Sunday Sketches - peeking through the fence

This looks like a fun book, 'What's for Lunch, how schoolchildren eat around the world', by Andrea Curtis. It was featured in our local newspaper.  It showed some neat photos of lunches around the world.

For Sunday Sketches, this piece is entitled 'peeking through the fence'. It's acrylic on cardstock (6.5" x 4.5"). I did it based on a photo I took recently on a walk, just at the beginning of the fall season.

Please visit the other talented participants in this fun co-op!

Hindsight

I saw this interesting article in the newspaper where Toronto taxi drivers are using phone apps to find fares. Interesting because, instead of using " a centralized dispatch centre to connect drivers with passengers", this method seems better.  It's the way of the future and traditional jobs will be phased out or downsized due to technology.  It's happened in other areas...bookstores, record stores, video stores.  And I'm sure history is repeating itself...you know how the horse and buggy were replaced by cars, etc.  It's hard to keep pace with change, and easier to look back in hindsight!

I got this in an email and thought it would be a nice Saturday share!

Paint Party Friday - Autumn Reflection

Next weekend will be the Thanksgiving Day long weekend in Canada.   A lot of people will be closing their summer cottages in preparation for winter.  It will be time for turkeys, roasted meats, pumpkin pies, butter tarts....kids will be coming home from universities, some with lots of laundry!

For Paint Party Friday, I was inspired to do this piece from a photo in a calendar.  I had trouble with the reflection until I realized I had to make it much darker than the real trees.   I tossed it in the garbage at least twice, but felt I had invested a lot of time into it and kept trying with it until I was more satisfied!  I also count the time I spent thinking about it (creative time)!  For the artists, has that happened to you or do you just not bother?

Five Cents

The latest thing I've noticed that Walmart is doing is having the cashier ask if you'd like to donate 5 cents to a good cause.  I had to double check the amount.  It might be an ingenious way to get a lot of
money for charity, who can't afford 5 cents?  What do you think?  I actually told the cashier 'next time' as I had already said 'no' before registering the amount requested.  

I saw a wildlife control truck outside a neighbour's house yesterday.  I asked the man if it was raccoons, but he said it was squirrels he was there to remove.  Yes, there are lots of squirrels around and they are getting inside of people's roofs.


I got this in an email and thought it was a good one!

Personal Genetic Testing

Fall Leaves

I came across this news article concerning personal genetic testing. It was interesting. This lady found out that her grandmother was pre-disposed to an eye condition called macular degeneration which eventually caused her blindness. The lady found out she has a 60% chance of developing this herself, compared to the normal 3% chance. She believes 'forewarned is forearmed' and is now having regular eye checkups and taking eye strengthening vitamins. Her test cost about $1600 Canadian. They will probably keep improving these tests in the future.

Is this something you would consider one of these days or are you more comfortable not knowing? 

Here's an interesting article I read yesterday in the newspaper, where a genetic study is pointing to new breast cancer treatments. They are seeing a relationship to ovarian cancer in here somewhere.

Creative Tuesdays - Birds of a Feather

It's time for Creative Tuesdays! The theme this month is 'Birds of a Feather'. I did an acrylic ACEO (2.5" x 3.5") of a colourful bird I saw in an email. I don't know what kind it is or where it's from unfortunately. He does look Christmassy doesn't he?

Please visit the other participants in this fun challenge!

Crockpot Misadventure

I finally decided to buy a crockpot (slow cooker).  Walmart had a big anniversary sale and I got this large 7qt one for $22 not including tax.  It seemed like a reasonable price although to be honest I didn't do much research.  I couldn't wait to try it out as I've never used one.  I was thinking slow-baked ribs.  Well, stupid me, I misread the icons on the control button...They meant low high warm in that order.  Well, I thought the warm button was the high button.  After 5 hours I had to discard the ribs as you're not supposed to cook on warm and I feared bacteria must have built up after all that time on warm.  I did read the manual, but it never explained the icons.

Anyway, I tried the ribs again the next day and they were successful and quite delicious.  Nothing beats slow cooked ribs!  It was so easy, just add the spices and turn the cooker on to the correct setting!

