For secure shredding

Wow, here we are at the end of the month!  April fool's seems like it was just yesterday.

Recently, a local bank advertised free secure shredding and e-waste dropoff for a day. They were introducing the opening of their new state of the art branch. I met the branch manager and entered a $1000 draw (why not?). For years, I've been collecting my receipts without having a plan for disposing of them, so this was the perfect opportunity! They assured me the bags would be locked in the their special bins and transported to their secure shredding site. This was a good thing.  How do you dispose of your secure documents?

Sunday Sketches - The Wave

This acrylic ACEO is entitled 'The Wave'. I saw a pretty photo on Pinterest, via tinywhitedaisies and this is my interpretation of it.

Please visit the other talented participants in this fun blog hop hosted by Sophia at Sunday Sketches!

Skor Minis

I picked up this bag of Skor Mini chocolates the other day. I don't think I've had Skor chocolates before. They are quite good, chocolate on the outside, with a butter toffee crunch centre. Six pieces are 220 calories and 20% of your daily fat and it's hard to stop at one or two pieces! Well, I thought I would share the temptation anyway!

At the gym the other day, I momentarily forgot the combination to my locker lock. I hadn't used it for almost a week as I have been walking instead. I mentioned my panic to the lady next to me. She said she uses an old fashioned padlock and key for that same reason. She said that she used to work at a bank, in charge of the vaults. She wasn't allowed to write the combination down for security reasons and had to just remember it. She said it was stressful because if she ever forgot it, they would have to call special people to break into the vaults. Well, I thought that was interesting. Another lady said she simply doesn't lock her locker because she doesn't bring anything valuable.  Do you have a problem with remembering things like this?

I saw the movie 'The Lucky One' last night starring Zac Efron. I enjoyed this 'chick flick' from the author of 'The Notebook'. It also starred Blythe Danner (Gwyneth Paltrow's mom), now I see where Gwyneth gets her looks from!

Well, enjoy your Saturday!

Paint Party Friday - Tornado

For Paint Party Friday, this acrylic ACEO is entitled 'Tornado', what else? I saw a photo in the newspaper of this tornado that touched down in Kansas recently. The photo was credited to 'Orlin Wagner/AP' and I couldn't resist painting its simple lines!

Please visit the other talented participants in this fun blog hop!

Good Times Magazine

So I recently received my first issue (May 2012) of Good Times magazine that I recently subscribed to:

I found a wonderful and simple recipe for a 'Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti' which I couldn't wait to try. They must be related to Canadian Living magazine, because I found the same recipe here. My son K loved it, and thought to add parmesan cheese as he does with all his pasta dishes. It was a good idea.

There is also a good article on hearing loss, the causes,symptoms, treatment and even which type of hearing aid is best.

Sod Delivery

Mother's Day is coming up for us in less than 2 weeks. Do you have any plans, gift ideas perhaps?

It's that time of year, for sod deliveries!  All the lawn companies are coming around, offering aeration services and the like.  I've been trying to get at the weeds as soon as they pop up but I fear it's a losing battle.  The lawn companies have this new iron treatment, but I don't think it works.  Pesticides have been banned for good reason though.  We actually saw someone replacing their whole lawn, but the
weeds will come back eventually I think.

Creative Tuesdays - Mom

I just noticed it's the birthday of the 'zip' inventor...google (in Canada anyway) is celebrating it in a fun way today!

It's time for Creative Tuesdays! This acrylic ACEO is themed 'Mom'. Please visit the other talented participants to see their interpretation!

Natrel Dark Chocolate Milk

I noticed this product in the grocery store and couldn't wait to try it. My son K and I loved it! It's sweet and very chocolatey. What's not to love? However, it's 190 calories per cup as opposed to 90 calories for a cup of plain white skim milk!

Sunday Sketches - Being Kind

Happy Earth Day by the way!

