Embrace the Face

.......the name of a site I found not long ago. Nothing like getting on the bandwagon at the last minute.... but, I wanted to play along and also wanted to get in at the very beginning of a new blog.















I love faces.... always have ... especially eyes. However, my drawing skills are only really what I learned from a doll making class that I took online and so far have used it mainly for that....drawing doll faces on fabric. But...I have been doodling lots of eyes on lots of paper for practice.. ...so I figured why not jump right in? Check out Embrace the Face and the links to the "ladies".... ladies on paper and the ladies holding the brushes and paints. Maybe if I hang out with them I can learn something new through osmosis...

The first "challenge" was to draw or paint a face ..but also to have a tree somewhere in the creation. Okay...so my trees are not so hot... ...but I haven't practiced any of those yet... hahhahah

My face is watercolour pencil on watercolour paper. Her hat is iridescent indigo silk with a tuft of "fur" held in place by a ruffled variegated ribbon. Couldn't resist dressing her up like a doll I guess. A bit more fur for the top of her outfit completes the ensemble.. the trees are similar to some we see around here....

My thought was perhaps she is a fashion model on location somewhere in the frozen north....

Private Elmo ... ...

The past two weeks have seen lots of fruit, veggies and grains being consumed around here. My exercise program is back into full swing with a friend as inspiration. However, she is doing a bootcamp program... but... ohhhhhh.... they are getting up 4:30 a.m. to go and I just can't do that ...... some mornings I am still tossing and turning at 2 or 3 a.m. ... I wouldn't even be awake enough to get to the gym... never mind figure out the exercise routine ... so, I am being my own Sargent Major...and my own firm discipline will push me forward. The weather is still perfect for outside activity.. and when it gets cold... I'll be pounding along on the treadmill. I've enlisted Little Elmo to remind me to eat more fruit... He is sitting on the kitchen table, right under my nose...and who can miss that outfit?














picture perfect sunny, warm days ... some of the bushes are still mostly green .... but, many have now turned all sorts of wonderful fall colours.











Once the bigger trees turn... there are only a few days of beauty and then...down they float...... like so many cornflakes in drifts on the sidewalks and gutters... I love walking in them and kicking them around... yep..just like a kid ... it feels great ..











Today I'm experimenting in the kitchen. I have lots of small Okanagan Coronation grapes and it seems they work just about like blueberries in scones, muffins and cakes. I baked two batches of muffins with them today, but also was trying to see if I could replace some ingredients with more healthy alternatives...and well, ... the result was less than perfect in my book. I just had to pick off one corner and I could tell.... sigh...oh, well, .... into the freezer they go for emergency purposes..... like, when somebody needs a sweetie in his lunch and doesn't really care that they are not top grade. Some days we are that desperate...hahahha ..... tomorrow or the next day, my regular recipe and more grapes. Not wasting them.... and there are plenty for at least another batch and some nibbling too.... okay.... into my shorts and off I go for my 2 + miles.......

Peasant Bread

hmmmm.... my bear making blog has become a bread making blog....and my bread baking blog has become... well, it has just mostly become neglected right now. No matter..... bread is being baked!!











.... tomatoes are being used......





















extra fiber is being added in the form of multi- grain flour....










which results in this yummy brekky ..... eggwhite omelet on Tuscan Peasant Bread....courtesy of Susan who had the link on her site the other day.

Up until only a few months ago I was still afraid to try baking bread. There are probably several reasons why and I'm not even going to get into the rest of them ... ..... but, one of the simplest?.... I was just afraid.... (although Sarah did make a point, and now I wonder if I should use the word intimidated instead) of yeast. Yep.... just one of those silly things. Yeastphobia I guess. But, in fact.... afraid of what? Failure? big deal....we all fail at lots of things all the time. Can't figure out why bread seemed such a monumental one but apparently, to me, it was.....

Then, as the story goes ... I began reading a blog belonging to a guy who was fairly new at some baking... he had even joined the Daring Bakers...then, all of a sudden he was getting a Kitchen Aid mixer .... making Yule Logs with all the icing and meringue mushrooms and everything!.. then it was on to specialty breads, and... well, that just did it! I'm not even sure why...but, for some reason, I figured if Lewis could do it.... why not me?

