Thursday, April 30, 2009

Early morning, walking the dog

Walking Buddy, the spoiled dog, on these early spring morning is a pleasure.
The quiet, the spring green, the little surprises along the way.
Buddy

Entrance

Early morning sky

Wild coyotes keeping Canada Geese from Drake Lake

Forsythia

Lilac in bud

Redbud

Maple

The surprise!

Killdeer eggs
Momma and Poppa killdeer putting on a show

faking injury

Best keep on walking , don't want to upset the birds too much.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Stampin Up get together

If you read my blog you know I mentioned a slippery slope. It just got a lot slipperier..........(checked that is a word).
Yesterday afternoon I was invited to a demonstration of Stampin Up . The Monday afternoon card making ladies group (MAC'S)had heard I was interested in making cards.
Here are the 2 cards I made and the beginning of another.
Quilt card.

Small Thank you card

Beginnings of a 3rd, dress cutout.

We had a little wine , some nibbles and lots of laughs.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Tulips


Lovely red tulips are in full flower now.

These tulips are a soft peach colour


Only one problem they were supposed to be cream and wine red colours.....
Hum.........

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Green Thumb Sunday- Help!


I need help identifying this plant.
The flowers are blue or white, plant is about 6 inches high.

Leaf shape remind me of aquilegea. The blossoms are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in size.

DH dug these up from his hunting camp in southwestern Ontario. In a forested area with moisture and sun.

The closest I have come to is broadleaf toothwort, though the leaf shape is not the same.
Anyone a wildflower expert?

Saturday, April 25, 2009

TV-Elvis Costello Spectacle

Every once and a while TV lives up to its intended purpose. Spectacle is that.
Instead of pap, like pseudo news entertainment shows / reality? series , this is excellent TV. Kudos to Elton John and David Furnish.
If you like music of all kinds , check out this quality 13 week series.
"Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..." is hosted by its namesake and produced in conjunction with Sir Elton John's Rocket Pictures. Elton John is one of the program's Executive Producers.
Conceived to provide a forum for in-depth discussion and performance with the most interesting and influential artists and personalities of our time, the show fuses the best of talk and music television.
That is the blurb from the web site.
Last night James Taylor was the guest.
For me one of the magical moments was James singing a most moving song.
That Lonesome Road.
Here is a clip from You Tube to give you a taste.

The Police have been on and last week Kris Kristofferson,John Mellencamp, Norah Jones and Rosanne Cash. Next week Elton John will host and interview Diana Krall.

For us of a certain age this is one very good show. Hope you can check it out.
This show on CTV in Canada, Channel 4 in the UK and Sundance Channel in the US.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Dr Phil's Personality Test

I am a sucker for these kind of tests.....
"Dr. Phil's Personality Test"
My results;
Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not one to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out
Fun but silly.
What do you fall for?

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Oh, What a slippery slope!

Off to the store I went yesterday to get some basics like, eggs , butter, lettuce and a few paper products... browse...
priced new garden furniture .. looked for a spring fleece lined windbreaker... checked out the perennials in the outdoor section .....
Restrained myself and bought neither garden chairs or jacket..or even a plant...
But some how or other I found myself in the craft section .....
well, it was near the toilet tissue section.......... This is what I brought home

along with the toilet tissue....

Most of the paper craft goodies were on sale!

Justification!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day

Celebrate Earth Day today !

Here are some of the things I do around the house routinely.

1. Lights out! Last one out turns off the lights! Who were we leaving them on for, the cat? He can see well enough in the dark!

2.USE RE-USABLE GROCERY BAGS, what a difference that makes lugging in groceries , don't have bags ripping out and groceries falling all over the ground.

3.Use cloth rags instead of paper towels to save trees. Who doesn't have t shirts to rip up? Some of hubby's? Save money!

4.Clean my windows with plain vinegar, commercial window cleaner used before the switch to vinegar left a very fine wax residue. The vinegar alone wasn’t enough to remove it, and the result was streaky windows. So added a dab of liquid
dish soap to the vinegar and water, the wax is easily removed and the windows have been cleaned perfectly!
My favorite recipe is to combine 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of
white distilled vinegar, and up to 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap or
detergent in a spray bottle.

5.Buy local – flying and trucking food all over the world creates a lot of pollution so I try to find a local farmers market, support my local farmers and buy as much food as I can grown in Ontario. It is healthier for me and the environment.Try to stick to this as much as possible but I have slipped occasionally.

6.Try to use cold water most of the time and match the water level in my front load washer to the size of the load. Follow manufacturers’ directions for other energy saving hints.
Clean clothes dryer filters after each use.

7.Compost;Pour my morning coffee grounds around a plant. The grounds increase soil acidity which most plants like. The grounds are also a natural fertilizer which repels snails and slugs.

