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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween 2012

Have a  Happy and safe Halloween!

M and K got into the Halloween candy, the box was opened soon after I bought it.  I've had a few fun-sized Mars bars myself but there is lots left over for the trick or treaters.  I finally tried a Twix bar and I LOVED it!  Every year we seem to have fewer kids.  There are nice decorations all over.

Here are a couple of art pieces I did last year in honour of the season. They are small ACEO art cards in acrylic (2.5" x 3.5").

BERJAYA

BERJAYA


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Annual Mammogram

BERJAYA


Isn't this a lovely combination of leaf colours? I was walking by and couldn't resist taking a photo for you!

I have my annual mammogram planned for today, it's a good thing, I think, I hope.  But this all depends on the weather as we are supposed to receive the remnants of hurricane Sandy.

M, K and I went to Swiss Chalet restaurant for dinner on Saturday night and we saw the Parish priest there along with 2 others.  He didn't wear his clerical collar.  They had coke for their drinks, no wine, lol. Isn't it awful being a public figure, you have to be so careful!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Some Nutrition Information

BERJAYA


I liked the purple of this plant,  I took the photo in my cousin's garden.  I think it's lavender, although the ones I have are a different shade.

I've recently learned (from K's food and nutrition class notes) that protein supplements and single amino acid supplements don't work and further, can be dangerous to your health to the point of toxicity and even death!  The reason is that the body makes its own protein and amino acid nutrients when you eat meat, legumes and such.  You just confuse your body by giving it these pre-manufactured proteins.  M was saying he sees a lot of young men at the gym taking these supplements, believing it is good for them.   Blame the industry and the drive for profit.  Have you seen these  protein supplements and have you considered taking them?

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Sunday Sketches - Inspiration

Here is some inspiration for you today. It's done in watercolour pencils on cardstock (6.5" x 4.5").  Hope you're having a great weekend!

Linking to Sunday Sketches, please visit the other talented participants!



BERJAYA


Saturday, October 27, 2012

A Good Trend

Denthe is having a giveaway to celebrate her 100th follower, do stop by and enter just by leaving a comment!

It must be a trend but I have noticed a lot of younger dads in public places tending to their young sons or daughters on their own, with no moms in sight.  They could be feeding them lunch, taking them to school.  It's a good thing.

At my aerobics class this week, the instructor jokingly said they should start tailoring the classes to accommodate 54 year olds like herself!  A lady in the class shouted 'make that 54 plus!'  The new release sounds quite difficult, with a fancy new burpee step.  We will see what we can do!  It's a fun class depending on how long my knees hold out.  I met a friend there by chance and she is 62 plus years old.  She just returned from a hiking trip in Peru which went well, what an inspiration.  Apparently Peru is beautiful.

McDonald's Canada has free coffee all week from Oct 29 - Nov 4.   Have a great Saturday!

BERJAYA

Friday, October 26, 2012

Paint Party Friday - Fashion Friday

I saw a photo of a model in the newspaper wearing this lovely dress, it's by US Designer Narciso Rodriguez, from his Spring 2013 Collection. My painting is watercolour pencils on cardstock (4.5" x 6.5"). It's just a quick sketch really.

Linking to Paint Party Friday, please visit the other talented participants!

BERJAYA

Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Loan

Well, we had a nice surprise recently. A substantial loan to a close relative was repaid! We had not expected to get the money back so it was a good thing, after about 6 months! It comes with a feeling of being happy to have helped someone out of a difficult time.

Have you ever loaned money and did you get it back? Would you loan money?

In other news, we planted a young tree about a month ago, a bit more than a seedling in the back yard and yesterday the top half of it had broken off. Was it a squirrel, was it the lawn care company, was it the wind? I think, I hope it will grow back.

If you celebrate Halloween, have you bought your Halloween candy yet? It's time to!  I got a box of assorted fun-sized Mars bars,  Snickers, Twix, M and M's.  We won't worry about leftovers!  I personally love Mars bars.


BERJAYA



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Dinner Party


The weather has been wonderful  these past couple of days.

Some old friends invited us to a dinner party on the weekend. It turned out to be a lot of fun, watching movies, playing cards, and having a great time laughing and chatting. It was great to catch up with everyone. We're all in our fifties now so the conversation has turned to empty nesting issues, travel stories and health problems (hysterectomies, menopause, macular degeneration, loss of hearing, bifocal cataract lenses). The best story was this couple's trip to India. It seems the gentleman was chased and gored by a bull on the streets. He has lived to tell the tale including the fact that he happened to be wearing red shorts on that occasion!