Now, I'm proud as punch with my new found ability... maybe I will even go so far as to use the word prowess. My loaves are pretty darn great if I say so myself. It's like being in a time warp when the aroma begins to waft through the house. Reminds me of a school friend's house. Barb's Mom baked all the time and it was amazing to walk into the heavenly smells coming from that small farmhouse kitchen.

It is still amazing to me to smell it here in my own kitchen.....to see a professional looking loaf in my oven...or on my countertop.....it makes me giggle or chortle right out loud and say congratulatory things to myself.... and it sure feels great to have finally jumped in and popped up swimming!

Now, if I just had enough nerve to really embarrass myself by showing my first attempt at trying to applique a Christmas tree onto a little stocking.... .... ohhhhh.... man....it is feeble... why can't that be as easy as baking bread?
Think I'll just go practice a bit more.....see ya.....

drastic change in the weather...

okay...not as drastic as it could be around here, but still.... enough to let us know things are a'changin' ........ like, maybe it could be a week for stew and dumplings instead of fruit salads...




















or, soups..... Gina's suggestion of Mulligatawny soup as a way to get extra veggies was great. And we did have one cooler day last week, so I gave it a go....oh, was it yummy! (the reason it is blurry is that I had an incident with the yogurt and I must have still been a bit shaky when I finally got to take the pic )...... suffice to say it was a make-work project just trying to make it look pretty with a dollop of yogurt added .... I was thankful that, somehow, the huge mess from the 750 g container did manage to entirely miss the fabric covered chairs... even if it covered the rest of a 6 square foot area of floor, table, counters and me.....











or, perhaps, a lovely apple cobbler..... (which I only make when I can once again get MacIntosh apples)...... ....sooooooon...............


Today is sunny for the moment.... time to yank some dead stuff from patio pots..... and do a good sweep up of dead leaves and cones which the wind has blown in there......

..Sea Treasures.....

My mailman was leaving just as I rounded the corner from my speed walking.... he shouted that I had a parcel..... ooooohh !! ..... ....I picked up the pace even if my little legs were already going about as fast a trotting Corgi....

Recognized the address right away..... my long time blog buddy Darly.... whose parcel I have been anticipating for ... well, let's just say I've been on high alert for a while now...hahha... it has become a private joke. Sorry Darly, had to get it in somewhere, didn't I? but, now.... ....












... the highly anticipated surprise .... my little mermaid spied that shell etui right away.











...she was trying to lay claim to it before I even got to look inside.











Then, she managed to open it.... aahhhhhh ..... the colours! and there inside...another tiny mermaid in her beautiful world of aquas and greens...seaweed and shells and pearls... pearls?














Hey! I got a pearl!











there's a real pearl in there!

.... another mermaid... swimming with fish and a friendly octopus....










and...... a beautiful earring set. Sea Glass! Sometimes called Mermaid's Tears ... somebody remembered my fascination with sea treasures.....











I'm a very lucky girl..... thank you so much Darly.... you are a pearl too.....

what fun!

and thank you too, Vee..... I love it. What a great idea to punch some holes and add the lovely ribbon. I never thought to try that..... I'll be coming up with some new ideas now for my next creations. It traveled perfectly. Not a petal out of position.










I see the U.S. has some lovely colourful stamps too.... thanks for those as well. I save them for when I find a collector... occasionally I find somebody and send them my stash.

Another perfect day. Blue sky and lovely warm sunshine.... +20 C at the moment. Golfed with my old guys ... (okay it was not really golf....but we had fun hacking it around). Chuck turned 80 today. I baked a chocolate date loaf and we had a slice with our coffee. That was my indulgence for the past few days....although it is not as if I am suffering. We eat well...and tasty too, albeit trying for less cholesterol. Which leads me to another thank you to the ladies that sent me some recipes and ideas.... I appreciate them all and will definitely be giving them a try. Today I am making soup even though it is warm.... I have a great tri-ply bottomed pan that doesn't take much heat under it to stay almost at a slow bubble.... I have to keep turning it off so it is not heating up the house at all. Mulligatawny.... thanks Gina.... We are having it with a lovely slab of home made whole wheat bread. Yum. I won't even butter or Becel mine..just dunk it..... mmmmmmmmm.......

Don't you love soup? If you don't have an item...substitute; or, leave it out.. or add something else entirely.... make it exactly what you want.

