Creative Tuesdays - Little Twitters

For Creative Tuesdays 'Little Twitters' theme, I did a tiny yellow finch on a post-it note (2"h x 3"w) in watercolour pencil. They are so quick and small, I often see them flitting by outside.

Birthday Gift and some thoughts

I celebrated my birthday in late June, husband M and the kids gave me this beautiful gift. It's a Lenox fine china figurine that I had chosen called 'Once Upon a Dream'. I loved the way Cinderella's skirt looks.  I don't often buy or receive stuff like this, so it is a pure indulgence.

A friend mailed me a birthday card and I thought it was interesting that she put her dogs' names on the card this year instead of her kids. The 'kids' are now 26 and 30 years old and have moved out of home.

Yet another friend is having photo laser work done on her face, I think that's what she said.  One cheek was slightly bruised.  It is to eliminate some small wrinkles. 

Times are changing, it came up in a conversation that younger people don't value diamonds, fine jewellery, crystal, and china in the same way as older people.  The emphasis now is more on owning the latest technology.  I think our most valuable possessions these days may be our smartphones!

Sunday Sketches - A View

Welcome to Sunday Sketches. This is a quick piece done on a notepad sheet (3 1/2"w x 6"h) in watercolour pencil. It's quite a view!

A New Sketchbook

I was making a purchase on Amazon the other day and wanted to get free shipping, so I had to spend about $10 more dollars and I chose this new (9" x 12") sketchbook which arrived the very next day!  Online purchasing has come a long way, so convenient I discovered.  Do you do a lot of online shopping?

To be honest, I was purchasing the new Adam Lambert CD.  After all that, I later saw it in Walmart for a couple of dollars cheaper.

Paint Party Friday - Have Some Wine

Welcome to Paint Party Friday, 'Have Some Wine', will you? This piece is done on a post it note (2"w x 3"h) in watercolour pencil. The weather here has been so wonderful, it puts you in that frame of mind!

SOC - 2 purples 1 yellow

Here is my SOC entry for 2 purples and one yellow!  It's done in my (9" x 12") sketchbook in watercolour pencil and crayon.  I used an ochre yellow.  I really do own these creamer and sugar bowls.  They are white actually.

Choose a Question

Mark and Kay asked some interesting questions on their blog posts the other day, and I thought I would let you choose which one to answer for me today. Tell me your first childhood memory or tell me one thing that is making you happy today! Well, Kay asked for 5 things, but no pressure here, one is good enough!

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake

We went to a family baptism the weekend before last and they served a strawberry shortcake ice cream cake. I had never had this kind before and it was very good! It rained all that day, but it was a very happy event, with a joyous family celebration after the church baptism.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying each other's company and listening to each other's news (good or bad).  This is not always the case as there can be undercurrents at these gatherings.

Some Crystal and Asian Pottery

I went across town to see my uncle recently. He is moving to a retirement home and asked if I would be interested in anything at his house. He will be putting it up for sale soon and is in the process of clearing it. I decided on some of my aunt's crystal pieces. She passed away maybe 6 years ago. I saw some Asian pottery, I thought my sister might like the vase pictured below as she has stuff like that in her living room. Then I thought my mother-in-law might like the elephant plant stand. She is also ready to move into a retirement home, but we figured she could enjoy the piece in her home until then.

Sunday Sketches - Rose

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!

I did a simple rose for Sunday Sketches today. It's on a green post-it note in watercolour pencil (2"w x 3"h).

Wild Raspberries and Good News

I'm excited to show you these wild raspberries growing in my yard. The plant showed up last year but this year it actually has some raspberries on it!

In some good news, we saw our neighbour next door, and he said his wife had not had a stroke as we first thought. It turns out she spent 9 days in hospital due to dangerously low sodium levels in her bloodwork. It took some time to build the levels back up (including having to consult with another doctor) but she is now walking her dogs again (whew!) The second doctor told her not to drink too much water as it would dilute the sodium levels she was trying to build back. Ironically, most of us try to restrict sodium in our diet.

Paint Party Friday - Fish

I did a simple fish for Paint Party Friday today in watercolour pencil on a blue (2"w x 3"h) post-it note.

