Showing posts with label sisters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sisters. Show all posts

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Saturday Snapshot... Reading at the Beach





To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) . Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
Finally...

the water
the sand
the sun, the eats

but most importantly good company, my sister and brother in law



 We scheduled a time for the beach this past week, I didn't even read too far into my book, thinking this is a beach read.  My husband couldn't fit us into his schedule.  Too bad, so sad.  You'd think by this time he'd have enough money.  The almighty dollar! Well our trip to Port Dover was wonderfully relaxing, we're looking for a cottage for next year. Get ready, husband of mine.  Have a wonderful Saturday.

On another happy note I won a copy of Where'd You Go Bernadette from Vicki at Reading At the Beach, I guess I'll have to make another trip to honour Vicki and read this book by the water/sand.

Monday, August 11, 2008

A labour of love


A few weeks ago my niece celebrated her 30th birthday. I've been working hard on a piece of art that I hope she will enjoy. She's a tea drinker. I thought and thought and thought some more of something wonderful that I could give her that will let her know that I love her every time she looks at it. I don't really care if she doesn't have it on display in her home, because quite possibly it will not match her decor. I know that perhaps she would have liked it to be a bit more contemporary but then it would not have my style or signature reflected. So here is a work in progress. I hope it looks great when I'm finished and I hope that I'll be able to put some sentiment on the inside that will give her a smile when she reads it. It's not ready to gift yet, but soon.

So why am I posting so prematurely. Well I need some help in choosing teas to put into it, and of course I'd like a "tea" sentiment to print on the inside. Any ideas?

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Our Grad



Each year at this time of year we have a wonderful event to look forward to. One of our children graduate. This year our lovely Nicole graduated from Secondary School. She has given us a lot of pleasant and fun memories as she grew, many laughs and some tears (good ones). As you may know Nicole's mom is a Creative Memories Consultant and over the last ten or so years we have created school days memories books or our children. Nicole had some wonderful adventures at school. We hope they continue to be great and we know she will continue to be a caring, contributing person as she goes out into the world. CONGRATULATIONS GRAD

photo of a photo I own.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Adventures in dining



I don't eat out much. I kind of like my own cooking. I really like to know who's hands were in my food, however one cannot live on soups, fabulous as they might be and chicken and potatoes. If my boys had it their way we would eat pizza everyday. The only times I get to eat something a little different are when I go out. It's usually Tai, or Chinese. Well tonight we are sticking to good old meat and potatoes Canadian. The sisters are off to dinner at the Keg. Barb, my youngest sister is driving, so by the time she picks up Alice, Alice will need a double of something. Alice is a very nervous passenger. Barb is a very fast and free driver. Barb will have water, because she will have talked alot and need refreshment. Donna will be somewhat late. Donna is always busy. And they will be picking me up at a craft store. Dinner will be lovely. We'll all talk a lot and need water. I always find it amazing that even though we were all raised in the same home our own kitchens are so different. Alice makes full blown meals for company and her family, you know, roast beef, meat on a stick, lasagna, salad with too much dressing. Donna does the more English, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding boiled vegetables and lots of gravy, Barb is pasta first kinda gal. I on the other hand always like to start with a soup, pizza soup, or leek and mushroom. Yesterday at my mothers I made her Celery and Pear soup. It was quite good. She had a neighbor in to visit and her PSW and they both wanted the recipe, a sure measure of success. Today she will have bean and bacon, also a crowd pleaser. Mondays soup will be sweet potato and parsnip, Doris' recipe. That one she eats a little reluctantly, I think it might be a stronger flavor than she likes. Tough. My kids were not hearty eaters when they were young, so I always tried to slip some nutrition into the meal, you know, like shredded apple into your coleslaw, or mashed cauliflower with your potatoes. They always caught on, but so far my mother has not, so even though she says she can't eat and apple or and orange, she gets it some how. I find it an enjoyable challenge to do these things. Zucchini chocolate cake is a good one. I tried to slip her a glass of orange juice yesterday, she caught me. I'm not sure why she thinks she can't have orange juice, but she does. If she keeps this up we'll be playing the mystery fruit game. When Daniel was little he didn't like his fruits touching each other, like in a fruit salad. So we would put on a blind fold, usually a ninja turtle head band so you could be a ninja at the same time, and he would eat his fruit and try to guess what it was. Could you imagine me doing that with my mother and some authoritative figure coming into this scene and think what is going on? Well I'll reserve the ninja head band for more desperate times. I have only received one comment on favorite drinks, so tonight I may be indulging in a Lichee Martini. Cheers. (perhaps my readers are not drinkers, you liars you!)