"They" call Mulligatawny a Classic Anglo-Indian soup, the name of which means "pepper water," and they say it should be richly endowed with meat and piquantly spiced. ....and, to taste the soup as it cooks, adding lemon juice, cayenne pepper and curry powder as necessary". There are many different recipes...all sound yummy...but for today....no coconut or cocoanut milk.... but I will stir in some yogurt near the end....and I prefer mine chunky...like a chili or stew ...whereas some call for it to be pureed. Can hardly wait to taste it. If it looks beautiful...I will picci it later.. I want to put my version on my food blog. ...perhaps tomorrow.

Thanks again everybody!

better than summer days......

What a week! After a few days that got pretty cool....and some nights down to only +4C... with light frost two of those mornings..... I thought it was over for the year. But...often we do have some wonderful weather and can even golf til way into October. A few years ago...very last week in October... we were out there in the sun. On Hallowe'en....we had snow.... hahahha....

Yesterday it was +27C.... and it will be high and mid +20s all this week..... wonderful!!

Got some shrub trimming done in the shady areas of the yard yesterday....forgot my "toys" outside cuz I just sort of quit about supper time and never went back out there.... ... luckily nobody wants to steal things that are related to work.

The yard and pots still look great.....










Fragile, yet sturdy enough to withstand blistering sun and a few nights of frost already... beautiful delicate portulaca still putting out new blooms daily.











A profusion of pale lavender Bacopa.... a must for the pots next year......











fuchsia Million Bells.... lobelia still looking great although the lobelia in other pots...nyehhh...not so hot....











A few snowdrop anemones making attempts at second bloomings this year....











Of course, some things just bloom time and time again don't they?......











The wild geraniums are beginning to change their colours..... soon it will be a mound of pinks, lemon and lime yellows and deep dark burdundys....














There are more blossoms on the pink potentilla this year than I have ever seen... perfect for pressing and flower pounding too.... must add some to my satiny fabric that I began a few weeks ago.











A rogue colour in my yard.... which is usually all shades of pink, purple, blue and lemon yellows.... but, in spite of the fact that I don't particularly like orange.... the past two years...it seems to be growing on me..... the colour that is, not this guy.... he is just passing through; an annual....

it's already another Sunday!

..... and there went another week. Another one of "those" weeks..... where not much seems to get accomplished and I feel as though hours and days blew by me....

The robins and I have been playing in the backyard. This is their special tree. A Mayday....the berries are now ripe and plump and so shiny they look like plastic shining in the sunlight. The birds are already flitting in and out wildly.... eating as many as they can. They seem to get a bit drunk on these things.... flying erratically... narrowly missing windows....fighting over a berry... and of course....don't park any vehicles within range.... because as much as goes in definitely comes out!! There can be what I call "blueberry ice cream accidents" on the side of the house.... and the driveway.... I have a vintage scrubbing brush with very stiff bristles....it sure comes in handy. . Ick..! By October 15, which is the date they fly south.... it will be totally stripped of any berries. They don't leave a single one for the poor little squirrels who invariably will check every branch to see if perhaps they forgot one tiny shriveled little berry. Then, it's time to scrub down a few nasty spots near the shed ..under where they sit o n the neighbour's overhanging tree branches and eat and shi-...well...you get the not too pretty picture.

So, I've had a bit of an introspective week .... . my siblings and I all seem to have inherited some cholesterol problems. For the last few years my blood work has been showing "above normal lipid levels" as they like to call it, and the latest.... even with renewed efforts to bring it down with more severe dietary changes.... it still resists. The only thing I can actually change is to get more fiber in my diet... and to exercise more. I admit I did fall off my daily two hour workout exercise wagon last year with my broken foot.....but, this year I am back to more activity (even if not quite the same amount).... so it is disappointing to know that things are still elevated. They think I need an appointment to see the nurse to discuss diet changes....hahahahha.... yeh...right....like I am not already cognizant of all that can be done. I have medical texts and the internet for crying out loud! Info is everywhere for the looking!!

Guess I am going to have to get up earlier...so I can somehow create more productive hours in my days.... for more exercise.... and also more time....to eat more..... more veggies and more fruits..... gag...how to stuff more eating into a day......and drink more milk for my osteoporosis and make sure the calcium supplements don't interfere with other supplements for my eyes etc..... arrrrgghhhh!!!!