Summer of Color - Pink, Pink and Orange

Here is my entry for Summer of Color Pink, Pink and Orange this week! It's a doughnut on a polka dot napkin, done on a pink post-it note (2"h x 3"w) in acrylic and outlined with a fine point black marker.  I took a photo as the bright pink background showed up as more of a purple on the scan.

Salty Caramel Truffle

Last week I went for a walk with a friend.  She suggested we stop for some ice cream.  Then I discovered this delicious new flavour 'Salty Caramel Truffle' by Kawartha Dairy.  Oh my, it was worth the calories.

My mom is in Florida with one of my sisters for the month of June.  She is giving my other sister who my mom lives with in Toronto, a break.  I inquired as to her well-being and received this response: 'mom is okay in her own happy little world', so all is good.  My mom suffers from a bit of dementia.  I kind of have a break too, as I look after her medications and a lot of her medical appointments.
 
I thought it was interesting, the position of the moon one morning underneath this plane exhaust trail.  Within a few minutes this view had changed, sort of like capturing the sunrise or sunset.

Creative Tuesdays - Aqua

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays' 'Aqua' theme! My piece is done on a blue (2"w x 3"h) post-it note in acrylic, outlined with a fine-point marker. I actually took ballet lessons as a teenager and remember using these pointe shoes, I may still have a pair somewhere. They were very uncomfortable and caused blisters on my feet.

Rhubarb season

I am thinking of trying this recipe I found called 'sweet and sour rhubarb pork chops'. It calls for 2 cups of diced rhubarb which I've never actually cooked before, and of course, some pork chops. I found an old post of mine from last year where I tried some strawberry rhubarb pie and liked it. At that time, I found out that the rhubarb leaves are poisonous.

Sunday Sketches - Diagonal

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! I did a page in watercolour crayon in my art journal (8 1/2"w x 11"h). I was experimenting with a diagonal design.

Suddenly

neighbourhood flowers

Husband M and I were pulling into our driveway in the middle of the week and he noticed our neighbour next door walking slowly down her driveway.  He said 'she looks ill'.  We waved to her and she waved back with her right arm, but her left arm hung lifelessly by her side.  M said her face didn't look right either.  We figured she must have had a stroke.  M noticed he hadn't seen her for awhile.  She usually walks 2 little dogs twice a day and she babysat her grandkids.  This is life-changing and sudden for her, poor lady.  She is in her early fifties I imagine and was so active, a slim woman.  Maybe we will get a chance to talk to her husband soon, he is usually puttering around outside with the weeds.

This really makes you think about life and our tenuous hold on it.  We bustle about our business every day never thinking things could change on a dime.  I suppose it's what you have to do.

Then I was at my hairdresser the next day.  His assistant greeted me and said she would have to do my hair as the hairdresser's wife had to go to the hospital and he was with her.  It seems the poor woman has not been well this past month.  I hope they can help her in the hospital.

I realize that at this stage of my life (mid-fifties), this is what starts to happen, some of the people in my circle are also aging and they get ill or have to start moving into retirement homes.  Some will be fortunate and will carry on. Then as you get even older, you lose even more friends and so on. I will stop being morbid now.

Here is a fun video of Dick Van Dyke, he can still dance and did you know he married a beautiful woman 46 years younger than him?

Paint Party Friday - Baptism

We will be going to a Baptism soon, so I painted this white dress on a greeting card (4 1/4"w x 5 1/2 h") on a textured pink background. It's done in acrylic paint, outlined with grey watercolour pencil. Happy Paint Party Friday!  Thanks to Kristin and Eva for always hosting this wonderful art co-op.

Summer of Color - Blue, Blue and Green

Linking to Summer of Color today, the theme for Week One is Blue, Blue and Green!  The piece is done in acrylic on a blue post-it note (2"h x 3"w), I am loving the effect of this one and hope you will too!

Summer Festival

It was time for the annual summer festival on Main Street this past weekend. I took some photos to show you. The local orthodontist had a stall, I said hello to him and he remembered me from the years when son K got his braces done. The doctor is now married with a 3rd baby on the way and a thriving practice. He is now setting up his 3rd branch in another area.  I pulled up a photo of K on my phone to show the doctor and he said it is so rewarding to see the kids grow up in the ten years of his practice in the area.  He spoke of kids now driving their younger siblings to their appointments.

