Safer to travel in groups

3 examples of why it is safer to travel in groups - cute one!

http://www.youtube.com/v/gBnvGS4u3F0?hl=en&fs=1&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/v/mgCIKGIYJ1A?hl=en&fs=1&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/v/LuVPnW0s3Vo?hl=en&fs=1&autoplay=1

I was watching the FoodTV channel on the weekend and happened upon this show called 'The Opener' for the 2nd time.  I really enjoy it although I'm not much of a TV watcher.

'EVERYBODY thinks they have what it takes to open a restaurant – it’s easy. All you need is grandma’s secret lasagna recipe, some friends willing to wait tables, a little money from your parents, and enough charm to keep ‘em coming back, right? Outrageous Celebrity Chef and restaurant consultant David Adjey knows better. Adjey brings his unique know how, tough love and unorthodox methods to the task – stopping at nothing to get the job done. Will he succeed in turning these dreamers into successful restaurateurs or will he be thrown out before the doors even open?'

Middle Age Conversation

At the gym the other day I was talking to this lady and she mentioned she couldn't do the weights anymore due to her carpal tunnel syndrome in her wrists acting up.  Then I overheard this other lady talking about her 'osteo' appointments.  This is the morning crowd, I imagine the conversation is a bit different in the evenings when the younger people come in!

I got this cute 'senior' email recently, please enjoy:

WAL-MART SENIOR GREETER
You just have to appreciate this one.  Young people forget that old people had a career before they retired......


Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies.

One day the boss called him into the office for a talk.
"Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job when you finally get here; but your being late so often is quite bothersome."
"Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it."
"Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear.”
“Yes sir, I understand your concern and I’ll try harder.”
Seeming puzzled, the manager went on to comment, “It's odd though your coming in late. I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say to you there if you showed up in the morning so late and so often?"
The old man looked down at the floor, then smiled.
He chuckled quietly, then said with a grin, "They usually saluted and said, ‘Good morning, Admiral, can I get your coffee, sir?’”

Sunday Sketches - Water Canal

For Sunday Sketches I saw a travel photo in a magazine and was inspired by the beautiful, almost emerald colour of the water.  It was actually advertising 'The Fairmont Mayacoba' resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico, but I think this water canal is from the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve nearby.   I remember once we went to Mexico when the kids were little and we went swimming in an underground river (ceynote?)  It was a lovely experience in Xcaret park.  Mexico does have these lovely, natural reserves.  It's also one of the few places (that I'm aware of) where they mandate that you use bio-degradeable sunscreen.

                                                                   (acrylic ACEO)

Sweet Saturdays - How do you decide who to marry?

You have to stop by and read Crystal Clear's Valentine story.  It's so touching.

And I got this in an email and thought you might like a laugh for Sweet Saturdays!  Please stop by the others to see what they found sweet today.

 1.  HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? 

(written by kids)   


1. You  got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if  you like sports, she should like it that you like  sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.   
--  Alan, age 10 


No  person really decides before they grow up who they're  going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you  get to find out later who you're stuck with.   
--  Kristen, age  10   


2.  WHAT IS  THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED? 
Twenty-three is the best age because you know  the person FOREVER by then.  
--   Camille, age 10  


3.  HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?   
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be  yelling at the same kids. 
--  Derrick, age  8   


4.  WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN  COMMON?   
Both don't want any more kids.    
--  Lori,  age 8   


5.  WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE? 
-Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys  have something to say if you listen long enough.   
--  Lynnette, age  8    (isn't  she a treasure) 


-On  the first date, they just tell each other lies and that  usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.  
--  Martin, age  10   


6..  WHEN IS  IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?    
-When  they're rich.   
--  Pam, age  7 


-The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to  mess with that.  
-  - Curt, age   7


-The  rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you  should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.    
-  - Howard,  age 8   


7.    IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED? 
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.  
--  Anita, age 9   (bless you child )  


8.  HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T  GET MARRIED?    
There  sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?  
--  Kelvin, age 8   


And the #1 Favorite is .........   
9.  HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?    
Tell  your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like  a dump truck.
--  Ricky, age 10

Paint Party Friday - Cuba Moon with Venus?

Welcome to Paint Party Friday, a fun art co-op!

This acrylic ACEO features the Cuba moon from our beach view hotel room on Jan 2, 2012 at approximately 1am.  We were on vacation.  That small planet twinkling near the moon is either Venus or Jupiter, but it was quite a show that night.  The moonlight cast a silvery glow over the ocean and illuminated the gentle waves.   I had made a quick pen sketch in my journal so I could remember it, and finally got around to painting it.  I should learn how to capture these night shots with a digital camera.  Even the simplest cameras nowadays can do even panoramic shots. 

Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans

She Loves Food and Flowers posted a simple and delicious recipe for 'Smoked Sausage with Potatoes and Green Beans' and I decided to try it.  Thanks Shelly!

I used new potatoes and frozen green beans (I had half a package in my freezer) with a European Debreziner sausage. It was wonderful and we ate it all. Of course, you can't go wrong with sausages! I wonder if it's the salt in the sausage that makes you feel you can't have enough of it?  I also love the new potatoes, I got them from Costco, they come pre-washed and ready for boiling. Ikea used to serve those with their meatball dinners, but they now just use a tiny scoop of mashed potatoes.  Everyone's cost cutting these days, or should I say smart marketing?

Here is some news I found interesting in the paper yesterday:

This is a human interest one  entitled 'What happened in Union Station'. It concerns events that occurred 'when a man jumped in front of a subway train' recently and how 'the heroes' were treated.  The comments are also interesting.

This one is kind of funny: '...except for Luiza who is in Canada.  A remark made in a Brazilian real estate infomercial has brought fame to a teenage girl and to Canada' as the infomercial went viral.  It sheds some light on the Brazilian sense of humour.

New Skating Rink

This is a new outdoor skating rink newly built by the town. It looks like it's getting good use. My friend S and I were walking by on the weekend and I had not seen it yet, so we went to take a peek. We are having a mild winter, it freezes up and then it goes to rain and springlike temperatures. We have not had to do any real shovelling so far this year. Now I hope this doesn't change just because I said that!

And Diana Evans created these beautiful valentines and is allowing us to download them free here. I did just that last night as I happened to have some nice photo paper on hand for printing. How cute are they? Thanks Diana!

The Dates

Last week I went to Costco to do some shopping. I bought about 10 items and made it home in time to catch the Fed-ex courier making a delivery at around the noon hour. I was pretty pleased about that.

Later that night, I had the feeling something was missing. Sure enough there was no trace of the box of imported Israeli dates I had bought. I remember thinking how large and freshly dried they looked and couldn't wait to taste one. It was a splurge at $8.49 for the large box, I thought. I decided I must have left them at Costco, likely at the checkout counter. M decided to take a drive over there, it was about 7.30pm and they were still open. The way I described them must have sparked a sweet craving in him, because it was cold outside!

M said he went to the refund counter and asked if anyone might have our missing box of dates. It seems they keep a log of stuff like this, but our dates were not recorded on this log. However, the guy said it was not a problem, as this happens to people all the time. He told M to just go get another box, no charge! Well that is good customer service, we were happy with that! And yes, the dates are plump, juicy and delicious. Of course, the next step would've been to actually buy another box if it hadn't been replaced, but it's more the principle of the thing. M said a lady was there looking for her misplaced Amex card. She was advised to cancel it, as I would've done anyway. Another guy was returning a broken appliance. Costco is very good about accepting returns.

On another subject, have you heard the new Bruno Mars song 'Just The Way You Are'? I was listening to the words on the radio the other day and thought how nice a tribute it is to a woman. There is nothing degrading in that song and they should write more uplifting love songs like that. It would be great for young women's self esteem. Enough of the 'bad boy' image, you know.

A New Friend?

I've ended up with a duplicate post playing around with backlinks but don't want to lose your lovely comments, so sorry about that!

Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate!

Sharing a sweet email for Carol's Magical Mondays:

Hope this starts your week with a BIG SMILE!!!

Could you imagine coming home from work to find this tiny creature napping on your couch with your dog? Guess who came home for dinner? It followed this beagle home, right through the doggy door. This happened in Maryland recently. The owner came home to find the visitor had made himself right at home...This hit the 6 o'clock news big time.

A New Friend?

Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate!


Sharing a sweet email for Carol's Magical Mondays:

Hope this starts your week with a BIG SMILE!!!

Could you imagine coming home from work to find this tiny creature napping on your couch with your dog? Guess who came home for dinner? It followed this beagle home, right through the doggy door. This happened in Maryland recently. The owner came home to find the visitor had made himself right at home...This hit the 6 o'clock news big time.

Sunday Sketches - Kiwis

Welcome to Sunday Sketches!  It's always fun to visit the other participants in this art co-op.

I saw this photo of some kiwis in a local supermarket magazine and was inspired to draw it (acrylic ACEO).  It was also interesting to learn something more about the kiwi.  Did you know you could eat the skins too?  It will keep for up to 4 weeks in your refrigerator, not to mention being very nutritious.  Its proper name is actually 'kiwifruit'.

