Vigil

flowers at the grocery store

There was a #torontostrong vigil held in the city yesterday to show grief and support for the victims of the deadly van attack last Monday. Thousands showed up including our Prime Minister and local politicians. They have not found any international links to terrorism and it seems the killer has mental health issues.

In other news, the daffodils have started blooming finally and we are to have a summery week at last!
There is a lot of road kill recently in the form of skunks (not a pleasant smell in the air).  There was even a rabbit leg on the sidewalk yesterday, sigh.

Always a pleasure

It was time once again for me to receive a batch of free samples from Samplesource. In return they will ask you some questions on what you thought of the products.

Ikea visit

I was at Ikea recently and noticed they had changed their floor signs, now they are projected from the ceiling. This seems a smart idea, what do you think?

Besides having a meal, I didn't do much shopping. I just purchased the 2 chocolate bars pictured below.

overhead projector

Paint Party Friday - Baili's Lamp

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! Baili posted a touching story of her lamp and how much it means to her. It inspired me to paint it for you today. It's done on textured cardstock (6" x 6") in permanent marker, outlined with a black PITT artist pen.

I received these beautiful package from Gillena which included some pretty ATCs, in a recent swap we did.  Thanks Gillena, it was so fun to receive your package!

The Basketball Game

free t shirts on every seat

We got 2 free tickets to a Raptors Basketball playoff game last Tuesday as our friends were going on vacation and couldn't use them.  Daughter L and son K were happy to attend. The Raptors won so everyone got free pizza slices. Apparently they put free t shirts on every seat for playoff games so that was another great bonus that night.

Scribble Picnic - Quilt

Welcome to Michael's Scribble Picnic! The theme this week is 'quilt' and here is my landscape inspired quilt. It is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") permanent marker on canvas, outlined with a PITT finepoint black marker.

Unprecedented Tragedy in Toronto

10 people are dead and 15 injured after what appears to be a terrorist attack in Toronto yesterday afternoon. It was one of the first beautiful spring days of the season and a busy area of the city was filled with pedestrians. This rented van ploughed through people on a sidewalk, an unreal situation.  The 25 year old (terrorist?) was apprehended in a dramatic takedown. The brave cop really kept his cool and did not shoot the perpetrator.  Sending prayers to the victims of this unprecedented tragedy.

What is interesting is that as the tragedy unfolded, I was in  touch with family members in England and the U.S.  They seemed to know more details than I did at the time.  Thanks to my blog friends for your kind thoughts.

On Smoke Detectors

I recently learned that the new battery operated smoke detectors come with lithium batteries that last 10 years, so you don't have to change the batteries every spring and fall anymore if you have these new ones. 

Apparently the hardwired units must be replaced every 10 years as they don't last forever.  They may not be detecting smoke properly after that.

Were you aware of all this?

The Birthday Cake

Daughter L baked this wonderful birthday cake for son K's recent birthday. It was a blue velvet cake with whipped cream icing, and was beyond delicious.

The Sundae

My sister in California shared this sundae topped with cornflakes and a bourbon caramel topping and reports that it was delicious.

We watched the movie 'Pride and Prejudice' the other day starring Keira Knightley and quite enjoyed this version.  It had such pretty, bucolic scenes and it is a classic romance after all.

Paint Party Friday - Landscape ACEO

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! This is a landscape ACEO on canvas in permanent marker
 (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").  I am a fan of colour, I hope you like this piece.  Have a great weekend.

The Binoculars

These poor daffodils are trying to bloom. The ice storm this past weekend didn't help.  Did I mention we were stuck indoors for 3 days?  I was sorry for the travellers with all the gruelling plane delays at the airport.

Husband M noticed that a street light across the road has been on even during the daytime for quite some time so we decided to report it to the city.  We didn't want to go outside that day as it was awful with all the snow and freezing rain.  I remembered we have some binoculars and we were able to focus clearly on the lamp post number across the street.  So I was able to file a request for service with the correct lamp post number without having to go outside!

This is likely a good reason to keep your curtains closed at night, you never know who uses binoculars like these, they are quite powerful!

On Housework

Veggie Tray

I took this veggie tray to our extended family Easter dinner a few weeks back, along with some flavoured popcorn.  We had to bring half of it home but the popcorn was all gone.  I ended up making a vegetable stir fry with the remainder so none of it was wasted.

Here is a funny one for you:

ATTENTION: ALL WOMEN: a virus is going round called Housework. If you feel the need to start Housework stop immediately. This virus wipes out your social life. If you should come in contact with Housework, go straight to the nearest armchair as the only antidote known is called Rest! Please forward this warning immediately to 6 friends. If you realise you do not have 6 friends, you are already infected.😄xx

Promising workout video

I thought these male running shoes looked so streamlined and beautiful when I saw them at the mall.

On the topic of fitness, daughter L introduced me to this 7 minute workout video that we really enjoyed doing. It seems like a video that I could do every day painlessly, not to mention it promises we could lose inches of belly fat in a week!  Regardless, it is fun to do compared to say, daily plank exercises.

I was curious about the youtube star who made this video.  Her name is Lucy Wyndham Read.  It turns out she has a tragic story. She was in the British army as a teenager with her fiance at the time. He was shot and killed in a game of Russian roulette. She left the army and went into fitness. Never married and is now 45, she still looks like a young girl, is a published author and entrepreneur.