I did some research after the fact and it seems I got a nice stoneware one with a glass cover and 3 settings which is good enough.  It suggests purchasing crockpot liners for easy cleanup.  You can make roasts or whole chickens with this size. I understand you really don't even need liners.
 
 Do you use a slow cooker?

Sunday Sketches - Merman Silhouette

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! This is an acrylic on cardstock (8.5" x 5.5") featuring a Merman Silhouette.  I was thinking it was a Mermaid when my husband suggested it looked more like a man because there wasn't much hair!  So, I thought, why not?  M actually had no idea what I was trying to depict, maybe a man with a fish beside him?  Maybe I should have put the tail a bit closer to the head.

Please visit the other talented, often inspiring participants in this fun art co-op.

Fall Decorations

Well, I've put up my fall decorations, I don't do a lot. I have this wreath hung on a door and I've been changing the ribbons to reflect the season.

I found this recipe for 6 can soup on Pinterest and thought it was interesting, don't know if I would actually try it though!

Paint Party Friday - Surfing

It's time for Paint Party Friday!  Thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting!  I've been doing a Mermaid theme recently and today she's 'Surfing'!  It's acrylic on cardstock (6.5" x 4.5").  She must live in Hawaii!

Please visit some of the participants in this ever growing art co-op!

Artichoke Chicken Bake

I swear the squirrels in our neighbourhood have learned how to cross the roads, they actually slow down and stop when a car approaches.  They often turn and go back the other way!

The English Kitchen recently posted this easy recipe and I had to try it. It was absolutely delicious, no doubt because it calls for 3/4 c low fat mayonnaise and 3/4 c parmesan cheese.  The chicken was so tender. The marinated artichokes certainly add something to the dish. I used skinless chicken breasts with the bones in, so added an extra 15 minutes to the baking time.

I made some bowtie pasta to go with the dish.  Once the chicken was done,  I decided to remove the bones, cut the chicken into pieces and mixed the pasta in, to make it a one pot meal as pictured:

For the Taking

I was tempted to take one of these pots on the weekend (the largest one), these people put a whole bunch of stuff out for free. What do you think?

I had a busy day yesterday. I took my mom for her heart checkup. She had an ECG and an echocardiogram (Heart Ultrasound) done, then we saw the cardiologist. She's been stable for the past 6 months (she has congestive heart failure) and he doesn't need to see her for another 6 months unless things change. We went for a seafood (crab and lobster) lunch at a Chinese restaurant. It was delicious. The waiters and waitresses were all very friendly, either they weren't very busy, or else everyone was having a good day. We even got  complimentary corn soup (like an egg drop soup) and at the end of the meal I asked for 'that hot, black, sweet, silky dessert' and got it! The waitress couldn't tell me the name in English and I didn't know what it was either.  How's that for successful communication skills!

Corn Soup

Crab and Lobster dishes

Charity Recycling

I was pleased we recently gathered quite a few bags of items (from around the house) for donation to the Children's Wish recycling charity. They must throw at least half of the stuff away, but hopefully will be able to use the other half.  We also do this for Cerebral Palsy, it just depends who calls at the right time.  The other bonus is that feeling of de-cluttering and they provide pickup from your house.

Friends of ours are downsizing to a condo from a house. They are trying to do this in a short period of time as they have already bought the condo and need to sell their house. I think I would need more than a few months to do this kind of thing, so stressful! We really have to be careful how much we accumulate over the years, especially as we get older.

Homemade Plum Jam

I've never made jam before and I found a recipe on Mykitchensnippets' blog. It seemed simple and I decided to try it.  It calls for six chopped plums, one and a half cups of white sugar and the juice of one lemon. Boil for 30 minutes and spoon into a jar! It's delicious! I made sure to wait until the plums were ripe, sweet and juicy. It doesn't require canning as it's just one jar that you are going use and refrigerate. Is this something you would try making yourself?

Sunday Sketches - Watching the Sunrise

I've noticed the squirrels being very busy at this time of year, scurrying around, up and down the trees and burying lots of nuts everywhere, even in one of my planters according to my husband M.  I hope this doesn't mean we are in for a harsh winter.

Welcome to Alexandra's Sunday Sketches. I did an acrylic (6.5" x 4.5") on cardstock today. It's called 'watching the sunrise'. I'm really happy with how this piece turned out, a bit of whimsy.

