Sunday Sketches - More Leaves

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! This quick sketch is done in my art journal in watercolour pencil
(5"h x 7"w). I called it 'More Leaves'.  Have a wonderful Sunday!  The Holiday season is upon us!

Do You Remember

These:

And did you hear about the star gazing shrimp discovered in South Africa? This article has a photo of one.

Paint Party Friday - Fall Scene

Welcome to Paint Party Friday!  This is a 'Fall Scene' done in my art journal (5"w x 7"h) in watercolour pencil.  So are you starting to get ready for Christmas?  I get stressed just thinking about it.

Do you remember

These? They were a lot of fun at one time.

And have you seen the trailer for the new Disney Cinderella movie?  I'd love to see this one, I loved everything Cinderella as a child.

Porchetta

I found this pork shoulder roast stuffed with prosciutto at the grocery store the other day. It came in its own foil baking pan with its own meat thermometer inserted. All I had to do was bake it according to the instructions and remove it when the thermometer popped up! It was delicious, maybe a bit salty. I can bake my own meat but it was nice to try something different for a change.  Yes and it was perfectly roasted.

Creative Tuesdays - Dreams of December

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays! Michael's theme this week is 'Dreams of December'. It doesn't have to be about Xmas, it's whatever you're dreaming of for December. Here's my piece in my art journal in watercolour pencil (5"w x 7"h).  I decided to do a little angel ornament in pewter hanging off a snowy branch.  The sentiment here is one of Hope for the coming year.  At the last minute I added a touch of yellow sunshine to the vignette.

I could also have done mince pies with ice cream, I do dream of that in December!

HIV Drugs may treat eye disease

Have you seen the new Imagine Unicef music video?   Do you like it?  I do.

I noticed this interesting article on the web the other day. It's interesting as we are all aging. It seems the drug has anti-inflammatory properties and might be of use in treating age-related macular degeneration. It seems to be preserving vision in mice so far:
HIV drugs show promise in treating common eye disease.

Sunday Sketches - Trees

Welcome to Sunday Sketches! This is a piece done in my art journal (5"h x 7"w) in watercolour pencil. It's called 'Trees' for want of a better name. It is based on a photo I took. It was a cloudless day, and I added the sun for extra effect.

Quick Roasted Vegetables

These are my roasted vegetables.  They are quick and simple to make using an assortment of vegetables.  I used zucchini, mushrooms, onions and sweet peppers in this batch.  I add 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil, half a teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning (or your favourite herb dried or fresh), and a splash of lemon juice (or balsamic vinegar).  Mix everything and bake at 350F for ten minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Paint Party Friday - November

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! This piece is called 'November' based on a photo I took at this time of year. It's done in my art journal in watercolour pencil (5"w x 7"h).

Creme Brulee Latte

I tried this creme brulee latte at McDonald's the other day. It was delicious as I had been told, but it is like a dessert, beware the multitude of calories!  It's like one of those Starbucks drinks full of whipped cream.

We've had a cold blast of winter the past few days...and lots of snow.  It should be back to more seaonal temperatures next week.

This is a scary news story, a Canadian family is considering bankruptcy after being hit with a $1 million dollar medical bill. They were in Hawaii on vacation and the wife was 6 months pregnant at the time. The baby was born prematurely and the insurance company says she had a pre-existing condition, a bladder infection which caused some bleeding. They are saying she had a high-risk pregnancy.  The woman says she was cleared for travel and was never high-risk.

Clouds

I took this photo the other day and was pleased with the way it turned out. I wanted to share it with you, the clouds looked amazing like that.

'The picture of a fly in the urinals at Schiphol Airport has been touted as a simple, inexpensive way to reduce cleaning costs. Where does it come from, and how effective is it really?' Read this article to find out!

Creative Tuesdays - Christmas Wonder

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays! I chose to do the 'Christmas Wonder' theme this week. It's done on mint green cardstock in acrylic (8"h x 11"w).  The snow is dotted and lined in silver to add a touch of 'wonder'.

Reunion

I couldn't resist sharing this one with you today, lol:


'Husband takes the wife to her high school reunion.
After meeting several of her friends and former school mates, they are
sitting at a table where he is yawning and overly bored.  The band cranks
up, and people are beginning to dance.  There's a guy on the dance floor
living it large, break dancing, moon walking, doing back flips, buying
drinks for people, the works.

 

Wife turns to her husband and says, "See that guy?
25 years ago he proposed to me, and I turned him down.

 

Husband says: "Looks like he's still celebrating!!!"

 

$5 says you will forward this.'

Sunday Sketches - Treescape

This is just a fall treescape today done in my art journal in watercolour pencil (5"h x 7"w). Happy Sunday Sketches!

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Lately I've been occasionally making my own balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It's so fresh tasting and simple to make. It's 1 part balsamic vinegar to 2 parts olive oil, with salt and pepper to taste.  I have some Himalayan pink salt, so I used that instead of regular salt for a (gourmet) change. Usually I will just grab the bottled dressings, do you tend to make your own dressings?

You could even use this dressing as a bread dip.

Paint Party Friday - A Simple Piece

Welcome to Paint Party Friday. Just a simple piece in my art journal in watercolour pencil (5"w x 7"h).

Baked Eggplant

I decided to bake some eggplant the other day, the long, skinny ones.  I sliced them thinly and mixed with olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning I think.  On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, I baked them at 350F for about 15 minutes.   They were perfect!  Do you like eggplant?  I suspect they are not popular with everyone.

The Birds

I took this photo the other day, see all the birds in the tree? It's interesting how they gather like that in the tops of the branches.  They're not quiet about it either.

Here's a cute commercial for you.

And Kathy recently found this search engine where they don't track you. It's called DuckDuckGo. Why not give it a try?