And.... recipes. Yes, there are plenty of great veggie recipes....but did you ever notice how many of them include gobs of cheese? Sigh....how I wish...... I haven't eaten cheese for bloody ever it seems. I am busy scouring the net now for some tasty ways to eat veggies that don't include cheese or cream or all the other bad (and very tasty) "stuff". Please send non-cholesterol recipes if you find any... like Ratatouille....









I love to cook and bake..... how sad is that? ..... Already I just look longingly at all the baked goodies and perhaps nibble off a bit on a corner in order to stick to my sensible diet and then give things away or put them in the freezer for lunches for my better half. Poor Mr. Bumblevee.... he is trying to be helpful and will eat anything I put on the table. But, the other day I splurged and made him a big juicy burger. I was eating porridge because I was pouty and couldn't think what else to eat while he had his supper.... he stopped mid bite..... looked at me with a totally serious face ....... . and said... ick... this burger is awful...terrible...... ptooey..ptooey..... and we both had a good laugh. Good thing we still have our sense of humour. Meal times used to be more fun.... where we both enjoyed something wonderful and tasty and even if I only had a tiny portion I still felt good about it. Now...I feel guilty eating any of it.... I'm not convinced that medication is the way to go ..not just yet. Does my liver need anything else to try to process and filter? So far there are no other risks, such as high blood pressure..... but if that happens... there will be no choice. So... for now it is onward with more exercise and more fiber ... stuff in more fruits and veggies ...even if they are raw and plain I guess.











I've wasted a week feeling sorry for myself....(even if there was a bit of studying involved) .... but, now...it is time to do the usual. My sister and I say it all the time..... we just have to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, kick ourselves in the butt (I would rather use a different word here today of course) and get on with life. She is my hero. Like she says....WE can DO this!! Well, she does add a few more choice words in between there, as do I ... we are not always ladylike, but we are tough dammit. For various reasons, over the years, we have had to be.

She has had 6 years of nastiness after a fall on ice, a terrible concussion in which she sustained some residual brain damage, and working her way back from months of nausea, dizziness and lying in a fetal position on her couch. No strength to even sit upright. She has fought tooth and nail back to pretty much her old self..... most of that was all by her self, against pretty formidable odds and muddling her way through a maze of drugs and doctors who gave her very little hope of rehab. or of recapturing her original self. I can definitely do this. Thanks Vik....











Look at her now.......

the latest "inchy"...

The latest challenge over at Inchybyinch is to depict a blah day.... I thought this little guy might do the trick.

"Blah" or loss of creative mojo, or any other term it is given... doesn't really seem to happen to me. However, "lazy" is another thing altogether....and that does happen to me ... a lot. Those are the days on which I fritter away a whole day and create nothing; then feel like I have missed out on opportunities....or have wasted hours...or even days of perfectly good "fun" times. Sometimes I suppose it is also unavoidable...as in ... real life interferes and other tasks must be accomplished.... but I am too lazy to do both.... or by evening, I would rather plonk down and watch a movie instead of sewing or drawing..... mostly just lazy......

My little one by one inch jester/clown is watercolour pencils... edges lightly sponged with colour....

We bloggers are a crazy bunch...

This is our friend Mike with his 55 pound salmon caught this summer in B. C. What if nobody had had a camera handy? It's not often anybody gets a beautiful picture of the one that didn't get away, is it?!

Darly mentions on her blog that we are rarely without our cameras any more... it's true. However, she did forget to take it along on her fishing trip last weekend.... which was the perfect opportunity to display this shot. I didn't take it...but thank goodness somebody was there snapping away!

She had us laughing when she said hers was even in use whilst sitting on the toilet.... (she did mention that the lid was closed) but the reason for some of the laughter was the fact that I had done the same thing last week... getting pics to record progress of cabinet installation in the laundry room/bathroom downstairs......yes, it is still at the "in progress" stage because as usual, life interferes......













it had already been out in the sawdusty garage watching the building of said cabinets.

...documenting a special jig.... cheering when it worked like a charm!

It's at the dinner table .. stop! wait til I get a picture for my blog!










It even interrupts Mickey's dinner..... he kept walking right up to me wondering why I was crouched way down in the tall grass ..........














We take pictures of old pictures.....























.... we take pictures of weeds....... because they look "cute" .....










Sometimes it averts a temper tantrum if we see humour and a photo "op". in a frustrating situation ...... as in yesterday morning........

