Happy Halloween

Hope you're all ready for a fun evening! I'm linking up with Natasha May's Halloween Linky party today.  Join in the fun!  I painted this ACEO in acrylic for the occasion!

 In keeping with the season, I thought this was a good one.   Click here and try to guess what this commercial is for.



 

Sunday Sketches - Halloween

Welcome to Sophia's Sunday Sketches! Please stop by the others afterward and join in the fun!

In honour of the season, here is my sketch today, it's an ACEO in acrylic:

Sweet Saturdays - The Blanket

It's time for Sweet Saturdays!

Please stop by the others afterward to see what they found sweet today!

My mom knitted this pretty blanket and gave it to me when I saw her this week. She never has a plan, she just knits and it becomes whatever it's meant tobe! I guess she's the creative type. I tend to plan the stuff I do beforehand, everyone's different! Besides, I don't knit.

Paint Party Friday - Boats

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! I'm calling this acrylic ACEO I did  'Boats' (what else?)  I did the water with silver paint and the skies are charcoal.  I saw a beautiful full  moon a few weeks ago and decided to add that in!

Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun!

Food For Thought Thursdays - Apple Cobbler

Welcome to Robin Panzer's new Food For Thought Thursdays, please stop by the others and join in the fun!

Today, I'm featuring Apple Cobbler with Oatmeal. I found this recipe and decided to try it. It was a bit hit! We had it with a dollop of whipped cream.

A Magic Game

The sun was playing hide and seek behind the clouds the other day, I never could get the image I wanted. Sometimes it seems you have to have split second timing and a good camera!

Here is a neat magic game, I hope you'll try it! A smart friend of mine figured out how it works.

I saw a young woman with this  Baby Trend Sit N Stand stroller and had to ask if her toddler was meant to stand on that step in the front.  She had a small baby in the stroller at the same time.  She said yes, and it was great except the toddler can just walk away so you have to be wary of that.  They come up with new things all the time.

Creative Tuesdays - Autumn

It's time for Creative Tuesdays! This week's theme is Autumn. I took a photo of this leaf the other day and decided to paint it as an acrylic ACEO below.

Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun!

A Lesson for All

I was out for a lovely walk with a friend in great weather yesterday morning. Here is a photo of some brilliant fall colour in the neighbourhood.

I received this in an email and  my friends seemed to like it:

A Lesson For all

I would just like to share an experience with you all, and it has to
do with drinking and driving. As you know some of us have had brushes
with the authorities on our way home from the old “soiree” over the
years? Well I finally have done something about it!

Last night I was out for a few drinks with a few friends and had way
too many Wines, a few shooters, knowing full well I was wasted, I did
something I've never done before. I took a Bus home. I arrived home
safely and without incident which was a real surprise, since I had
never driven a bus before!!

Okay, maybe this joke is in poor taste because for sure, drinking and driving
is not acceptable.

Sunday Sketches, solar halo

Welcome to this week's Sunday Sketches. Today I'm featuring my version of a solar halo as an acrylic  ACEO. I saw a photo of one in the newspaper and it made me curious as I had never heard of this weather phenomenon before.  I read that the colours are muted so I tried hard to achieve that effect.  My daughter loved this one, while my son and I found it kind of bland.  My husband doesn't seem to have too much of an opinion on art sometimes.

Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun!

Sweet Saturdays - Two Minute Chocolate Chip Cake

Laurie at How My Time Flys found this recipe for Two Minute Chocolate Chip Cake from The English Kitchen. I thought you might like to try it!  There is a correction to the recipe, we've been told to add 1/4 tsp baking powder.

Happy Sweet Saturdays! Please stop by the other participants to see what they found sweet today!

*Two Minute Chocolate Chip Cake*
Makes one serving

Chocolate Chip Cake. Two minutes. 'Nuff said!

1 large free range egg
3 packed TBS of soft light brown sugar
5 1/2 TBS plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 TBS softened butter
3 to 4 TBS good quality chocolate, chopped coarsely
(I like to use Green and Black's Organic milk)
1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in a large mug. Place in the microwave. Cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or just until the top centre of the cake is set. Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with clotted cream, Creme Fraiche or ice cream. Enjoy!

Paint Party Friday - Lightning Storm Revisited

Welcome to Paint Party Friday hosted by Kristin and Eva. Please be sure to visit the other participants and join in the fun!

Last Month I did a post entitled 'Lightning Storm' and decided to revisit this painting. I added a building to the ACEO, making it less abstract looking. What do you think?

Here is the original:

Food For Thought Thursdays - Gnocchi

 Today I'm joining Robin Panzer's Food for Thought Thursday (FFTT)!  In Robin's words 'Share some thoughts about the food you eat and pictures are great too and then take a little blog hop around to see what's on everyone else's plates!'  Sounds like great foodie fun, come join us!

I was watching an Italian cooking show on TV and was intrigued by the simplicity of this recipe. It was so tasty, my son K loves it. Of course they were making their own gnocchi, but I just got a small package from the supermarket. I imagine you could do this with any kind of pasta you have on hand.

