Inch by Inch Tuesday

Here's my entry into Paris' Inch by Inch art (click on the link in the sidebar for details if you would like to participate). This week's theme is: Bloom

I've used pencil crayons on watercolour paper. It's a miniature rose in bloom, outlined with a sharpie marker. I used the real plant that sits on a table in my kitchen as my inspiration (see my blog header photo). You can click on the picture to see a larger image.

Grill Charms

I'm reading the Summer 2009 issue of Best Health Magazine and came across these Grill Charms for barbecuing your meat, using the same principle as wine charms. There is also an article which says that marinating meat in wine or beer reduces the carcinogens from grilling by 90%. Another good idea.

L had a follow-up appointment for her wisdom teeth and the girl explained how to properly syringe the bottom sockets. You actually have to squirt into the bottom sockets a couple of times to prevent food infection. We didn't know there were actual sockets. The top ones clean themselves via gravity.

One of my sisters has suggested we all get together for annual family reunions. I have 3 sisters and a brother and we are spread out all over North America so it sounds like a wonderful idea in principle. Some of the kids are close to university age and it seems like a way to keep everyone connected. I found a few articles online to help with planning. This one is interesting when it advises: 'everyone involved should try to be flexible and keep things pleasant. Don't talk about religion, politics, and child rearing,...Not if you expect everybody to have a good time, anyway.'
Let's hope this reunion can become a reality. None of us are getting any younger.


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Beef Tongue

It's looking like a rainy week ahead, starting with today. K is about to start a month of afternoon tennis camp which he loves, but has asked me not to tell people that it's 'camp' as that's a bit baby'ish.

Yesterday was a gorgeous summer day with a light wind. I walked to church and discovered that one of the associate pastors is moving on to another church. We'll miss him, he's funny and young. He reprimanded us for being 'stingy' with the collections as the church is 1M in debt. (I didn't realize that, must've mis-read the annual statement). Afterward I met my friend at the local high school track for a walk. We went around for about an hour, so I'm estimating we did 3 miles which accounts for me being really tired last night. M and the kids picked me up at the track and we went for dinner with M's mom at Swiss Chalet restaurant.

Earlier in the day, I had done groceries and bought a beef tongue. Yes, a beef tongue. Then I found a good recipe for it on the internet and proceeded to boil it for the required 3 hours. It was tender and M liked it. I tasted a slice and although it tasted good, I felt nauseous, partly because I watched it boil and the texture was too 'tongue-like'. I remember tasting it in childhood and liking it then. Oh well, so much for this adventure in food.

Happiness Tips

This news article by David Romanelli (www.yeahdave.com) gives some happiness tips that seem to make sense:

1. Have a healthy outlet - 'find a sport, commit to helping others, lighten up, and laugh more often'

2. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously - 'an engaged humility, an earnest acceptance of life’s pains and promises...one can only carry the burden of a big ego and lots of pride for so long'

3. Happiness must be shared - 'The happiest subjects in the study were those who sustained meaningful, healthy relationships with friends and family.'


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The Proposal

L and I saw the movie 'The Proposal' last night and we loved it. M and K saw 'The Transformers' and they loved that one. Both theatres were very crowded. We decided to get the movie tickets from Costco Wholesalers. For $25.99 plus 5% GST tax you can get a ticket which gives admission for 2, including 2 regular soft drinks and 1 regular popcorn. I just noticed that CAA autoclub sells the same tickets for $24.58. And they also sell just 1 ticket for $8.32. Regular adult admission 11.50, 8.99 child, senior Regular soft drinks $3.99 Regular popcorn $4.99 (add 72c for butter, margarine is no extra cost) $10.50 and $8.00 at another nearby theatre. These wouldn't be the matinee prices. So it seems that I should get a bunch of tickets from CAA and keep them handy for the summer! I also noticed movie ticket prices vary from city to city within Ontario, some smaller theatres charge $8.99 for regular admission.

We've been waiting for L's mouth to swell up, as we were warned it will do, a few days after wisdom teeth surgery. But so far, so good, she hasn't really swelled up and the challenge is to start syringing the bottom sockets religiously over the next couple of weeks. Quite a few teenagers have been having their wisdoms out this summer, it must be a trend. But I would advise getting them out sooner rather than later based on L's experience. I suppose they just root themselves deeper over the years.

Well, I simply must go for a walk now and get some exercise.

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Mozilla Firefox Browser

I have a couple of cherry trees in my yard. The cherries have just started ripening and the birds are furiously eating them up, almost as if they couldn't wait. I even spotted a red cardinal in the branches this morning. We're in the middle of a heat wave with thunderstorms predicted. I stopped off at the bank yesterday to accomplish 3 tasks, but I forgot to do the third! So I took a walk up there this morning to deposit that cheque. Considering I even made a list, it makes you wonder.

I've been having trouble with 'Internet Explorer 8' on my computer, it's been aborting on some of your blogs whenever I try to get in. The thing is, once you've upgraded from version 7, it won't allow you to go back to it! So we downloaded 'Mozilla Firefox' browser and this browser works just fine and seems to have a lot less overhead.

Well, it's house cleaning day today, we'll see how much I get done. (-:

Here is a funny email I received:


'Children's Science Exam

If you need a good laugh, try reading through these children's science exam answers...

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (Brilliant, love this!)
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to Flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery. (The Kid gets an A+ for this answer!)

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? ( e.g., abdomen)
A: The body is consisted into three parts -- the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the Heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels A, E, I, O, And U.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does 'varicose' mean? (I do love this one...)
A: Nearby.

Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarian Section.'
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome.

Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.============='




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Iced Coffee Anyone?

L had a craving for iced coffee the other night and we googled it and came up with this recipe. Except we just shook it up in my new cocktail mixer and it was delicious and frothy.

M and I went to a nice barbecue last night, I started off with a Cosmopolitan cocktail (I should've asked them to make it virgin though, as I'm not a drinker). I had a shrimp appetizer and some kind of vegetable roll with cilantro. The main course was salmon, steak, roast potatoes, asparagus, tomato and bonconcini cheese. Dessert was various flavours of delicious biscotti with coffee.

K helped me do groceries yesterday as my back is still not 100%. He said it was difficult to help me because I kept telling him 'don't put that there, put it here'. I didn't realize I was so set in my ways.

I received the following in an email and thought that if snopes says it's true then it must be:

'Subject: Expired Products


Read on guys!
Be aware!


This is true…
A student at HBHS (high school) had pancakes this week and it almost became fatal. His Mom (registered nurse) made him pancakes, dropped him off at school and headed to play tennis. She never takes her cell phone on the court but did this time and her son called to say he was having trouble breathing. She told him to go to the nurse immediately and proceeded to call school and alert the nurse. The nurse called the paramedics and they were there in 3 minutes and worked on the boy all the way to the hospital. He came so close to dying. Evidently this is more common then I ever knew. Check the expiration dates on packages like pancakes and cake mixes that have yeast which over time develop spores. Apparently, the mold that forms in old mixes can be toxic! Throw away ALL OUTDATED pancake mix, Bisquick, brownie mixes etc you have in your home.

You can check this snopes website.'



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