The Ultrasound - Not

Lest we forget, it's Remembrance Day.  Here is a lovely Remembrance story I read in the paper about Aunt Sara's Diary.

Last week, I had planned an ultrasound for my mom.  The doctor is monitoring a potential problem.  This is the type where you have to eat a fat free diet the night before and fast after midnight,  so no dairy, or fried food.  Then you have to drink 4 cups of water an hour before the test.  My sister, who she lives with, took care to prepare a fish meal the night before.  The next morning I pick mom up, only to find her eating something.  She has memory loss and there's nothing to do about it.  So, I've rescheduled for another morning and we'll keep trying.  I was able to take her for a routine blood test anyway.  I had carefully orchestrated how I would get to the lab an hour early and have her drink the water there before the test.  Then, if she became uncomfortably full she would be able to relieve herself.  Maybe I should have her drink 3 cups of water because she will likely empty her entire bladder if she needs to go.

A couple of friends have elderly parents who are very ill at this time.  They are trying to find suitable respite care at a reasonable cost with acceptable waiting lists.  Hmm.  Of course the expensive ones ($7500/month for example) have no waiting list. 

Sticky Toffee Recipe

Daughter L made this delicious toffee recently.  She got it from a friend who made them for the company bake sale.   It was soft, chewy and delicious!  It does stick in your teeth, being toffee, but what can I say, eat an apple afterward, it helps.

Here's the easy recipe:

Toffee Recipe


Line a small baking sheet with foil and grease the foil with butter or cooking spray. Line

the baking sheet with soda crackers. (you may have to cut the crackers to fit along the

sides)

In a saucepan, melt 1 cup butter, then add 1 cup brown sugar (dark if you have it).

Boil for 3-4 minutes (do not stir once it’s boiling). Pour over the crackers and spread.

Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and pour 1 bag of chocolate chips over

the crackers. Allow to start melting then spread evenly.

Top with chopped nuts and chill. Break apart and store in an airtight container for 1-2

weeks.

Enjoy!

Sunday Sketches - Venice

Just a quick sketch inspired by a photo I saw in the newspaper. This piece is called 'Venice'. It's done in my art journal (7"w x 5"h) in watercolour pencil.

I have actually been on a Gondola in Venice on a hot sunny day, nothing too romantic!  But the gondolier did sing!  I've also seen the 'Venice' in Las Vegas.  There was a 'gondolier' singing there too, but I didn't ride.

Happy Sunday Sketches!

Funny

Paint Party Friday - Gather the Leaves

Welcome to Eva and Kristin's Paint Party Friday. It's time to 'Gather the Leaves' around here.  We are required to put them in paper bags so they can be collected for composting. This is a piece done in my art journal (5"h x 7"w) in watercolour pencil.

Link Love

Just sharing some link love today:

I think I got this one from Martha and thought it funny:

Adam had an interesting post about dolphins and whales the other day. He said they 'evolved from creatures who once lived on land'. They have finger and hind leg type bones! I had never heard that. It makes sense as they are mammals.

I love learning new things, how about you?

Ode to Joy

This is a beautiful 'Ode to Joy' videograph that will relieve your stress if nothing else!  I heard it was filmed in Croatia.

The weather has turned colder and some people are already in their winter coats.  I have located most of the gloves and scarves we now need.   Soon it will be time to put the snow tires on the cars.  Yes, it's late fall.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  Sorry to offend, I know, it's barely past Halloween!  I admit I have a few pieces on mail order due to arrive any day soon for daughter L and son K.  Last year, I gave them gift cards and I got the impression that they prefer actual gifts.  How about you, do you prefer actual gifts?  

On Roasting the Perfect Pumpkin Seeds

My sister sent me this recipe to roast the perfect pumpkin seeds.  This is her photo, she has tried different ways and swears by this method.  The trick here seems to be to boil the seeds in salted water before baking them. Of course, the work is in scooping and cleaning the seeds. Some people then eat the crunchy seeds shell and all and some like to hull them first. What has been your experience?

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chili-Stuffed Peppers

roasted acorn squash

with Chili-Stuffed Peppers

I had this healthy dinner last week. Here is a tip for a simple roasted acorn squash. It's pretty hard to cut through so I make a slash in the skin and microwave it for about 5 minutes. Then it is much easier to slice it in half lengthwise. I remove the seeds and season the centres with a pat of margarine, a teaspoon of brown sugar, sprinklings of salt and pepper. Then I bake the halves on a sheet lined with parchment paper for about 30 minutes at 350F.

I had made some chili using an 'old el paso' chili seasoning packet. I cut 2 colourful bell peppers in half, and stuffed them with some of the chili and topped with some grated cheddar cheese. I baked those for 15 minutes at 350F.

Sunday Sketches - Seagull Sunrise

This piece is entitled 'Seagull Sunrise' inspired by Jenn's photo. She kindly allowed me to use it. It's (8"h x 11"w) in acrylic on mint green cardstock. Happy Sunday Sketches!

I decided to frame this one:

Jenn's Seagull

Pepitas

Welcome to November!

We had a lot more kids than usual last night, between 15 and 20 little ones! It was fun. I might add it was a very cold, dark and damp night.  Daughter L and son K went to separate Halloween parties with their friends.   L went out as Velma the Scooby Doo character, her boyfriend was Fred, and her friends all dressed up. K was Mario, the video game character.

I bought these roasted unsalted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) at the grocery store. Call me lazy, I didn't want to clean and roast my own pumpkin seeds. They are nutritious, packed with protein and unsaturated fat. It's similar to eating nuts and also pack a lot of calories. For the 1/3 cup of seeds pictured here, that would be 310 calories.  Oh they are crunchy and delicious!