Bring salted water to boil, put gnocchi in for about 3 minutes until they float. Meanwhile, add a few tbs olive oil, 1 tbs margarine to a saucepan, heat, add 2 slices of prosciutto, 1 tsp dried herb (such as sage, or italian seasoning), then add in drained gnocchi. Toss together, add some grated parmesan cheese and remove from heat. You can tear the prosciutto into little strips and mix into the pasta.  Enjoy!

Gnocchi

Pretty Plants

We were at K's new doctor yesterday for his flu shot among other things.  All the doctors at this new clinic walk around with tablet PCs to enter their data.  I finally figured out why, in addition to being state-of-the-art.  There are no file cabinets with  paper filing systems.  The nurse said it is so much easier and quicker to pull up a patient's file.  They save a lot of paper.  Then I thought of our old pediatrician's office with a huge wall full of files.  It would be a big job to computerize all that information.

I thought I'd share these pretty plants I've been photographing as I'm out and about:

Coleus

Fall Arrangement

Cosmos

Sub Woofers and Dad's Reply

I have a few jokes for you today, enjoy!

Dad's Reply:


I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes (he is 66).

We decided to grab a bite at the food court.

I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him.

The teenager had spiked hair in all different colours - green, red, orange, and blue.

My dad kept staring at her.

The teenager kept looking and would find my dad staring every time.

When the teenager had had enough, she sarcastically asked: "What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?"

Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response; I knew he would have a good one!

In classic style he responded without batting an eyelid ......

"Got stoned once and had sex with a parrot. I was just wondering if you might be my kid."

Coconut Rice

One of my sisters gave me this quick, delicious recipe.  Everyone loved it, and I thought you might want to try it!

2 cups jasmine (scented) rice
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp  salt

You can just make it in a rice cooker.

Sunday Sketches - Lightning

It's time for Sophia's Sunday Sketches. Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun!

Today I'm showing lightning striking a building, an ACEO done in acrylic. This painting was inspired by a big lightning storm we had in the city this summer.

Sweet Saturdays - Beer Bread

Welcome to Sweet Saturdays. Please stop by the other participants and say hello!

I made this beer bread with raisins and cheese recipe from The Southern Lady Cooks. It turned out moist and delicious and it smelled so good as it was baking, that fresh bread smell.

Paint Party Friday - Lightning Strikes the CN Tower

It's time for Kristin and Eva's Paint Party Friday! Please visit the other participants and join in the fun.

This ACEO painting is done in acrylic, and shows lightning striking the CN Tower. It was inspired by a big lightning storm we had in the city this summer.

The Anniversary Dinner

On Saturday morning I woke up and remembered it was our wedding anniversary! I reminded M and counted the years, it had been 23 years. He decided to get us an ice cream cake to celebrate. Later that evening the kids decided we should all go out to dinner so we ended up at The Keg restaurant. It's a steakhouse. Here are a few photos of what we ate. As we left the restaurant, the skies were clear, the air was warm and I took a photo of the full moon. It was a lovely, unplanned evening and those can sometimes be the best of all! We actually had the ice cream cake at lunchtime.

This turned out to be our family Thanksgiving dinner as we decided not to attend the extended family gathering the next day as we didn't want to get the babies sick.  K still was not 100% by that time and we were just getting over our coughs.

Tempura Snap Peas and Asparagus Appetizer

Wedge Salad with blue cheese

Prime Rib (Au Jus on the side)

Sirloin Oscar

Full Moon

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake

An Improved Taste

I'm lactose intolerant so I buy this special brand of lactose-free milk called Natrel. I can have small amounts of real milk or cream, too much of it just makes me gassy. M will often pick some boxes up for me if he's passing by the store.Anyway, I heard M complaining about how they re-designed the Natrel boxes making it difficult to figure out which kind to buy. It comes in skim, 1%, 2% milk fat. It was easy enough to read the 'lactose free' label.

The other day, I was having a glass of milk and noticed an improved taste and thought 'oh, they must have changed that too, how nice!' The next week I looked more closely at the boxes in the fridge and realized we had been buying the 1% instead of the usual skim. Back to reality! In fact the Natrel skim milk tastes like 1%, so I can't complain.

Creative Tuesdays - Cupcake

It's time for Creative Tuesdays! This week's theme is 'Cupcake'. I decided to do a seasonal take on it in acrylics. It's an ACEO.

Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun!

Chocolate Beet Cake

The other day, I noticed that Betsy of My Five Men had a post on Beet Cake. It was intriguing and I went searching for a similar recipe that used cocoa powder instead of chocolate as cocoa powder has no fat. I found this recipe and tried it. It was delicious and you don't taste the beet, it just tastes like chocolate cake. K loved it and he would never knowingly eat beets!  It was quick and easy to make, I would recommend trying it.


