Paint Party Friday - Doggy Furniture

It's time for Paint Party Friday! I saw some doggy furniture in a magazine and decided to do my piece based on one of the contemporary design beds. It is on brown cardstock (4 1/2" x 6 1/2") using my Sharpie white pen and permanent markers.

Lunch with my godmother

nature's garden

see the butterfly?

My godmother is in town for a few weeks, she called me up and we went to lunch.  Her  sister and her sister's daughter came with us.  It came up in conversation that the daughter is living with leukemia.  She might be in her forties.  She said her leukemia medication exacerbates her diabetes.  She has had 4 leukemia treatments so far and is in remission but whenever she stops treatment the cancer comes back.  We agreed the only thing she can do is take one day at a time.  Life is not easy.

For some reason my godmother told me the story of her wedding day all those years ago.  She would be in her late seventies now.  Her dad was late for the ceremony as he was coming from out of town.  It seems that one of my uncles ended up giving her away as he happened to be standing there in the church.

My godmother was very close friends with my departed mom so I am happy that we are keeping in touch.

An Uncommon Politeness

I was at my step (aerobic) class last week.  It wasn't as crowded as it can be sometimes.  We enter and position our steps where there is room.  This lady turned to ask if she was in my way.  I was taken aback by her politeness.  There are some who will position their steps wherever and you will have to adjust your step sometimes to accommodate them.  I assured her she wasn't in my way, it was not even crowded.  She might have been of Japanese heritage, I heard how polite they can be in that country.  It was a small gesture that added a lift to my day.

Cottage Getaway - Part 4

Mango Sangria

Water's Edge restaurant

To wrap up our lovely cottage getaway, I have some photos taken at a lovely restaurant where we stopped off for lunch when we were on our boat ride.  I loved their mango sangria.

We had good weather for our drive home the next day. Some wonderful memories were made with family and friends.

Cottage Getaway - Part 3

the locks

This post continues our cottage getaway from the previous days' posts.

After the heavy rains in the early morning the sun came out and our hosts took us on a long boat ride starting through Lake Muskoka, through the locks at Port Carling, where we entered Lake Rosseau. Then we continued up to Lake Joseph where we stopped into a lovely restaurant on the water to have lunch. There are many beautiful cottages along the lakes as pictured above.

Cottage Getaway - Part 2

We arrived at daughter L's boyfriend's family cottage for our weekend getaway. We enjoyed seeing the deer, chipmunks, blue jays, woodpeckers, sparkling lake water, and beautiful sunsets. Unfortunately it was pouring rain the next day although it cleared up in the late afternoon. After our barbecue dinner, a bonfire was lit and we enjoyed toasted marshmallows. It rained heavily again until early the next morning but the area has been very dry so they needed the rain.

I will talk about our boat ride tomorrow.

Cottage Getaway

Last weekend we had a cottage getaway up north in Muskoka. Actually we first stopped by to visit some friends at their newly purchased cottage which was right on our way. They gave us a lovely barbecued lunch and a tour of their 1850's cottage. The plan is to build a new cottage on the site and preserve the existing building with its thick weathered pine floors.  I must say it was very hot that day, we sweated.

Soon it was time to head out again to daughter L's boyfriend's family cottage where we would spend the rest of the weekend.  I will post about that tomorrow.

Paint Party Friday - Harvest Vegetables

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! This is a greeting card with a harvest vegetable theme, it is that time of year. It is done in permanent marker outlined with a PITT fine point marker (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"). I am featuring garlic scapes a new vegetable for me this year.

On Sunscreens

contains oxybenzone

oxybezone (carcinogen?)

this one is acceptable

My sister in California recently alerted me to the fact that one of our sunscreens that we bought at Costco contains a possible carcinogen that is absorbed into the skin called oxybenzone.  It is a chemical sun blocker that harms coral.  We decided to discard them into hazardous waste. The brand containing zinc pictured above is okay. Here is a good link with information on sunscreen.

Anti-aging Cream

Daughter L got a hold of this little sample bottle of Estee Lauder revitalizing supreme anti-aging cream and gave it to me, as she knows I do use moisturizers. I was googling the cream to describe it to you and was surprised it is $102 for a regular sized 50 ml bottle. Well, it's good to know that I am using an expensive cream!