Summer Flowers

Here's a short, happy BBC video for you to watch called 'what a wonderful world with David Attenborough'.

My friend S had given me these flowers to plant in the spring.  M had mowed them over by mistake but they are very hardy. They have bloomed and look like yellow coneflowers, quite pretty. She says they grow very tall although she was never sure what they were. Well, that's what I think they are regardless if they grow very tall. What do you think, any ideas?  I've just noticed they need to be supported or else they fall over. 

I stopped to smell these pretty roses on one of my walks.

I've always liked these flowers, cosmos.

Paint Party Friday - Mermaid

I'm reading this book by Ian K. Smith, MD called Happy. It's about how to get the most out of life. I found it interesting that he says Happiness has proven to be much like a virus, it's contagious and spreads easily. So if you hang out with happy people or even friends of happy people, you become happy yourself!  The book also suggests that you can dream and imagine happy things and it makes you happy! What do you think about this, sounds good, heard it all before?

Anyway, welcome to Paint Party Friday! I did a Mermaid theme in acrylic on cardstock (6.5" x 4.5").  I got her red hair by mixing gold, orange, and red paint, was pleased with how that turned out.

The Grapes

In my Sept 8th post, I had a photo of some grapes I saw hanging outside of a neighbour's fence and never thought to try them. On Laurie's suggestion, I decided to have a taste the next time I went by!  Indeed I plucked off this little bunch.  They are wine grapes with seeds, but oh so flavourful and sweet, a lovely burst of flavour!  I'll have to drop by next year, lol, I don't think I want to plant my own.

On the subject of grape tasting, one supermarket was offering tastes of their grapes, it was delicious, so I bought some sweet, crunchy green and red ones.

A somewhat healthy snack

I was at my hairdresser yesterday and while I was there, his longtime barber friend came in for a quick haircut.  The barber then proceeded to cut my hairdresser's hair!  I must admit I never wondered where he got his own hair cut!  It was a gorgeous, sunny day, a bit cooler as fall sets in.

L wanted to try these baked lentil chips we saw at Costco when she was here. They weren't so great on their own, but paired with a good hummus dip, they are fantastic! It's a somewhat healthy snack, the chips are made with bean flour, with 110 calories per 22 chips and only 5% fat in the serving. At 210 mg of sodium it's salty but it's a chip. Maybe if one has 11 chips it's not so bad. The dip itself is 80 calories per 30g (2TBS) with 8% fat in the serving. So this means you just dip the chips as lightly as you can, it's still a dip after all! Would you try these?

Lentil Chips

Hummus Dip with Lentil Chips

All set (not)

Can you believe this (Stop - No dog poop please) sign?  Some people apparently need to be told this!  We have super mailboxes on each street where we go to collect our mail.  The city went so far as to put these blue boxes beneath them as a receptacle for unwanted mail, no doubt trying to stop people from creating a mess with their garbage.

We were all set (and excited) to visit a friend's new cottage on the weekend.  He called at 8 pm the night before to cancel.  It seems he had stepped out of the cottage that day and twisted his ankle on some wooden steps which were a bit damp and slippery.  He was on his way to emergency because he was now thinking it was broken as he couldn't put any weight on it.   M had to call the other couple who were also invited to inform them of the mishap.  We hope he's not in too much pain and that he'll make a swift recovery.  It sure beats a heart attack though doesn't it?  When friends call like that  you think the worst, and this man had a heart attack in his late thirties.  He's in his early fifties now and has been fine.

As a followup to this story, it seems M's friend is in a light, modern type of cast, having broken a small bone in his foot.  He is able to get around quite well with the new cast.   It will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal.

Meatball Dinner

When was the last time you had an Ikea meatball dinner? (Assuming you have one nearby). It's currently $2.99 on Tuesdays for a 15 piece meatball dinner between 2 and 5 pm.  It's an extra dollar for coffee or a soft drink.  M gave me his lingonberry sauce as he doesn't care for it.

They also sell frozen meatballs, mashed potatoes and a gravy mix (to which you add your own cream) if you were inclined to make it yourself at home. You microwave the meatballs and mashed potatoes (adding your own salt and pepper to the potatoes which is a good thing). Then you boil the gravy with half a cup of your own cream. They also sell jars of lingonberry sauce.