Starbucks Canada:  Free Coffee Or Tea When You Bring In Your Own Tumbler On Earth Day *April 22*

And now, it's time for Sunday Sketches! This acrylic ACEO is called 'Being Kind', I found this wonderful quote and decided to incorporate it into my art this week.   Please visit the other talented participants!

Gasoline Humour

The gas jokes are making the rounds and I thought this one was funny!

One of my girlfriends told me she doesn't shop at Walmart much as they don't have ethical policies, perhaps in how they treat their employees, etc. She prefers stores like Costco. Well, have you looked closely at a Walmart advertising flyer recently?

In this ad, I would assume I could buy a fitted sheet for $8, which sounds amazing. If you look closely, that is the price for a TWIN size fitted sheet. The prices for Queen and Double are in small print! Well, I find this to be very misleading. Maybe my girlfriend is right! Surely it's all about corporate profit at the busy consumer's expense.  At any rate, pay close attention to these flyers if you're out shopping!

Paint Party Friday - Christening

For Paint Party Friday, I made a card for a Christening we will be attending in a few weeks. It's acrylic on acrylic paper (4.5 x 7 inches).

Please visit the other talented participants in this fun blog hop!

Signs of Spring

The trees are coming to life once again:

Maple Tree Blossoms

Crabapple blossoms

M and I were bed shopping on the weekend. We met a well-dressed 79 year old salesman in one of the stores. He told us he was the number one saleman for his company and went on the say how many children and grandchildren he has. When people ask him when he's going to retire he says 'when I get old'. I noticed him smoking outside when we left. M found him very gruff in nature and in fact, did not like his authoritative manner. I had no problem with that, in fact, he is a role model for the older generation!

60 Years Later

I found this from Cassie at Pinterest .

You know you're British When

My mom and I went to the doctor yesterday mainly to refill our prescriptions and ask about the shingles vaccine.  It turns out we have to order it from a drugstore for $190 and it has to be kept cold and administered within half an hour of picking it up.  It's quite expensive, so I'm still thinking about it.

Then the doctor said we both hadn't had physicals in a year and a half, so we decided to just get that done while we were there.  We will have to do fasting blood tests to check our cholesterol and other good stuff!  The doctor himself was suffering from seasonal allergies.

L will be home from university for the summer in a few weeks.  I think she'll be sad to leave her life (and friends) there, she already calls the place 'home'.  But she will be busy with her summer job and the fall will come soon enough.  Do you remember this stage of transitioning to adulthood?  When the family home was no longer your centre?  It's a bit sad for me, but it's life.   Meanwhile K recently turned 17 and he's acting like he's 21 already.  This is another difficult stage!

Well, have a nice day anyway!

Asian Salad Bar

My friend S and I went to the Asian grocery store again on the weekend and had fun tasting all the food samples. They had a lot of (salty yet delicious) noodles and dumplings this week. I noticed a Natrel brand dark chocolate milk and forgot to buy a carton to take home. I took this photo of their salad bar for you, something different:

S met a friend of hers there by chance. This lady is about 45 years old and I thought it was interesting that she rides a motorcycle! I had to ask her about that. Her two sons are now in university, so it's just her and her husband at home these days. She said she hit 40 years old and thought...she had better do something exciting while she still has the chance. So she got her motorcycle licence! Apparently her husband also has a motorcycle. She was wearing a $500 leather motorcycle jacket which is apparently for safety reasons. It had a brace stitched into the back and elbow re-inforcements. She said jeans are the worst thing to wear on a motorcycle, that leather pants are the most protective. Of course, one would need a good, properly fitted helmet.

Well, it's not something I would ever do, just interesting facts I suppose!

5 Rules to Remember in Life

I received this one in an email and thought it was sort of funny:



1. Money cannot buy happiness, but it's more comfortable to cry in a
Corvette than on a bicycle.

2. Forgive your enemy, but remember the asshole's name.

3. If you help someone when they're in trouble, they will remember you when
they're in trouble again.

4. Many people are alive only because it's illegal to shoot them.

5. Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then neither does milk.