I also got this moisturizer sample when I was walking through the mall.  A girl accosted me and also asked if she could apply their exfoliator product on my arm.  She showed me all the dead skin it got off my skin.  That product was $99 (which I didn't buy) and would be applied weekly.

Here is a video I enjoyed watching, on the topic of longevity and aging gracefully.  It is by Monty Python actor Michael Palin.

Tofu Cream of Mushroom soup

parsley and cilantro

Tofu cream of mushroom soup

My friend S gave me a handful of fresh cilantro and parsley herbs. I decided to make some tofu cream of mushroom soup. It was fresh tasting and delicious. The herbs added a delightful texture to the soup.

one green onion diced
sprig of fresh parsley chopped
sprig of fresh cilantro chopped
one can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of milk
1 package of soft tofu, cut into chunks or diced as preferred

Mix all ingredients together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, enjoy!

In denial

Daughter L shared this pretty sunset from her boyfriend's family cottage up north.

My friend S and I were at the drug store the other day and we heard the cashier shouting at this older man.  It was curious.  Our cashier explained to us that he is very hard of hearing and his wife really wants him to get hearing aids but he won't agree to them, he must be in denial.  It is great that the cashiers know him and can accommodate his needs. 

Then I was talking to a friend in her sixties who I hadn't talked to awhile and I noticed she repeated my sentence, agreeing with me but it was not exactly what I had said.  It seemed that she was making accommodations for her hearing.  Come to think of it, I have another friend who is definitely hard of hearing.  

A Good Fence

Now this is a fence

These neighbours got a new fence built after their old one was destroyed in a windstorm earlier this year. They did a really good job using larger 6x6 inch posts. It is now as strong as a house with these new posts.

A perfect day

western omelette breakfast

my share

what would you choose on your toast?

I had marmalade

Husband M and I went to Cora's to have breakfast the other day, the weather was perfect. We always share their breakfast omelette as pictured above. Then I choose to have marmalade with my toast. What would you choose?  Do you even like orange marmalade?

Paint Party Friday - Camouflage

Welcome to Kristin and Eva's Paint Party Friday!

Isn't this the perfect camouflage? This is a greeting card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") in permanent marker and sharpie white marker. It is based on a photo my uncle took, he lives in Florida. He was teasing his daughter because she has a fear of lizards. This would not be the perfect greeting card for her!

Rainbow Chard and other goodies

rainbow chard, beet pickles, golden beets

chard stems

chard leaves

steam roasted golden beets

my veggie snack

My friend S dropped by one evening with some goodies from her sister's farm. There were these large bunches or rainbow chard, a jar of pickled beets and some large golden beets. I must say this made my evening. Swiss Chard is a special type of beet leaf.  We rinsed and cut the chard, separating the stems from the leaves and cooked them the next day. I also steam roasted the golden beets.

Here is my chard recipe:

Rinse leaves well, separate stems from leaves, chop stems into 1/2" pieces. Roll the leaves up and cut into 3/4" pieces. Keep leaves separate.

2 bunches rainbow chard cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs soy sauce
spring onions diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbs canola oil

Saute spring onions and garlic in oil, add soy sauce, saute stems only. after a couple of minutes cover simmer approx 10 mins, add leaves, simmer covered another 10 mins.

Mug Bread

Jan recently posted about a low carb mug bread. I went looking around the internet to make my own regular (non low carb) mug bread. I did find this other low carb mug bread recipe and decided to use regular flour with it. I also used butter instead of olive oil. I could taste the egg in this bread, but I love eggs. Anyway it is good to know I can make a quick mug bread at any time!

1 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tbs cream

Mix all ingredients in a large mug with a fork.  Microwave for 90 seconds.  Turn the bread out of the mug onto a plate.  You can slice it in half and use it like an english muffin.

Meatless Burger

A and W is a burger company.  I got some half price coupons to try their new 'Beyond Meat' burger. It is meatless and tastes quite good, I would have it again, although husband M says their real meat burger costs less. It is made with beets, split peas and coconut oil. From what I can gather, Beyond Meat is a company that has partnered with A and W to produce these burgers. You can buy their products at Whole Foods, they have been around for many years.