The next day we had another couple over for lunch. I made my 'chicken artichoke bake' dish among other things and it was enjoyed.  In fact, they said it was more like dinner.  This couple has travelled a lot in their younger days so we enjoyed their adventurous stories of China, Hong Kong, Japan and Hawaii. They went on their own as opposed to doing an organized tour.

M served this wine and said it was pretty good. It's an Australian merlot called 'The Little Penguin'. I'm not really a wine drinker.

BERJAYA

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Creative Tuesdays - Bottle

Welcome to MMm's Creative Tuesdays. This week's theme is 'Bottle'. I had fun doing this one in fall colours! It's done in acrylic on cardstock (5.5" x 9").

Please visit the other talented participants!

BERJAYA

Monday, October 22, 2012

The irony of it all and a yummy breakfast

I went to the doctor and got my flu shot on the weekend.  He was suffering from seasonal allergies himself.  I told him to take Vitamin D tablets as they are finding out that it strengthens the immune system.  Like a lot of people he thinks he gets enough of it from being in the sun for a little bit every day.  But I think I might have convinced him it's worth a try.  Then we laughed at the irony of me advising the doctor!  I've been seeing him for over 20 years.

M and I had breakfast from the Whole Foods breakfast bar on the weekend. This combination worked out to about $6 or $7 each including coffee. The coffee is dark and strong like at Starbucks, even the light one.  But it is fair trade.  We split a croissant. It was delicious. The sausages are nitrate free and the bacon was awesome, not to mention the bread pudding!!

I took Kathy's advice and we shopped the sales afterward.  She said their stuff on sale is worth it.  We got some pancake mix, chips, some chicken pot pies, some lean ground beef and some organic grapes.  We don't believe in organic, but that is all they have I think.


BERJAYA


Look at these cute signs they painted all over the parking lot, on the asphalt!

BERJAYA

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BERJAYA


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Beauty in Simplicity

Tracey Fletcher King is having a giveaway of her wonderful art to celebrate her 300th follower! Please stop by and enter just by leaving a comment. She is a talented artist!

For today's sketch, I was inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest and thought it needed a quote to go with it, so I found one on Pinterest! Hope you like it! It's acrylic on cardstock (4.5" x 6.5")

Linking to Sunday Sketches! Please visit the other talented participants!



BERJAYA

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Halloween Pumpkin

BERJAYA


This is our Halloween pumpkin.  I got a small'ish one this year because I was lazy and didn't want to lift a big heavy one home from the grocery store!  Like last year, I just painted a face on it instead of carving it.  I do plan to dispense candy for the kids, hope we get a few this year!

It's time for flu shots, are you getting one?

Friday, October 19, 2012

Paint Party Friday - Zen

I didn't quite know what to call this piece, it was inspired by a Chanel ad I saw in a magazine, advertising makeup. I loved that the image was upside down. It's acrylic on cardstock (4.5" x 6.5") I thought it looked very 'zen', so there you have it!

Linking to Paint Party Friday, thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting!

BERJAYA

Thursday, October 18, 2012

A New Store

A new Whole Foods has opened up in the area, I popped in to have a look on the weekend. It was exciting to see the CityTV news crew there filming a segment. I made sure to sample one of the Belgian chocolates that were being featured near the bakery area. It's a huge new store, I hope it does well. It will depend on whether the demographic is willing to pay more for organic and healthy food items.

BERJAYA
Pretty Display





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CityTV was there






BERJAYA
Belgian Chocolate Samples


M got this tub of guacamole a couple of nights ago, it's really delicious but it was $10! The tortilla chips were fresh made in store too. I think I had better start making my own guacamole.

BERJAYA
fresh guacamole

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

A night out

I saw the stage play 'War Horse' on the weekend with a bunch of girlfriends. It was raining that night and a bit cold.  I was in the mood for a relaxing play, but ended up getting drawn into the story and the magnificent puppetry.  The horses seemed so real after awhile which made for some touching scenes.  We all enjoyed the play very much!

We went to a Chinese restaurant uptown after the show.  Have a look at this call button on each table!  It's meant to summon the waiter.  We didn't end up using it!

BERJAYA


Here is a close up shot

BERJAYA


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Putting things into perspective

I lost my gym pass card last week somehow, likely running around trying to do too many things at once!  I was upset with myself for being careless.  I was entering the mall on a cold blustery day when I noticed it was gone.  There was an older lady slowly approaching the entrance doors, she used a walking stick.  I held the door open for her and she was surprised and thankful.  You know, it made me feel better about my lost card.  I was able to get a new one at the gym, and better yet, there was no charge for lost cards!  Apparently, the new card supercedes the old one in case someone else tries to use it. 