THERE YOU HAVE IT.

Sunday Sketches - Spring Fashion

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! Please visit the other participants and join in this fun blog hop!

This acrylic ACEO is entitled 'Spring Fashion'. I saw this photo in a fashion magazine and loved the colours. These must be the latest colours of the season (orange, lime green and tan).

Pineberries

This is something new I discovered on Pinterest. It looks like a white strawberry and tastes like pineapple. Read more about it here.

Yesterday I went looking for a lamp kit for my son K, he needs one for his art class. It contains all the things you need to assemble your own lamp, except the base which you have to create. I went to the Home Depot hardware store but didn't have luck finding one. One of the employees told me sympathetically that she knows what it's like to be a mother, how we have to do these things for our kids. She lamented on how many essays she has to help her kid write.

Anyway, I went off to Canadian Tire, another hardware store and asked another attendant for help in finding this lamp kit. Sure enough, she points me in the right direction and says 'I'm so glad those days are done for me!' Well, it's good to know I'm not the only mom who has to help her kids with school work! I'm happy to report I found the lamp kit!

Paint Party Friday - Spring Shoes

Welcome to Paint Party Friday, please stop by the other participants and enjoy this fun blog hop!

This acrylic ACEO is intitled 'Spring Shoes'. I saw these shoes in a store flyer and thought they were so pretty for spring!  I was attracted to the hot pink, and beige colours with a subtle orange lining.

Faberge Imperial Easter Egg

This was in the newspaper on Easter Sunday. Isn't it beautiful? It's the Faberge Imperial Easter Egg from Czar Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra in 1898.

Well yesterday was going fine until I cut my right index finger (I'm left-handed) in the same spot as a week and a half ago while chopping yet another bunch of spinach! I was just getting used to the feel of my finger again without a band-aid stuck to it. This will teach me to curl all my fingers up while cutting, for some reason I must think I'm immune. Maddening!

Do you know what this is?

Do you know what this is? If you do, share it with someone else and see if they remember.

I got this from a friend. It's a 45 RPM record adaptor!

All of Easter Weekend, the news kept broadcasting that the food banks were short of their goal, having collected just 1/3 of what they hoped for. So I made a point to purchase some cans of beans and pasta for the cause. I hope others did the same.

Creative Tuesdays - Teddy Bear Reflection

Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

It's time for MMm's Creative Tuesdays.  The theme this week is 'Pastel Colours'.

This is an 8.5 by 11 inch mixed media piece.  I used construction paper, acrylics and tracing paper (the white pieces) to do this Teddy Bear Reflection.  My husband M didn't 'get it', I hope you do!


I found a nice quote to go with it:

For light I go directly to the source of the light, not to any of the reflections - Peace Pilgrim

Teddy Bear Reflection

If you're curious as to how I went about this, read on.

I was inspired by these old stickers I was using to make some quick Easter gift tags. First, I made a teddy bear stencil and then cut some pastel coloured bears out of construction paper. I glued them to yellow and blue construction paper and then painted a light tan colour under the bears. The final step was to glue strips of tracing paper to simulate rippling water.

old stickers and my stencil

The other day I noticed the paper had folded over, and I liked the way it showed the reflection more clearly, what do you think?

Easter Monday

It's Easter Monday, the kids are off school, but a lot of people are at work today.

We went to a nice restaurant and had Fish and Chips for Good Friday.

Fish and Chips

Have you ever seen such big onion rings? And the Cole Slaw was really creamy.

Fish and Onion Rings

Sunday Sketches - Aurora Borealis

Welcome to Sunday Sketches.  Please visit the other participants in this fun blog hop!

This acrylic ACEO is my interpretation of the Aurora Borealis based on an assortment of Google photos.  I've never been lucky to see the real thing myself.

Art from the Heart had a terrific quote the other day, I'd like to share because I think it epitomizes what blogging (apart from the art) is all about. What do you think? Her main point was that artists shouldn't be judged based on their experience by the way.