Some Good Coffees

Kicking Horse Coffee

Full Steam Coffee Co. - from Nova Scotia

These are some good coffees we have been enjoying recently. They were clearing at the grocery store, I didn't realize they were whole beans. Luckily, I do have a small coffee grinder and put it to good use.  Do you ever grind your own beans?

Bad Weather

This 'medical dictionary' gave me a chuckle, I hope it will amuse you too!

We are stuck at home this weekend with a major ice storm and freezing rain.  Many events around the city were cancelled, including university exams,  There are airport delays and power outages in some areas.  My friend S and I went for an early morning walk yesterday and were home before the freezing rain started.

LED nightlight

I found this power saving LED nightlight at the dollar store for $2 and thought it was a good deal. It works very well, not as bright as a regular night light but it is fine.

Paint Party Friday - Spring Shade

welcome to Paint Party Friday! Sharing some 'Spring Shade' with you today. This piece is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") blendable permanent marker on canvas. I was inspired by the shade from the trees hitting the fence one sunny morning at the start of spring.

Roasted Parsnips

My friend S was telling me she had some delicious roasted parsnips recently so I decided to roast some too along with some carrots. They are delicious and sweet. Unfortunately they have a high glycemic index so they are not good for diabetics, as are a lot of root vegetables such as potatoes and beets. 

I roasted these vegetables for 20 minutes at 400F in the oven, seasoned with some olive oil, oregano, onions, garlic, salt and pepper.

Scribble Picnic - Pyjamas

Welcome to Scribble Picnic! Our host Michael's theme this week is 'Pyjamas'. My piece is on heavy paper (8 1/2" x 11"). I used my roll of decorative duct tape and my trusty left-handed scissors (yes I am a lefty), to create this pyjama set for you. I am very pleased with the effect.  For some reason I am good at this sort of patchwork cutting and fitting to a shape, this came together quickly.  It's kind of like gift-wrapping, which I enjoy.  How about you?

The Visit

An uncle who lives in a senior's home recently took a turn for the worst.  His partner called me a few weeks ago to say he had contracted pneumonia and was in the hospital.  He was having trouble keeping food down and the antibiotics were not working.  We had visited them in the senior's home around Christmastime and all was stable then.

So husband M and I went to see my uncle in hospital.  It seems we came in on a good day as he had tubes all over him the previous day.  This day he had been fed some puree and his body seemed to be recovering on its own without the antibiotics which had been discontinued.  We learned that there is a home care service who had been contracted to come in from 8 am to 2 pm every day (at considerable cost)  to help feed and clean him.  In fact they had also given him a nice  haircut.  The hospital staff is overworked so it is to the patient's benefit if he can afford such a service.

His partner is making plans to have my uncle moved from his current senior's home to a long term care facility with more specialized care that he needs.  She mentioned that some of his long time friends had come by to visit, it is nice how they have kept in touch for what must be well over 60 years.  They have known each other before their wives came along, and in some cases wives have passed away.

His partner will keep us posted on any developments.  He is lucky to have her.  She is there every day for at least 6 hours.  Maybe that's the reason he is hanging on and improving without antibiotics.  I am glad we saw him on a good day, and so went the visit.

A Treat

It was a treat to see some crocuses blooming in the garden last week. Then the weather became awful again, we had a horrible windstorm that knocked power out in many areas of the city and did some damage with roofs blown off and trees toppled.

Safety Tips

On my latest trip to Costco they were handing out these safety tips along with their sale flyers on behalf of our local police organization.  It is always good to have reminders like this.

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

I found this lovely recipe by Giada for brussels sprouts with pancetta. The trick about brussels sprouts is to partially cook them for about 4 minutes in boiling water and drain immediately.  At that  point you can prepare them however you wish, in this case with pancetta.  Brussels sprouts with pancetta is a classic combination I would say.  Well probably anything with pancetta is delicious!

Paint Party Friday - Jan's Tepee

Jan made this adorable tepee out of found objects (twigs and leaves) and kindly gave me permission to use a version of it in my piece today. It is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") on canvas using blendable permanent markers.

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Small World

purple anthurium

My sister shared this photo of a purple anthurium she photographed in Barcelona while she was on a recent cruise. Isn't it beautiful?

At Easter we found out that by coincidence my sister-in-law and her husband were on the very same cruise! Isn't it a small world. Unfortunately they didn't realize it, as they didn't know each other well enough to make the connection.

Scribble Picnic - Watering Can

Welcome to Scribble Picnic's 'Watering Can' theme! This is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in permanent marker on canvas. I actually own this ceramic watering can which I got at a garage sale many years ago, I've never used it assuming it is for decorative purposes but it would likely work. Can't wait to see what everyone else did for this theme!

Cabbage, Ham and Lentil soup

I had some leftover cabbage, ham that was almost expiring and half a can of diced tomatoes. After googling I found a suitable soup recipe and here is my version, the soup was quick, fragrant and delicious!

1 tbs oil
1 tbs butter
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2c cabbage in 1" pieces
1/2 lb diced ham
14oz can diced tomatoes
4 - 6c water
2 c low sodium chicken stock
1c beans (I used red lentils)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp herb such as oregano

saute onion, garlic in oil and butter
add pepper cayenne herb and
add remaining ingredients, simmer for 30 mins

Pasta Salad

I bought some marinated Greek style feta olive antipasto and decided to mix it with some pasta and it became an easy delicious pasta salad! It is something I will certainly do again.

Happy Easter

Welcome to April,  and Happy Easter!