Then I was complaining to my mom over lunch about K and his schoolwork, about the teachers calling for interviews about his school progress.  He has a learning disability but one wonders if he doesn't try hard enough sometimes. He can be late to class for no good reason.  My mom said she remembered how stressful her life was when she and my dad ran a business, she had 5 kids to look after, she had to manage the workers, administer to problem customers...Her message was that 'this time will pass'.  She is suffering some memory loss, but still manages to help me put things into perspective!  Needless to say, I felt better.  And there is a positive side to K, it's not all bad.  He is a loving, very understanding 17 year old and one of my staunchest allies.

I might add that I think I'm getting older and wiser, having been through so much more than say, a 20 year old, you see things differently.

And for a spot of happy news, my aerobics instructor announced that her daughter got engaged on the recent Thanksgiving weekend, they were all so happy.  Just prior to her announcement, I had overheard that the new fiance had discussed his intention to propose months earlier.  The instructor said it was so hard keeping it secret!  Well, don't you just love a good romantic story like this?  It's a circle diamond by the way!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Fall Splendour

I made a version of this slow cooker ham and white bean recipe in  the crockpot yesterday.  It took 8 hours, but tasted quite good, I thought. I didn't have ham so I used some pork bones and added some extra spices as I knew it wouldn't have the saltiness of the ham. It's been a long time since I've cooked beans from scratch, not from a can.


Don't you love the flame orange colour of these maple tree leaves at this time of year? I had fun taking these photos for you:


BERJAYA




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BERJAYA

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Sunday Sketches - Wake Up

This piece was done for Sunday Sketches which unfortunately has been postponed
by Alexandra this week.

Anyway, I found this uplifting quote on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect for my painting today.  It's acrylic on cardstock (6.5" x 4.5")



BERJAYA

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Fall Beauty

An old friend of K's texted him recently about getting together for Halloween.  K said 'aren't we a bit too old to go trick or treating?'  His friend said ' you're never too old to go trick or treating!'...so I guess that's what they will do.  They are 16 and 17 years old and are tall guys! 

I took these photos on a recent walk last weekend. It was a chilly one. I was on my way to meet a friend but couldn't resist these shots.  Fall is not my favourite time of year but I can appreciate its beauty.


BERJAYA



BERJAYA
evergreen berries

BERJAYA
Pretty Leaves


Friday, October 12, 2012

Paint Party Friday - Fall Fashion

It's time for Paint Party Friday, thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting!

This is an acrylic on cardstock (4.5" x 6.5"). It was inspired by a fashion photo I saw in the newspaper, I loved the outfit and just changed the colour scheme a bit. I'm calling it 'Fall Fashion'.

BERJAYA

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Childhood Memories

I finally got the DVDs I had submitted to Costco for conversion from 8mm camcorder tape format.
They had been ready 2 weeks after submission, but somehow we had got the wrong phone number on the forms so I never received a call from them.  I got worried 7 weeks later and went to inquire and they were sitting there just under my name 'Christine' with no last name.  Luckily I had all the receipts.  L was able to enjoy a couple of them before she went back to school.  It's like a documentary, snippets of their childhood captured for all time!  The years go by so quickly and it's nice to look back on these moments.  Costco has a special of $6 off per tape until October 21st, so I will take the rest of my camcorder tapes in for conversion.  It's a bit expensive but worth it.

I bought these chrysanthemums and waited for them to start blooming. It's a real pleasure to watch them every day. They've already changed quite a bit since I took this photo.

BERJAYA
Chyrsanthemums



Here's what they look like now
BERJAYA




I noticed these shrubs while I was out and about and thought they gave such a pretty, 'spiky' effect.


BERJAYA






Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Deceptively Light

Here's an interesting article on how to recover accidentally deleted files on your computer.  It mentions some free software that can help you do this.

I saw these white pumpkins at the grocery store recently, mostly you see the orange ones. Don't they look ghostly?

BERJAYA
White Pumpkins

BERJAYA
Aluminum Chair


I noticed these aluminum chairs in the lunch section of that grocery store. I thought they were wonderful, deceptively light and easy to move around, yet strong enough.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Creative Tuesdays - Break New Ground

Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend if you live in Canada.

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays! This week's theme is 'Break New Ground'. I did some DNA strands, because I immediately thought of genetics and how the study of it is 'breaking new ground' these days. I've always been fascinated by its potential for new cures and perhaps 'ground breaking' discoveries.  I picked some fall colours to celebrate the season as well!

Please visit the other talented participants or better still, join us. It's now a bi-weekly theme, no special talent required other than the desire to challenge yourself and make your own art!