Chocolate Beet Cake (from About.com Southern Food)

Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, Canola or corn oil
1 1/2 cups grated cooked beets (I used a 14 oz can of beets, NOT the pickled kind and grated in the blender)
2 teaspoons vanilla
powdered sugar, optional

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour, soda, salt, sugar and cocoa in a bowl; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and oil. Beat in vanilla and continue beating until well blended. Slowly beat in dry ingredients until well mixed; stir in beets. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes, or until cake bounces back when touched lightly with finger.

Cool in pan on a rack. Frost cooled cake or dust with powdered sugar.

Sunday Sketches - Forest Rainbow

It's time for Sophia's Sunday Sketches! Please visit the other participants and join in the fun!

Hope the Canadians are enjoying their long Thanksgiving weekend! We're having beautiful, summery weather.

Today I decided to show a rainbow in the forest, an ACEO done in acrylic. Did you know the colours of the rainbow are always ROYGBIV in the order? (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet). I learned that from my son's Science homework last year!

Sweet Saturdays - Origami Turkey

Welcome to Sweet Saturdays.  Please stop by the other participants or better still, join us!

A friend of my mother made me this origami turkey some time ago and I try to remember to put it out at this time of year. Isn't it cute?

Paint Party Friday - Forest Moon Rise

It's time for Eva and Kristin's Paint Party Friday! Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun today.

It's the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.  It usually means lots of turkey and pumpkin pie!


Today I'm featuring a moon rise in the forest, an ACEO done in acrylic. Hope you like this one.

Fall Topiary

Here's a Fall Topiary I like to display as a fall decoration.

Peggy of Middle Age Ramblings found 'The Greatest Speech Ever Made' written by Charlie Chaplin. It's 70 years old and worth listening to.

Wow the passing of Steve Jobs yesterday was sad news, such an icon.

Dishcrawl

One of my sisters was telling me about Dishcrawls a new way for foodies to have fun!

This is how they describe it on their website:
'Our City Dishcrawls are a social dining experience through 4 restaurants in 1 night with a group of awesome food lovers. Try a taste of everything while meeting your neighbors and local chefs and owners. And trust us, pacing yourself is everything. :)'  It started in California, but now the event has been organized in some Canadian cities. I noticed the one in Toronto scheduled this week is sold out.
Well, I thought that was an interesting 'city' thing to do, not saying I'd actually go to one at this time!


I managed to sell an extra IPOD Touch we had, on Craigslist!   I had one inquiry the day after posting the ad, but had to reduce the price after the first week.  It went to an interested buyer the very next day after the price reduction.  M came to an agreement with the buyer and met him at the local library to do the exchange.  To think it had been lying around for more than a year.  Have you tried Craigslist or Kijiji?

Narcotic

Yesterday I went to see my family doctor to renew a prescription.  It so happened I was coughing pretty hard, so I had him check my chest, etc.  Then he prescribed a strong cough medicine for me.  Later on, the pharmacist read the instructions saying 'one to two teaspoons three times per day' and advised me to stick with one teaspoon as the medicine is pretty strong.  He also said it had a drowsy effect so I wouldn't want to take it if I needed to be extra alert at any time.  When I got home, I read the sheet that came with the medicine and I noticed the word 'narcotic'.  That spells 'addiction' to me!  These doctors think they are helping us, but frankly I'm now scared to take that medicine.

The interesting thing is that I was telling the doctor about my daughter in university passing this bug onto me.  Then he mentioned his son is in first year at the same university.  The big deal is that my mom, my sister and I have been patients of his since the mid-eighties and we all assumed he wasn't even married!  I managed to inquire if he had other kids and indeed he had some younger ones.  Were my mom and sister ever surprised to hear this gossip!  It's not that we're clued out, I guess we are not prying kind of people and he's never mentioned having a family.

And flu shots are now available, by the way.

Twitter and Happiness

Have you heard of Timeu.se? It  ' is a web tool for investigating how millions of people report spending their time. This is done by collecting and aggregating millions of messages from Twitter. '

Give it a try, it's fun although I did read of it in the newspaper where this tool is being used in research:

Twitter used to track happiness


I photographed this pretty fall arrangement when I was  in a downtown office building the other day:

Sunday Sketches - Tulips in Acrylic

It's time for Sunday Sketches! Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun!

Today I've done an acrylic painting. It's an ACEO.  I decided to do these tulips. It's fun working with acrylics and it's very forgiving if you make a mistake. I didn't even have a pencil sketch to work with, just free hand. There's a lot to learn about this medium.  Don't forget it's the perfect time for planting your spring bulbs!

Sweet Saturdays - Roast Chicken

It's time for Sweet Saturdays!  Please stop by the other participants to see what they found sweet today.

Happy October!

We have the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend coming up and when I made a roast chicken with stuffing recently, it made us think of Thanksgiving turkey!

On a cooking show, I once saw them put a pat of butter or margarine under the skin of each chicken breast prior to roasting and I think it makes all the difference!  My favourite stuffing is a bread stuffing, what's yours?