8.Use lemon for cleaning, for example ,freshen up my dishwasher - use half a reamed lemon and jam it in my utensil basket in my dishwasher then run cycle only when dishwasher is full.Smells fresh, helps cut grease and is more Eco-friendly that those plastic lemon shaped things you can buy to do the same job.Remove limescale from draining boards and taps - use half a lemon to rub over stainless steel draining boards and taps. Leave a minute, rinse and shine with a dry cloth.

9. Plant a tree or shrub.Easy for me, gardener that I like to think I am.

10.Changed my thermostat by going up or down 2 -3 degrees, Each 2 degrees either way can save up to 8 percent on a utility bill.

I am more Eco - friendly than I thought.

Things I want to improve on.

1.Hopefully hang clothes on a line once I have a backyard, at least when the weather is nice , somehow I don't see me slugging clothes thru 2 feet of snow.

2.Products I plan to avoid; Styrofoam cups and buying bottled water in plastic bottles. Many feel the petrochemicals cause cancer. If everyone in the US and Canada stopped using plastic water bottles, we would reduce the production of 144 billion plastic bottles per year filling the landfill and littering the countryside. Replace my plastic water bottle with a glass bottle. Search my cabinets for a glass bottle with a lid.
Concerned about breaking it, I am going to put it in a foam holder.

3. Stop throwing away so many disposable batteries. The mercury in old batteries will eventually leak out and poison the water it runs into.
Going to buy rechargeable alkaline batteries, I am told they have improved.


What do you do to save your part of the earth?

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Tomato Baked Eggs

In May's edition of Homemaker magazine , the eating well section, there were several recipes for brunch..The one that caught my eye was baked tomato eggs served on toast squares.Baking hot house tomatoes intensifies the tomatoey flavour.
Prepping the tomatoes

Eggs in tomatoes

Baked and on toast


I made the recipe using 3 tomatoes and instead of anchovy fillets I used crisp bacon.
8 medium large hothouse tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
8 eggs
1/2 tsp. crumbled dried oregano
1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper
8 slices of thick cut whole wheat bread
8 anchovy fillets (or crisp bacon)
1 TBSP. finely chopped chives
Cut off and discard tops of tomatoes, scoop out seeds and core .Brush oil over top tomatoes and dish , pick a dish that the tomatoes will fit snugly into.
Into each tomato, break an egg, then drizzle with 1 tsp. oil.Sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano.If using anchovies cut each one in half and crisscross on top. If using bacon sprinkle on for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Bake at 400 for 25 to 30 minutes until eggs are set.
Meanwhile cut off bread crusts. Brush both sides with oil , lay on baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes.
Serve each tomato on slice of toast, sprinkle with chives.
Makes 8 servings
245 calories each

To be honest, found this recipe bland, it would make a good brunch dish but I think I would add some garlic , onion and some cheddar cheese to boost the flavour.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Garden Vegetable Chopped Salad


Raiding the fridge again.
Found Romaine , broccoli... carrots...
In the most recent Kraft What's cooking magazine,
a very easy and fast salad using ingredients I just happen to have on hand.
Kismet!
Makes 6 servings 1 cup each
6 cups chopped romaine leaves
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
3 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup Kraft Creamy Caesar Dressing
Toss lettuce , carrots and dressing. Top with cheese and bacon...
This salad is surprising good...... great for a quick meal.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Pussy Willows

Wild pussy willows a lovely sign of spring.

Tiny little pussy willow
Softer than a baby’s pillow
Sometimes when I stroke your fur
I almost hear you purr.
Author Unknown

Saturday, April 18, 2009

My first cards

Ever since I went to the Norfolk Fair and watched a craft display of Christmas cards being embossed, I have been itching to try it.....
Seeing and recieving many beautiful handcrafted cards from Rosanne only reinforced the urge to try;her creations are amazing.
I checked out many blogs looking at the wonderful cards. Read up on technique and looked at samples.
How hard can it be?
I thought..........
Let me tell you, it is hard to make something look so good.
My first embossed card

Rosanne gifted me with the neat embossing heat tool,encouragment is her middle name.
Scrapped first card;

I think I need classes .......

Still it was fun and I will keep trying.

Friday, April 17, 2009

CSI- A Space Oddity

I confess I am a sci-fi fan... yes, you can call me a Trekkie......Watched Star Trek from the begining , every series and every movie made since the TV show..........Looking forward to the new Star Trek movie coming out this May.........
Last night CSI, a favourite show, did a spoof on
Star Trek , loved it, made me laugh out loud.
The storyline;
When Hodges and Wendy run into each other at a science fiction convention for one of their favorite classic television shows, they end up investigating the murder of one of their beloved actors. Kate Vernon ("Battlestar Galactica") guest stars as Dr. Penelope Russell.
Hodges is Captain Kirk in fantasy day dreams......
Some of the Internet buzz, anyone under a certain age hated the show.... did not get the references....... but if you liked Star Trek check out the episode link.....
Oh by the way you may know already but I also like Battlestar Galactic, V, Star Wars, Stargate, and the best current show, Fringe..... Did you hear there is talk of a new V series.... Hope so.....