'Blogging is a terrific place for artist's of all mediums to show, share and take pride in what they create. From a favorite recipe,place to visit or just chat we are here for each other.'

IKEA Job Interview

Isn't this just a great photo, lol!

My daughter L is being treated really well at her boyfriend's family's home.  He took her to the family
cottage and for a boat ride, and the plan was to have dinner at a really nice restaurant.  Now that's the way to date a girl!  She is thankful she packed one really nice outfit, you know how girls think!

Paint Party Friday - Aurora Borealis

Welcome to Paint Party Friday. Please stop by the other participants in this great blog hop!

This is my interpretation (acrylic ACEO) of the Aurora Borealis based on an assortment of Google photos. I've never been lucky to see the real thing myself!

Easter Flowers

Here are some pretty Easter flowers I took at the grocery store recently.

It's been a rough couple of days.  My son K was involved in a minor fender bender just exiting a major highway.  Fortunately no injuries but he was going to see his new girlfriend without telling me because he knew I would say no.  Suffice to say, we took away his cell phone, internet access and driving privileges for the time being.  Luckily not much damage to the other car,  but our bumper will be thousands to repair although it doesn't look too bad.  He's almost 17 and it's a difficult age, transitioning to adult.  He wants more freedom but even at 18 they are hardly prepared to support themselves.

I was a  bit disappointed as we were planning to see L on Good Friday.  But she will be spending Easter meeting her new boyfriend's family.  I'm excited for her, but it's a bit painful to watch your kids growing up so fast.  We haven't seen her for the past couple of months.  However, she'll be home for the summer in a couple of weeks anyway.  I will save her Easter chocolates I guess.  And we've been busy so it will be nice to have a quiet day.

And there will be an extended family gathering for Easter Sunday.

My Easter Treats

I decided it was time to purchase my Easter treats for 2012. Here is my stash. I will make treat bags for L and K and their two cousins who live nearby. I also got some chocolate almonds for my mom and an Easter card for M's mom who doesn't eat chocolates anymore. By divine mistake, I seem to have purchased an extra pack of chocolate almonds, I guess M and I will have to enjoy it! K bought me a box of dark chocolate maltesers a couple of days ago. He said he knows I like maltesers. I've never had the dark chocolate ones before. They are delicious, hard to stop at a handful, but I did!

Easter Treats 2012

Dark Chocolate Maltesers

Enoki Mushrooms

My friend S and I were sampling foods at the Asian grocery store on the weekend. I think this may become a habit. We came upon a lady preparing Enoki mushrooms and I felt like I was at a cooking demonstration. She simply cut the mushrooms up, added some chopped green onions, salt and pepper and made little 2 inch omelettes for sampling. The mushrooms were on sale if you purchased 2 packages, so I purchased 2 packages.  I had never cooked them before. They have a crunchy texture, and beyond that, a very bland flavour. But it is simple and quick to prepare. I added ham to my dish below.

I also took one of the recipe cards, and apparently they can be eaten raw in salads.  It is a Japanese mushroom.

Enoki mushrooms

chopped Enoki mushrooms and other ingredients

Enoki omelette

Loved the Hunger Games

Muscari

The muscari (grape hyacinth) is coming along beautifully in my garden.



We decided to see The Hunger Games movie on the weekend. I loved it, it is a good movie and I would recommend it. The audience clapped at the end. It's fast-paced, clever and interesting. The subject matter doesn't sound appealing at first, but it's not a dumb action movie in my mind. It's more one of survival and a bit of strategy. There is a strong female role model for a change and a good mix of characters.  The violent scenes were done so tastefully that you don't have to look away.  They are there because it is an integral part of the story.   Go see it!

Sunday Sketches - Soaring

Welcome to April 1, April Fool's Day!

My acrylic ACEO for this week's Sunday Sketches is entitled 'Soaring'. He appears to soar against the silhouette of cherry blossoms and better hurry home as the sun is starting to set! Please visit the others in this fun blog hop!