Moving Towards the Light

My sister-in-law had a beautiful pot of tulips moving towards the light at her house last weekend, and I wanted to capture that effect here.  They look like they are dancing don't they?  This piece is done in acrylic on cardstock (8.5"h x 11"w).  Have a great day!

Linking to Sunday Sketches, thanks to Alexandra for hosting!

Here it is framed:

Toward The Light

Gluten Intolerance

I got this information from a friend, 10 signs you're Gluten Intolerant.  You may want to check this list.  My son K suffers from Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and it's on the list!  (That's an underactive thyroid condition).  I've always felt we have a slight wheat allergy.  A friend I know has gone gluten free and reports feeling so much better as well as having lost quite a few pounds (which she didn't need to lose).  Going gluten free seems easier said than done, I do love bread products.

Speaking of gluten free, I made this savory oatmeal with greens recommended by Kathy.  It reminded me of grits or maybe of a savory Chinese rice congee.  Neither M nor K really liked it unfortunately, and I thought it was just ok.  It is undeniably healthy and gluten free with the steel cut oats that it uses.  I used collard greens in this recipe.

Savoury Oats with Greens

Paint Party Friday - Stylish Girl

I saw this young girl of about 10 or 12 years old a few weeks ago in my local McDonald's restaurant. I couldn't help admiring her stylish good looks and tried to recapture it here. I remembered she was wearing a checkered patterned hat, a black jacket and stylish checkered patterned boots. The prettiest thing was the ruffled scarf she wore around her neck to complete the outfit. She sat with a couple of older ladies, maybe one of them was her grandmother. I wondered if they were European as the little girl had that sense of style.  Wish I could have taken her photo for you!  She seemed to be nursing a black eye, dabbing it with a tissue, hope they didn't notice I was staring.  They probably did, as I tend to stare at things that interest me.

The piece is on cardstock in acrylic (11" x 8.5").

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

Stylish Girl

Paramedic Truck

This was the scene outside the gym when I got there one morning. It was a paramedic truck, 'uh oh'. The receptionist told me a man had passed out in the men's change room.  Anyway, I started my workout after that. I had been on the treadmill for about 15 minutes when the alarm went off in the building. It was not turning out to be a good day. Fortunately, it was not the kind of alarm where we had to exit the facility and I was able to finish my workout.

On another occasion I met a friend I hadn't seen in awhile. She told me she had just returned from 5 weeks vacationing in South America, mostly based in Argentina. They even took a cruise out of there. Her husband was ready to come home after 5 weeks, but not my adventurous friend. She can't wait to go off somewhere again. They are enjoying their retirement.

I have plans to go walking with 3 different girlfriends over the weekend. Spring's in the air!

Simmered Chicken with Daikon Radish

Sometimes you feel like a change from your regular dishes.  I made this Japanese dish recently and it was simple and delicious. It was based on a couple of recipes I found on Google. The radish is a root vegetable and I actually used the chinese kind called Lo Bok. You can use sake or chicken stock.

Simmered chicken with daikon radish

4-8 chicken thighs bone in
1 TBS sugar
1 c chicken stock or sake
1 c water
2 green onions sliced
2 tbs soy sauce
1 or 2 large carrots cut into chunks
1 daikon radish cut into chunks


Add all ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. I forgot to add the green onions.

The meaning of life

A friend sent me this video of a 9 year old discussing the meaning of life. Just wow, listen here.

I took this photo about a week ago when I first noticed the crocuses starting to pop up. There are more shoots coming up really fast in the garden from day to day, nature's miracle! Yes, I think spring is my favourite time of year, simply beautiful.

Easter Lunch

Happy April Fool's Day!  L and her boyfriend are safely back at school, I miss them already.  It was a busy and wonderful weekend.  We had a lovely Easter dinner on Saturday with M's extended family.  Everyone showed up this year, it was fun to see the little toddlers playing.  L had spent the morning with her boyfriend's extended family and it was great that it worked out that he could also spend some time with them.

I took my mom for a Seafood lunch after her appointment with the cardiologist last Thursday. We love crab and lobster so we had a great (if messy) time digging in.  We decided it was our Easter Lunch.  The Hong Kong style fried crab was an interesting dish.  I asked the waitress why it was 2 or 3 dollars more than the other fried crab dish.  She said this dish had small fish as well.  So those aren't fries on top of the dish.  Can you see the eyes in the second photo?  Well, they were yummy.  Anything fried is yummy.  I think I should order more steamed crab dishes next time and less fried.  Needless to say I just had soup and a salad for dinner that day.

Hong Kong Style Fried Crab

Small Fish

Crab with Ginger and Green Onion

Lobster with Ginger and Green Onion

Fried Lobster with Salt and Pepper