Sweet Saturdays - Cheese Bread

For Diana's Sweet Saturdays co-op, I'd like to share this cheese bread I made, courtesy of The Southern Lady. It was so easy to make and went so well with a bowl of chili! I'll be making this again for sure!

It mixed up so quickly:

It smelled so good coming out of the oven:

It was so good on its own or with a bowl of chili:

Paint Party Friday - Pluots

Welcome to Paint Party Friday!  It's a fun co-op where we visit other participants and share our art.

I found a nice photo of a pluot plum in a local supermarket magazine and was inspired to draw it (acrylic ACEO).  What I didn't know was that pluots are 60% plum and 40% apricot.  It's very nutritious and tastes more like a plum.  Wonder how they cross it in that percentage?  I would think it would be 50% of each!

Baked Fried Chicken (KFC)

I tried to get into wikipedia last night and couldn't!  I'm saying 'no' to internet censorship.  What kind of a world would we have without google, youtube and wikipedia!

Well I finally got around to trying this recipe for baked fried chicken and it does taste exactly like Kentucky Fried Chicken except it's baked, skinless and not fried. Thanks to Tracey Potter for the heads up. Tracey adapted her recipe from here. My sister sent me a bottle of Morton Season All seasoning salt from the States as I couldn't seem to find it here.   My son K loved it and it disappeared!

Warm Dandelion Salad

I was watching TV at the gym recently and these 3 pretty young Greek ladies were on a show describing how to make a warm Dandelion salad. I was on my way to the grocery store and decided to pick up a bunch of dandelions! Basically they said to cook them like you would cook pasta. So bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the dandelions (including the stems) 15 to 20 minutes depending on how wilted you would prefer them. Then when cooked, add a bit of olive oil and lemon. You know, I couldn't tell the difference between this and say collard greens or spinach except it may have a more bitter taste like arugula. Would you try this recipe?  My husband M didn't like it though, but he can be picky.

The ladies went on to say their parents would harvest dandelions growing in the fields, and especially these days when there are no pesticides allowed on the lawns, it would probably be okay.  Be sure to harvest before they bloom flowers.    Oh they said you could use the boiled dandelion water to make tea, but I didn't do that.

Creative Tuesdays - Bubblegum

For the Creative Tuesday's 'Bubblegum theme', this is what I came up with.  It's an acrylic ACEO.  Can't wait to see the other contributors' creations!

Magical Mondays - 3D without glasses

Here's a beautiful video for you to watch for Magical Mondays!

And here are a few photos of the sunset from our hotel room on our recent Cuba vacation:

Veradero Beach

Veradero Beach

Veradero Beach

Sunday Sketches - Moon Set

Welcome to Sunday Sketches!

I recently returned from a vacation in Cuba.  The morning we left, I got up around 5 am and glanced out of our beach view hotel room.  This is what I saw (acrylic ACEO), a full moon setting over the water, it was pretty awesome:

Sweet Saturdays - Ducks in Winter

Welcome to Sweet Saturdays!

At year end, I went for a walk with a friend and we spotted these ducks by a stream as we were crossing over the bridge. It was snowy that day and quite beautiful.

Paint Party Friday - Winter Scenes

Welcome to Paint Party Friday!  I can't wait to visit all the contributors today.

I wanted to share this card my daughter L made for me and it was in my Christmas gift. It was so much more special than the actual gift, although the necklace is pretty! I loved the art. She used watercolour pencils and I don't think it took her very long to do. She did a lot of art in high school.

This is the card she made for her dad:

Turkey Pot Pie

Over the holidays a friend had dropped by with some leftover turkey and I made some turkey pot pie.  It was delicious. Here's the recipe:

2 1/2 c leftover turkey or chicken pieces, cooked
1 onion chopped
2 c frozen mixed vegetables
1/3 c flour
1 3/4 c chicken stock
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp thyme or your favourite herb
1/3 c olive oil
pastry to cover (I use a Pillsbury pie crust)

saute onions in oil, blend in flour, salt, pepper.  Stir in broth and milk until thickened, add chicken and vegetables. Spread the mixture into a round casserole dish, cover with the pastry. Make slits on top of the pastry so the steam can escape. Bake 350 F for about 35 minutes until crust is golden brown.

I'm Back!

Hello Everyone, I've missed you all and the blogging life, although it was a lovely break. It's nice to get back to a regular routine.

We went to Cuba at year-end for a week and this is a photo of the beautiful beach. Unfortunately it was a cold 17C for about 3 days in the middle of the week and there was a red flag posted on the beach, meaning 'no swimming'. But it was great just walking along the 22 kms of beach and we did get some swimming in!

Veradero Beach, Cuba