Sunday Sketches - My Autumn Tribute

It's time for Alexandra's Sunday Sketches! The tree leaves have started to turn here and in some cases the first leaves have fallen. This is my autumn tribute, in acrylic on cardstock (6.5" x 4.5").

Signs of Fall

We're having LOTS of rain today.

Walking through the neighbourhood this past weekend, it had just turned to September and I noticed early signs of Fall. Do you see the leaves starting to change colour? This is a maple tree:

Some leaves had actually fallen to the ground.

I noticed these grapes hanging outside someone's fence. No, I didn't even think to pluck a few off for tasting!

Paint Party Friday - Exploring

Welcome to Paint Party Friday!

Please visit the other talented participants.

I was browsing through this Wilderness type magazine at the dentist's office recently and thought I could paint this photo I saw. It's done in acrylic (3" x 4.5"). That's a canoe in the foreground.

Elderberry in fruit

I have some elderberry plants. These small trees/shrubs are native to the region and a couple of them seeded themselves in my backyard several years ago. I was delighted to see them full of berries this past weekend as pictured. I read that you can make syrups and jams with them, but I simply hope the birds will enjoy them.  The berry has a couple of small seeds inside.

Dappled Sunlight

I took this photo on a recent morning walk, and I think of 'dappled sunlight' when I look at it. That would be 'the sun that makes its way through the branches of a deciduous tree' by definition!

This is the local Farmer's Market that I wandered through this past weekend. It might be the last one for the season. I resisted the peameal bacon on a bun for $4 as I am watching my weight. I did sample some strawberry rhubarb vanilla water/tea, it seemed low cal.

If you're a cat lover or even if you're not, you'll love this cute video  called

Sad French Kitty Wins ‘Best Cat Video on the Internet’

Wing Night

Kelsey's Restaurant has half price wing nights on Thursdays. K and I decided to do that last Thursday night as M was out. Here are a few photos.  Since I'm watching my weight at the moment, I just had 4 of my 8 wings in a sea salt and toasted pepper flavour.  K ordered 16 honey garlic wings and it's great because we just take the leftovers home for another day.  We also ordered the loaded potato skin appetizer and I just had one piece so I didn't feel too guilty!  However we had to order the caramel brownie lava cake for dessert because it is to die for!  We split that also and enjoyed the whole meal tremendously!

Only one question remains, are you a cheesecake or a brownie person when it comes to dessert?  Lol.

Honey garlic wings

Loaded Potato Skins

Caramel Brownie Lava Cake with Ice Cream

The Dental Appointment

I couldn't resist taking a photo of these beautiful flowers at the supermarket the other day.

I took K to the dentist last week for a checkup.  For the first time in about 17 years they told me I didn't have an appointment.  I remember someone calling the week before to confirm my appointment, and they never requested me to call back as they usually do.  Anyway, there was no record of an appointment and I didn't have my appointment card on me.  The receptionist was nice enough to say that if we were willing to wait she would try to squeeze us in within an hour, so we decided to wait.  Within half an hour they called K in and all was well.  We didn't want to book a different appointment because it would have to be after school starts.

While we waited, some kids with disabilities came in, with their attendants.  One child was very quiet, but this other teenager was wearing a helmet and kept getting out of his seat, heading for the exit door.  The attendant would just  lead him back to his seat.  I asked one of the ladies if he had been in an accident.  At first, she said she wasn't allowed to discuss the matter, then she said he actually had epilepsy, 4 different types in fact.  He wore the protective helmet in case he had a seizure and fell.  She said epilepsy occurs when the brain overheats.  It is a very serious disease.

Sunday Sketches - The Rising Sun

Hello and welcome to Sunday Sketches, hosted by Alexandra. Hope you are having a lovely long weekend, as least it is one in North America.

Please visit the other talented participants!

This sunrise was done using acrylic paint on acrylic paper (7" x 4.5").

Creamy Chocolates

Did you see the beautiful blue moon last night?  It won't occur again until 2015.  A blue moon doesn't refer to the colour, it's called that when the moon is full twice in the same month.

My sister visited Paris, France recently and brought me back these luxurious chocolates.  They are creamy and delicious, sort of like Toblerones.

Welcome to September and have a happy Saturday!