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Get Sorted

I've been reading all these tips on organizing your home, and office and craft room. Well I've been trying to do all that this last month. It's not happening. I've run out of house and garbage bags, and recycling containers and I'm still full. I loved Leslie's baggie suggestion, and Linda's magnetic board suggestion, and have incorporated both those. Then of course I have tupperware( which has expired for food use) and rubbermaid and all those Creative Memories sorting containers and now what. Everything is labeled and in appropriate locations and they have outgrown my facilities. I've gotten more ideas for projects than I know I will live long enough to complete. I've now decided that I must schedule completion of all these things. I've been very good at keeping notes for my book. I've kept notes for my garden. I've organized the data entry for my cookbook. I think I shall have to make a schedule like we had in high school. Then I could just rotate. Part of the creative process I think is handling all these supplies. If my sisters remember, whenever my mother had a break in sewing she would fold and re fold her fabric. The creative juices would flow. Well I'd love to see Carmi's or Sue Williamson's studio just to see if they work the way I do. Or do they have a more organized chaos. Both these ladies create wonderful works. And Leslie, well she is very creative, and organized, but as soon as we put things away, projects don't get completed. HELP!

Monday, June 2, 2008

May comes to an end...

When I was growing up in Hamilton, ON Catholic Schools were quite an elite group. You had to pay for your children to attend a Catholic high school. Of course my older sisters both attended, apparently my parents ran out of money when I got to that point. I do remember the whole city coming to a complete halt, when it was the Marian Day Parade. The Catholic High Schools would do a huge Marian Day Celebration at what is now Ivor Wynne Stadium. Traffic would be re-routed, parking was limited and you would just walk. The buzz equaled that of the Ti- Cats at their peak. The Cathedral Girls School would do the Living Rosary. At the end of this beautiful prayer the stadium would sing wonderful hymns and crown Mary with a crown of flowers.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_crowning. I don't know when this actually stopped in Hamilton, probably when we got public funding. We then had to be politically correct and let boys into the girls school and vise versa. One of the things we lost as a faith community in our funding deal. I know that the honoring of Mary the Mother of Jesus has not gone out of fashion as a matter of fact, one of the gardening newsletters I read had quite a article in it, with names of particular flowers that were inspired by Our Lady. The students at our elementary school planted a Mary Garden.

This Sunday at Mass the Legion of Mary Crowned Mary during our service. Many of the parishes in Toronto still do a Marian Day Parade, nothing as grand as Hamilton but none the less a wonderful celebration. I always feel we should honour our mothers not just on Mother's Day but everyday, so too I hope we as catholics will remember Our Mother in Heaven. A few days ago Leslie wrote about music. A song by Amy Grant called Breath of Heaven always makes me feel great. Check it out.

During the ongoing controversy of Catholic Education once again fingers are pointed at the waste of Catholic Schools. Let's remember that waste occurs everywhere, not just at "Catholic Boards" we just happen to notice it more, or so it seems. As a person who missed out, I have spent my adult years trying to catch up to the education my sisters got at the Catholic High School. It would certainly be economical to eliminate Catholic Schools, or so we are told. Dig a little deeper to be sure you are aware of the reason Catholic Schools exist. It really is a significant historical journey, not necessarily one of faith, but certainly one of commitment. I suppose I feel so strongly about this because I missed out, I made sure my children didn't. I don't know that it matters to them at the moment, but it will when they are dads. I'm sure of it. Keep the Faith.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Bloomin Beauties

This week Suzanne of Quietfire Design
suggested we think of what flower we would like to be if we were flowers. Yes, it must be spring in full swing where Suzanne is. I thought about it and thought about it. I know I would not like to be a Carnation. I'd love to be a Rose, sweet fragrance, a little prickly, but hardy and persistent, able to endure long winters and hot summers. But then I thought what about something a little more exotic. An Orchid, I love orchids. I also lover Fresia, and Sweet William, and Hydrangea, and Lilac, and Violets, although I don't think I'd like to be named Violet. There are just too many flowers I'd like to be. I think I'd like to morph, or be a shape-shifter. Then I could be a Crocus in spring, change to Iris, a Rose, Lily of the Valley, but most of all I hope that at the end of the day I will be a Forget- me- not. Happy blooming. .

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my wonderful son,  it's bee 33wonderful years. Hope this year proves to be the best yet.