

I took a photo of one of the Lindt chocolates I bought on a recent visit to the Lindt store outlet. It's one of those square ones I'm not used to. This one seemed to have nuts in that middle layer. It was good.

Lindt Chocolate

Lindt Unwrapped

 

Here is a great story where this widow ended up 'resizing' to a bigger place rather than downsizing. Good for her I say.

Frozen Hair

Here is a bit of entertainment for you today, let me know how you do on this one:

One of my sisters found this great article where they have managed to reverse type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease in mice.  We have these in our family so it is very encouraging news.

And this is such a cool story of bathers in a hot tub in the Yukon for a frozen hair contest, great photos too.

Creative Tuesdays - One Flower

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays! The current theme is 'One Flower' and I did a tulip greeting card on textured beige cardstock, with watercolour pencil and crayon.  This one welcomes SPRING! We are well above the freezing mark this week as the kids celebrate March break here. This means the ice is thawing.

Michael has a new blog now, incorporating Creative Tuesdays and he is quite a writer. Do hop on over and visit.

At the Spa and a scone recipe

Daughter L, her boyfriend's mom and I went to an all-inclusive spa getaway (St. Anne's) recently, it was an overnight stay and we were pampered.  The food was also very good.  I am sharing their scone recipe (click on the photo to enlarge), and I finally got to enjoy those with clotted cream and jam.  It was a delicious treat as the scones were still warm.

We had facials, Swedish massage and foot scrubs. The therapists were wonderful. My favourite part was the outdoor hot tub, it was an experience dipping into the hot water while it was freezing outside. I remember looking at the almost full moon and chatting with some nice women. Daughter L also used the cold plunge pool next to the hot tub for a bit, I decided not to. They also have an indoor eucalyptus steam room.

We had signed up for a snowshoe walk scheduled upon our arrival. The instructor said snowshoes were optional that day as the trail was pretty packed down. So some of us were lazy and decided not to use them. It was a big mistake as we had trouble going up a hill in knee deep snow. Our boots would plunge right down to the ground on most steps we took. Fortunately it was at the end of the walk and we made it back safely! My heart did get a good workout. The instructor apologized for making a bad call.  Daughter L and another lady decided to abort the walk at the beginning, so she was fine.

My foot scrub was done by a young 19 year old aesthetician.  It included a scalp and leg massage on a warm bed.  She told me she has a serious boyfriend who is still in university and they have 'made plans' having known each other for over 2 years.  I enjoyed my conversation with this pretty young woman.

My Swedish massage was done by a young male therapist.  I asked if he had kids and he said no, he is living with his girlfriend, they have just found a wonderful apartment.  He thought she might be ready for kids, but he wasn't!  He is 30, she is 28, I encouraged him to get moving on that!  We also spoke about careers.  I asked him about the hot stone massages and he said they use hot stones to massage your body as opposed to the more tactile experience of someone's hands.  He added that it might be something better done in cooler temperatures although many do it in summer.  He gave me a receipt for the massage which may be covered under my health plan.  As I bid him goodbye, I noticed he had lovely, bright blue eyes.

For my last treatment the next day, it was an hour long facial which included back, scalp, neck and arm massages if I remember correctly.  I chose a vanilla oil as I had for the previous treatments.  This young aesthetician told me that her girlfriend worked at a Wendy's hamburger restaurant and will now only eat at Wendy's, compared to the other fast food restaurants.  It seems their beef is never frozen and the toppings require minimal handling, mostly squirted from machines in the ceiling.  Maybe we should eat there more.  I mentioned that at this point, I was tired of hearing soothing music everywhere I went in the building.  She said she doesn't even hear it anymore she is so used to it.  She said if anything, the darkened rooms make her very sleepy.  I told her she likely needed regular massages herself, and she said it was mostly her back that gets very stiff from all the arm movements required by her job.

Anyway the spa followed up with me several days later to inquire about  my time with them.  In retrospect I would definitely go back, maybe try the place out in a different season.  They do have a lovely outdoor pool and the walking trails will be quite different at that time.  I would wait for a special offer as it is expensive.

Sunday Sketches - Old Doorknob

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! This piece is done in my art journal in watercolour crayon and pencil.

Kalettes

Here is a video of a touching deer rescue - only in Canada.

Have you heard about this new vegetable they have created called a Kalette? It's part kale part brussels sprout. They are apparently milder than brussels sprouts, more tender than kale, both being in the cabbage family.

A photo of a dress on Tumbler last week started an internet discussion (#thedress).
 'Is That Dress White and Gold or Blue and Black? Our perception of color depends on interpreting the amount of light in a room or scene. When cues about the ambient light are missing, people may perceive the same color in different ways.'  This interesting article explains it all.

And don't forget to turn your clocks forward one hour tonight if you live in most countries north of the equator.

Paint Party Friday - Old Doorknob

Welcome to Paint Party Friday. This piece is done in my art journal in watercolour crayon and pencil.

Flash Philanthropy

A little 3 year old boy recently died in Toronto when he left his apartment one night dressed in diapers and boots.  Someone started a crowdfunded donation site to raise money for funeral expenses and it raised $173,000 in 24 hours.  It raised concerns about flash philanthropy, a new social media phenomenon in the internet age.  The person who started the crowdfund hopes the family will donate some of the money to charity, the family has not said anything.  Son K is of the opinion that their little boy died tragically and so if they want to keep the money and it consoles them in some way, so be it.  Here is the article with more details on the story.

Cute Alert

I have a 40 second video to share with you today of a snoring hummingbird!

Flourless Brownie

And daughter L made some flourless brownies recently. Son K liked them. She said they were sugarless, but the recipe uses chocolate chips and syrup, although it had a grated zucchini. She decided to add an apple in place of an extra zucchini. Here's her recipe:

1 shredded zucchini
1 shredded apple
3/4 c peanut butter
1 egg
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1 c choc chips
3 tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
blend all ingred 350F 45 mins

Safety Tip

Did you know that champagne and sparkling wine corks can be dangerous?  They can leave the bottle at speeds of up to 60 mph as there is 3 times the pressure of a car tire inside.  It could cause serious eye damage, so be careful and open it properly.  Here is a great video showing how to safely open the bottle.

We were at a Lindt chocolate factory outlet on the weekend.  It was fun.

Gluten Free Cakes

Daughter L decided to make these gluten free cakes, just to try them. They are lighter tasting, but moist and delicious just the same. The cakes are on saucers, not dinner-sized plates, so they are not as big as you think!

Sunday Sketches - Terra Cotta

Welcome to March!

For Sunday Sketches, I painted an image of an old door on (6"x 6") acid free cardstock.  I used my new watercolour crayons and love their effect (see yesterday's post).  They are like watercolour pencils yet different.  I just like that they are mess free and so easy to use.  I am imagining a pottery store behind these doors, hence the name 'Terra Cotta'.  It seems I am starting a series of these (see Friday's post). Daughter L painted the words 'Terra Cotta' for me, she is good at lettering.