When this egg hit the floor, all plans for continuing with cinnamon buns was almost abandoned.... after all...it could have been a sign that the rest of the day might not go quite as swimmingly as planned .....











however, ...... perserverance paid off..... yummily so! I even got a few more pics of the buns for my other blog before most of them disappeared... .....

..not above bribery....

My garbage guys are pretty special... some of you know that from previous posts... they take anything and everything. I've even seen them struggle to get in stoves and fridges.. which they are definitely not supposed to bother with, and how dare people expect it? In neighbouring B. C. province people are allowed only one can; they pay extra for anything else they set out. Last dry days saw me busy hacking off branches... shrubs and trees including my neighbour's overgrowths...good thing they don't notice or care. I chopped them into about 4 foot lengths...and tied as best I could into 4 separate big and kind of messy bundles. I also had clippings and pruned things..in 4 big bags...plus my one can.... oh, I figured if they took some of it that would be good. I could put the rest beside the shed til next week. However, Tuesday was a baking day...so I was ready when they drove down the alley. I handed the driver a bag of warm blueberry muffins and said "I'm not above bribery".... but if you take half of it I will be happy..... he laughed and said not to worry...they would take it all.










They have such a sense of humour too. The neighbour set out this pot in front of her garbage ... ... the flowers still looked pretty good to me and obviously to the pickup guy too. He picked it ..looked at it and hung it up on the light... it was bouncing and swinging to and fro above the loading area, but secure... and he got to enjoy it for the day.... I would have copped it if he hadn't... .

As usual, while trimming, I was also doing the usual....having fun.. wasting time.... saving some small pretty flowers and leaves to press. This is a proper flower press that Mom got for me years ago...I don't often use it..... it is just as easy (actually it is easier) to use any old book that happens to be lying about.










However, right now, pressed flowers seem to be spilling out of any book I op-en!










Some of them got pounded..... as in flower pounding.










It is actually more like tapping, because if you pound too hard you just get blobby colours..instead of the flower shapes. There are several different ways to do this, so if you are interested just Google flower pounding and you will see what it is all about. Some people prepare the fabric in the same manner as if they were going to dye it... some don't... if you don't you must not wash it of course. My bit of fabric will likely only be used for something for a doll some day...so it won't be getting wet. I just set up some flowers on a board and pound away. Use a few nice brightly coloured flowers....and then fill in the spaces with leaves and smaller flowers til you are happy with how it looks. You can even use pen strokes on the outlines to make it more artistic if you like.... ...










Last time Mr. BumbleVee asked me to pass him a short 2 X 4...I gave his this one. Look how pretty the used board looks...it could be framed and hung on a wall. He looked at it... cocked his to one side and gave a big grin... "awww, gee, for me?...thanks"..... then tossed it aside and said... something just a little bigger please..... ..... preferably plain old beige-y

Look what Linda created and awarded to a few of her fellow bloggers. Isn't it beautiful? The best thing about it is there are no rules. You can pass it on to others if you wish, or, not ... which is nice, because it is always so difficult to try to narow down choices... or to choose just certain blogs..etc. Today, I am happy just to be able to display such a pretty award.










The pin dolls are finished and on their way to North Pole, Alaska. I'm serious. That's where Doll Street's owner/manager lives.... and she is organizing the pin swap. I wish it was in Canada...so I could write the proper postal code..... HOH OHO ... like the kids do at Christmas when they write to Santa. But, no... Alaska has boring numbers for zip codes. Darn it.

The lady at the post office did a double take too...said she didn't know there was an actual place called North Pole....then everybody in the line wanted to check it out. Actually it's always fun going to that tiny post office.. everybody is so out-going. Got us all thinking (and saying out loud) that it isn't far away.... Christmas, that is..not the North Pole.

Yep... even the weather is already changing










It's bread baking days right now.... and sugar cookies are not that far off ....

... but, only two weeks ago the A/C was blasting.. I was making potato salad...










Somebody was getting the hang of perfect grill marks on a great steak...










Now there is a distinctly different feel to the air: the furnace even cut in last night. We've had a few days of much cooler weather and some much needed rain too. There was a light frost on the roofs across the street when I looked out the window this morning... who can believe that? already? Come on! It just turned September! I am supposed to golf in the morning..... sheeesh.... that should be a lot of fun if there's frost on the old pumpkin........ I'm sure we will have some nicer days yet, this is just a glitch.... it's gotta be....