Sunday Sketches - Festive Dress

I've done a Festive art greeting card on gold card stock for Sunday Sketches (6"h x 4"w). I saw a photo of a model wearing this pretty dress and loved how it swirled about her legs. Are you getting into the holiday spirit?

Bitcoin

Lol!

Just a few thoughts for today.  Canadians are happy in their jobs, according to this article. And I keep reading about 'bit coin'. According to this article 'Bitcoin is a completely decentralized form of virtual currency that enables direct payment over the internet by skipping the middleman, which is usually a bank or credit card company. Transactions are safe due to cryptography used to prevent double spending, counterfeiting, or theft. Users can use bitcoins for a variety of real transactions.'  Things are changing fast, now we are talking about digital money.  Of course this will bring its own problems that will have to be worked out through trial and error.  One of my sisters said she heard the money is not traceable so drug dealers like it.  Apparently you can already get bitcoin from kiosks in Vancouver. 

Paint Party Friday - Leaf in Shadow

For Paint Party Friday I've done an art greeting card (6"h x 4"w) 'Leaf in Shadow', inspired by a leaf that blew into my front door the other day. I took a photo pictured below and went from there! Thanks to Valerie at Bastelmania for the gift of some good quality cardstock!

A Chance Encounter

McCafe Latte

I was at my local McDonald's yesterday, decided to get a small latte, skim milk and whipped cream, a good compromise don't you think? An older senior lady sat quietly at the table next to me. I decided to ask her if she was collecting the stickers on her cup. It's a fun promotion and if you get 7 stickers, it entitles you to a free medium drink of your choice. She said she did have a couple of stickers she had saved.

She mentioned she lived alone, that her husband had passed away a month ago, he had heart valve problems and died in his sleep at home. We both agreed we wouldn't mind dying this way. He worked up until the day he died. It was revealed that he had compromised their business due to gambling debt and felt he had to keep working. As it is he had left their affairs in a mess. There is no life insurance and she will sell her house, which will pay for other accommodations once she decides where to go. Admittedly, the house is too big for her alone anyway. She doesn't have many friends left these days so she didn't think it mattered staying close to home. Her husband was 82 and she is 81. She has children living with their own families, one at the other end of town and one living up north. The one at the other end of town visits her weekly.  She was very 'matter of fact' about the whole thing, as opposed to being upset. I think it was good for her to talk to a sympathetic ear. Indeed her problems are not unique in our aging population.

I bid her goodbye and we both hoped we would meet again.

Fancy Egg Breakfast

My daughter L sent me this food photo of a fancy egg breakfast she made recently. She said you just lay a slice of ham inside a medium muffin baking tin. Then you drop an egg into it and sprinkle some fresh dill on top. Bake for about half and hour and pour it on top of some toast! Doesn't it look restaurant quality?

Simple Foods

My daughter L has a roommate at school who is a very good cook. She believes in using  fresh spices, herbs and ingredients. L told me she now loves dipping bread into a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. She is also eating lots of salad (romaine lettuce) mixed with a similar dressing. The simplest meals are the best!

The Circle of Life

I got this funny one from Martha at Plowing Through Life.

We went to a potluck dinner at the home of some old friends on the weekend. I happened to make a decent eye of round roast in the crockpot, so we took that along and it was a success. Their grown kids happened to be home and it was nice to see them. We met the older girl's boyfriend, a nice young man. They are recent university graduates and have started new jobs.  I suspect it's just a matter of time before the wedding invitations come in, the circle of life you know.

I asked the young couple how they met, it turns out they went to elementary school together, from about grade 5 to 7.  At the end of high school, a group of them who have always kept in touch decided to get together for a reunion.  They have been dating since then!