My friend S and I also met K's old high school math teacher watching the parade with his little daughter. I remembered sitting in a parent teacher interview with him. A local dance troupe went by and he said they are steering their daughter away from dance lessons. They feel dance schools don't set a positive message for girls, focussing on looks and slimness often leading to eating disorders and such. It is an interesting point of view. So the little girl will do tennis and golf. I actually liked the dance group, fun music and moves!

Band

Horse and Carriage

Skates on Cow

Elvis

Food Truck

Can you see the Maple Leaf on his bum?

Sushi Burrito

Cupcakes

My friend S came by the other day with these delicious cupcakes she wanted to share.  They were chocolate and red velvet.  There was some kind of celebration at her office and there were lots of extras.  My favourite part was the whipped icing on top, mmm.

More recently she came by with some fresh asparagus from her sister's farm.  I wasted no time roasting them in the oven along with some other vegetables.

Cute Statue

Lots of excitement this weekend with American Pharoah winning the Triple Crown horse race and what with publication of the new photos of Prince George and Princess Charlotte of England! Hope your weekend was a good one.

We went to this Italian Style restaurant recently and I saw this cute statue at the front. It made me laugh and think what could happen if I ate too much here.

Here is a good video to watch to help with recognizing stroke.

Sunday Sketches, Simply Summer

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! This piece is called 'Simply Summer' done in my art journal (8 1/2"w x 11"h) in acrylic and watercolour pencil.

Summer Special

I was walking in the neighbourhood a few weeks ago and saw these items laid out for free. It looks like a bedroom set.  It's not really my taste nor do I want a bedroom set, but it might have been a great find for the right person.

Paint Party Friday - A Room with a View

Welcome to Kristin and Eva's Paint Party Friday. This piece is called 'A Room with a View', on cardstock in watercolour pencil and crayon (5"w x 4 1/2"h).  It is a mountain/river view from the window, my favourite kind of view.  What would be your favourite view?

Nice List

I thought this would be a nice list to pass on today:

The government of Ontario is gradually replacing the Health Cards of all its residents. People older than about 21 years old had the older red and white health cards with no expiry date and no photo. Husband M has to go in and get his new Health Card with photo soon. You have to bring in 3 types of identification such as a passport, a driver's licence, a credit card and the original health card. Son K never had one of the old red and white ones, so his has a photo and has to be renewed periodically. The good news is that there is no cost to having the card replaced.

Best Brownies Ever

Daughter L discovered the best brownie mix ever, and if you can believe it, it is the generic, store brand, 'no name' product! I notice it is relatively low in fat as it uses cocoa instead of chocolate in the ingredients list.  Although I did have to add 2/3c of oil to the mix.  It bakes up moist, chewy and very chocolatey, just the way I like them.  I would be comfortable to whip up a batch of these to take along as a dessert for a party.  Being a brownie mix, you don't even need to use a blender, it recommends 50 stirs of a wooden spoon until the ingredients are just wet.

Creative Tuesdays - Orange

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays! The current theme is 'Orange' and this is my contribution. It is done on textured dark blue cardstock (6" x 6") in acrylic. I was striving for the effect of a tulle skirt in a white washed orange.  I used a darker shade of orange for the shoes.

I've been featuring 'Orange' on behalf of Creative Tuesdays since the weekend, with my 'Orange Sunrise' here and with 'Cute Socks' here. It has been fun!

June and Corn on the Cob

Welcome to June!

It is time for regular weeding of the garden, sheesh.  And the mosquitoes are out. The corn at the grocery stores are excellent and cheap at this time of year. Last week we were buying some and husband M noticed a sign that said 'if you husk the corn in the store, you will be charged double the price at checkout'. He noticed a woman doing just that, she was leaving the husks in the corn bin. He mentioned the sign to her and she thanked him, she had no idea. Then she left the husked corn in the bin and grabbed some other ones. Hmm.

It was good corn. I just microwave a cob for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, I don't even put butter on it, it is delicious either way.