That time of year

 Well it is Girl Guide cookie time of year!  Some cute little girls came to the front door a few weeks ago selling these for $6 so I got a box.

Friday Art - Boat-billed Heron

Welcome to Friday Art!  This is my boat-billed heron ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in acrylic.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Rain's Thursday Art Date - Shag Carpeting and Roasted Red potatoes

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art Date's 'Shag Carpeting' theme. Rain is on an indefinite break but I am continuing with her themes for now. Here is my shag carpet ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

For the Dinner Date, I roasted some red potatoes.  There is no need to skin them first which is convenient.
 

Wednesday Memes

 

A little five-year-old girl was usually driven to school by her grandad, but one day he had a bad cold, so her grandmother took her instead.

That night, the little girl told her parents, “The drive with Gramma was really different today.”

“Oh? What made it different?” they asked.

“Well,” she said, “with Gramma, we didn’t see a single  numb nuts, blind lady, or freakin' moron on the road the whole way!” 

Roasted Asparagus with mint and tarragon

 

I was inspired to roast some asparagus with mint and tarragon fresh from the garden.  Perhaps 15 minutes at 400F will be better next time, I did 20 minutes this time.

A wake up call.

 We received some sad news a few weeks ago, husband M's long time friend from university days passed away suddenly at the beginning of the month.  He and his wife had retired out west to British Columbia just 3 years ago.  He was only 64.  It was heart failure diagnosed only a year after they had moved to be closer to their 3 adult daughters.  It is a shock and a wake up call on how short life is.

Sunday Smiles - Where did apples originate

 Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

Roentare noticed the last sentence which led me to googling that modern apples ARE dying of unknown causes.

On the Safety Pin

 

Some ideas are born and are complete from the very beginning. They do not need repairs, further developments, or modernizations.

They remain as they are.

A perfect example of this is the safety pin invented by Walter Hunt in 1849.
A simple piece of metal, cleverly bent, has remained virtually unchanged for over 170 years.

It is not always a matter of complexity or constant innovation.
Sometimes the greatness of an idea lies in the fact that it combines the best of function and form from the very beginning and does not need to be changed.

-Echoes of Insight

Friday Art - Malaysian horned Frog

 Welcome to Friday Art!  This is a Malaysian horned frog ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date - Pots and Pans theme and Imitation Crab Dip

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! Rain is on an indefinite break but I am continuing with her themes, why not? Here are my 'Pots and Pans' an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").  I was going for a vintage look.

 For the Dinner Date, I made an imitation crab dip using this recipe.  It was good.

Wednesday Memes

 

The cat tower

 

My sister-in-law bought a new cat tower and realized her 23 pound ragdoll cat is too big for it!  Oh well!

Recapping Mother's Day

 Recapping this past Mother's Day, Daughter L got me some pruning shears noticing that I needed new ones.  I appreciate practical gifts as well as flowers.

We all met up for a nice dinner prior to the Maple Leafs game which they unfortunately lost.  

I have a memory of going to L's house a few weeks ago and weeding near her robin's nest.  I saw the Mother frantically fluttering around and just clued in later on, bad me.  The robins have now hatched by the way.

Enjoy your Victoria Day long weekend, happy gardening!

Sunday Smiles - Lobster Anatomy

 Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

Some new drinks

 

My supermarket chain has these new non alcoholic cocktails that are quite delicious and made with natural flavours.  They come in 3 flavours as pictured above (tequila, mule, and mojito).

It is the start of the Long Victoria Day weekend here.  It is considered safe to plant your flowers now.

Friday Art - Surfer Splatter Painting

Welcome to Friday Art.  Here is my surfer splatter painting ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.
 

In progress

Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date - Blink theme and Banana Bread Cookies

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! Here is my 'Blink' piece (ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in acrylic on cardstock.

For the Dinner Date I did banana bread cookies based on a Jamie Oliver recipe I found.  They were so easy and very good!  I have made it several times.

1 ripe banana mashed

1/2 c sugar 

1/4c melted butter 

1 c flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

350F

Mix wet ingredients (banana, sugar, butter)

Add dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt)

Scoop and shape the dough.   Drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, flatten with a fork.  Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes.

Here is a tip: dip the fork in water before pressing the cookie, it won't stick to the cookie
 

Wednesday Memes

 

A lovely brunch

 

Husband M and I took the cars in for a snow tire swap last week.  We hung out at the Starving artist cafe for a few hours while we waited.  We ordered their eggs benedict on mini waffles.  It was so delicious with a fresh salad and fruit.  It seems to have been the most popular dish on the menu.  We also enjoyed lattes.

Some of our friends swap snow tires themselves but we are not so handy.

That time of year

 These are some robin's eggs in a tree outside daughter L's home.  This is the 2nd year she noticed them.  There are actually 3 eggs, one is hiding in this photo.

Sunday Smiles and Happy Mother's Day

It was 1826 Margaret Bulkley posed as a man for 50 years so she could practice medicine.  

Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

Chilean Sea bass

 I had this delicious Chilean Sea Bass at The Keg Restaurant a few weeks ago.  We had gone there to celebrate daughter L's birthday.  They had a delicious asparagus pea sauce spread over the dish, it was a winner.  I say this because husband M had a steak with cauliflower mash and green beans.  These vegetables were tasteless, could have used some of that delicious sauce.

Friday Art - Bee Splatter Painting

 Welcome to Friday Art!  This is my Bee Splatter Painting ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.