Summer Beetroot

Red, gold and pink beets

Steam Roasted

peeled beets

Salad with beets

My friend S brought me some fresh summer beets from her sister's farm the other day. She recommended that I steam roast them, so I found a good recipe on the internet.  Here it is with a few of my alterations:

4 lbs red beets, scrubbed, halved if large
2 tbs olive oil
salt pepper
1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsb dried basil, 2 bay leaves
1/2 c water
2 tbs red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°.

Toss beets with oil in a 13x9” baking dish; season with salt and pepper. Add whatever herb you're using and water, red wine vinegar. Cover pan tightly with foil (you want steam to build up in there) and roast beets until a paring knife slips easily through flesh, 60–75 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in covered pan, which will help loosen the skins. The skins will peel off easily.

Be careful peeling the foil back, as the steam burned my fingers!  I noticed these beets were red, gold and pink ones.  They were so moist and fresh tasting.  I used some in a fresh green salad with peppers carrots and cucumbers.  

Corned beef and cabbage boil

I bought a package of pickled corned beef on sale and after googling some videos I realized it was really easy to boil the 1.5 pounds of meat for a couple of hours in water and adding potatoes, carrots and cabbage wedges for an extra half an hour.  Be sure to slice the now tender meat against the grain.

It was delicious and quite good for diabetics such as my husband to eat.  The saltiness of the corned beef goes so well with cabbage and is a simple and classic combination.

Wildflowers

local wildflowers

It is the time of year when we start noticing road kill My friend S noticed a dead Canada goose on the sidewalk the other day, she could barely look at it, just brought it to my attention. It is sad.

In other news husband M trapped his first chipmunk, I will spare you the photos. He drove it about 5 miles away, hopefully that is far enough.  He put sunflower seeds, peanuts in shell and peanut butter in the trap.  The creature ate everything, it shelled the nuts and sunflower seeds.  They love peanut butter, in fact, M thinks just peanut butter is enough of a lure.  

Paint Party Friday - Eyes Only

Welcome to Paint Party Friday!

This piece (4 1/2" x 6 1/2") on brown cardstock in acrylic, permanent markers and PITT white pen is called 'Eyes Only'. Here is a nice quote I found to go with this:

"The eye is the jewel of the body." - Henry David Thoreau.

Meaningful and Interesting

tree and sky

My brother is a man of few words. The other day one of my sisters texted us a story that she thought was meaningful and interesting. My brother's reply was "tl;dr". Being unable to guess what this meant, I found the answer on Google. It means 'too long, didn't read'. Well, I learned something that day, haha.

What do you think

I met my friend S for a walk on the weekend and she was telling me that her brother's dog seemed to have been run over by a car, maybe twice. His paw was injured and he was in a lot of pain. A neighbour knocked on his door to ask if it was his dog. They took the pet to emergency and were told it would cost $1,000 per day to keep the animal for treatment. So now the bills have mounted to $30,000! S wanted my honest opinion and we both agreed the dog should have been put down, regardless of how attached the family is to the dog. I can see under $5,000 dollars being spent, and of course the option is to get a new dog. Her brother is not wealthy, he has a family to support, this is not the best use of one's savings I would think.  Most people don't have pet insurance as it is expensive and never seems to cover the particular ailment as I understand.

A good checkup

neighbourhood greenery

I had my annual physical with my family doctor last week. He always says it is time for my next colonoscopy so this time I agreed to get it done. I was happy that he referred me to the specialist who gave me this mild laxative needed to clear the bowels the last time, some 7 years ago.

We have a lot of walk in centres these days where you can go for medical attention, instead of going to your regular doctor. My doctor says they waste the government's money and that he would prefer me to just come see him or go to emergency if necessary.  Husband M doesn't agree, he says it takes ages to get an appointment with his doctor.  The walk in centres are so convenient with often minimal waiting times.  Of course if it is something serious it is better to go to your own doctor.

The good news is that my new blood pressure medicine seems to be working, in fact the doctor says it is a better medicine than my old one, so I was happy to hear that.  The old one was recalled recently.