BERJAYA

Monday, October 8, 2012

Wedding Anniversary

I was struck by the beautiful fall skies on a recent walk, and snapped this photo for you:


BERJAYA


It's M's and my 24th wedding anniversary today. I remembered as I wrote this post!
We didn't start out with a lot of money, we worked hard and are conservative with our spending I think. It's been a good life so far. We seem to have similar values and it eliminates a lot of conflict, although we do have our disagreements!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Thank You

It's the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. It's gone a bit on the chilly side this weekend.

For Sunday Sketches, I'm using a piece I did last year to commemorate Thanksgiving.
It's a small ACEO art card.


Please visit the other talented participants in this fun blog hop hosted by Alexandra.

BERJAYA

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Dairy free meat free gravy

My daughter L is home for the long Thanksgiving weekend.  We hadn't seen her for all of September!  I have a small (10 pound) turkey thawing in the refrigerator.  It should be ready for roasting tomorrow!

I cooked a whole chicken in my new crockpot this week.  It was so flavourful after 5 hours on the high setting.  I roasted some brussels sprouts and celery to go with the dish.  We are having a large e-coli recall of beef products in Canada unfortunately.  I've just happened to be staying away from beef.  Apparently it's ok if you ensure your beef is very well cooked and I know K has been buying beef burgers.  I just don't like the part where they say you wouldn't show symptoms of the illness until 4 to 10 days after you've eaten the contaminated beef.

Here is a dairy free meat free gravy called 'groovy gravy'  to try.

Joke for today:


BERJAYA


Friday, October 5, 2012

Paint Party Friday - September Leaves

For Paint Party Friday, I've done an acrylic on cardstock (6.5"x4.5"), entitled 'September Leaves'. I did them from a photo I took, I'm finding I work well this way.


BERJAYA

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Greek frozen yogurt

I saw this photo of Greek frozen yogurt in a U.S. magazine and if it comes here, I will try it. The product name says 'healthy choice'.  It would be healthier than ice cream or gelato.





BERJAYA

I spent some time yesterday unsubscribing to a lot of junk emails that I currently receive, a lot of 'groupon' like companies featuring the latest deals. I was on the email lists of a lot of companies like Sears Travel, Laserquest laser games, Party Packagers, etc. I wasn't using a lot of their information. I will enter the odd contest and before you know it, I've given them my email id. Do you get a lot of junk emails?


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Butter Cookies and Steamed Broccoli

Not necessarily in that order!

Gloria of Canela Kitchen recently posted a recipe for butter cookies, we tried it and it was delicious!  It's the kind of cookie where it's hard to stop at just one.  I hope you will try it too!

In other food news, I have been steaming a lot of broccoli.  My pressure cooker came with a trivet and steamer basket but I had never really used these pieces.  They fit perfectly inside a large saucepan. I've never steamed much as I didn't think I had the right equipment.  I don't own an actual  steamer appliance. Anyway, I just chop the broccoli into small pieces, season with spices (onion powder, garlic salt, pepper, herbs).  I place the trivet into the saucepan, with a couple of inches of water, cover and bring to a boil.  Then I put the steamer basket filled with broccoli atop the trivet, cover and simmer for 12 or 13 minutes. Do you steam a lot of your food?  It's a good thing!

BERJAYA
trivet

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steamer basket

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saucepan






And here's a joke for you!

BERJAYA

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The mind reader

BERJAYA
Some Fall Colour

Some of the stores in our area have now taken to keeping baby formula under lock and key. Some grocery stores won't even sell the item anymore. A friend told me me it's because the powder is being stolen to be used as an ingredient in making drugs. She says the kids steal it because they don't want to be seen in the videos at the cashier checkout. My friend says these kids work to feed their habit. Were you aware of such dealings?

And here's a scary video for you to watch.
An amazing mind reader reveals his gift.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Dog Dilemma

Welcome to the month of October!  It was a wonderful weekend weatherwise, very good walking weather.  We went out to dinner with some friends.  They are getting ready to move into their new condo in a couple of months.  But they've just discovered that the building will only allow one dog, not the two that they have.  It seems the real estate agents did not do their jobs properly, having told them this would not be a problem at the outset.  That large commission is for a good reason!   It's quite a stressful situation for them.  They said choosing one dog (which they won't) reminded them of the situation in the movie 'Sophie's Choice' if you have ever seen that.  I didn't see it myself but according to google, Sophie had to choose which of her 2 children would go be gassed and which one would go to the labour camp at Auschwitz.  And I'm glad I didn't see that movie!

One a more pleasant subject, these are the leaves of a coral bell plant, don't they look gorgeous and shimmery for the season?  I read that they can be used to liven up  a salad but they are a bit tangy.


BERJAYA