SNAP THAT

Dear friends, I've finally decided I will try to sell some of my little used clothing. I have a lot of clothing I used for work and also some clothing I've never worn for summer.  I want to make room in my closets and also make some funds to send to the mission field . I hope you will tell your family and friends so that when I have finished taking photos of the inventory, you will be ready to take advantage of the sales. All clothes are of excellent quality and mostly from the high end stores. I want to upload these items soon so that the sweaters I have can be in someone's hand during the cooler weather.  I also have some dresses for summer wear in case you are taking a cruise this winter or going to a warmer climate for the coming Christmas holiday. Gently used boiled wool jacket sweater. Perfect for Fall and Winter. I know of two places on line that specialize in clothing sales (not ebay or Craigslist). When I post  for sale, I will put a notice here on my blo

The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.  Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes,  certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.  Robert Louis Stevenson  I was surprised to see there was a seagull sitting at the top of the cross on the church spire. The wispy clouds are dark grey. It was supposed to rain. Unexpectedly the sun was out and it was a glorious day. Here you can see the snow blankets much of the mountain.   Thank you for your visit. Please visit again soon!

I am not sure why but I have always loved antiques and I have a few pieces that I cherish. I wrote before about one such piece which I will sell due to it being too large for my condo.  That didn't stop me from buying another treasure.  This one I purchased more for practicality than anything. My latest acquisition is a Chinese Elm wood blanket chest. It is about 150 years old so not terribly old but I like the character it has. I immediately wiped out the inside and filled it with some of my craft supplies which are overflowing in the living room.  I covered the stop with some of my African craft finds and my Aloe Vera plant which really does need to be re-potted into a larger container. I have been wanting a Chinese antique for years.  Initially, I was thinking of an altar table to be used in my front entry.  But really I have no room in that area because it isn't a hallway and that is where I have bookshelves housing many of my books.  The altar tables don't have the

Saturday's juice was a little creamy and a little tart.  It was made in my blender rather than in a juicer. I wanted to make a juice featured by my friend Brenda at Hearts Touching Hearts here ,  but I didn't have the ingredients on hand so I had to modify the recipe substantially. I still need to try Brenda's avocado drink. Next time I get to the produce store I will make certain to buy spinach and English cucumbers. My juice consisted of: - 4 stalks of kale, chopped finely - 1 small lime. chopped fine - a small piece of zucchini squash, chopped - a few stalks of parsley springs, no need for chopping - 1 small avocado, peeled, no need for chopping but discard the nut inside - 1 half of a small banana, peeled Throw all this into a blender along with a cup and half or two of water and some spices as you like. I used some Mexican chili powder but would have added some cayenne or garlic powder if I had some on hand. Yet another few items for my grocery list.

I captured these at the beginning of the Fall season.  The colour was starting to fade and the petals were a little wilted but I found the faded beauty enchanting.  Join Maia and Tina for more beautiful macro flowers. Just click on the badges below.

First snow on the North Shore mountains this year.  It is a nice, sunny day even though we were expecting rain.  There is no snow at street level here in the city but the air has a definite chill. Time to start wearing and carrying gloves. . Enjoy your weekend and please check out beautiful sky photos from around the world by clicking on the badge below.

Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.  Leviticus 26:4 One of the fruits of the tree that I love is pears. One of the unripened left over pears .  We had some pears this week that quickly started to ripen.  They got used in an easy to make tart. Pie crust rolled and put into tart pan. Ingredients: 1 (unbaked) pie crust 3-4 pears, quartered, cored, peeled, and sliced 1/2  cup sugar, divided 1 Tbsp.lemon juice Pears sliced and arranged in the pan and excess dough taken off the edges.  Preparation: Line a 10-inch tart pan  pr pie pan with an unbaked pie crust and set aside. In a large bowl toss pear slices with 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Arrange pear slices on crust in a pattern of your choice. Bake at 350 º until crust is brown on the edges and pears are tender which will take about 40 minutes depending on your oven. While the p

We were made to enjoy music, to enjoy beautiful sunsets, to enjoy looking at the billows of the sea and to be thrilled with a rose that is bedecked with dew… Human beings are actually created for the transcendent, for the sublime, for the beautiful, for the truthful... and all of us are given the task of trying to make this world a little more hospitable to these beautiful things. Bishop Desmond Tutu South African Activist and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient I so love this quote by Bishop Tutu.  It is these beautiful things in life as well as my faith in the Creator who made them, that keep me sane and help me endure whatever I may face in life. The beauty in the colours of Fall are what spoke to me of the sublime today amidst learning of the tragedy that has hit the country of Kenya.  The country of my heart and spirit. Please say a little prayer for the people as they endure yet more tragedy in the form of bomb attacks on the City of Nairobi. A month or so ago, I start

Yesterday I posted a recipe for the chili I made on Saturday. Today I'm posting the dinner  made on Sunday. It was delicious and very filling. I feel like making some nice pumpkin or cranberry muffins but I'll probably wait until Monday as there is movie I want to catch right now while I enjoy a cup of tea.   Ingredients 6-8 Italian sausages (sliced) * 4 pieces of chicken thighs/legs 3 c. brown rice 6 c. water 1 tsp. vegetable oil 1 chopped white onion 1 chopped green and red bell peppers 1 can of stewed tomatoes or chop about 3 fresh tomatoes 3 tsp. of chopped/minced garlic 3 chicken bouillon cubes salt (to taste  - not to much if you have high blood pressure) pepper (to taste) 3-4 drops s oy sauce for colouring (can be omitted if you have high blood sugar) a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper 1 tsp. worchestershire sauce 1 tsp. hot sauce Directions In a large pot over medium/high heat "brown" your s

Despite the fact I can't move around normally (yet), or perhaps because of it, it has been an incredibly busy few months. Barely a day goes by when I am home and when I can attend to the day to day running of the household, relaxing, paying the bills (ha!) or catching up with friends. This past week, I cancelled and rearranged several appointments so that I could have a few days to myself to get things done like shop for my mother (see post here ) and myself, look after some administrative issues for the Missions of Hope , shop for some books (more about that in another post), cook, clean, plan ahead for new appointments (massage and physiotherapy) to continue the leg treatments, a bit of mending, and a lot of washing dishes (not something I really enjoy). Next week will be another busy one so I had to make the best of the last few days. I'm madly trying to catch up to my goal of reading two books a month. I'm sadly far behind but I've read some good books.  Some of t

Hello friends, I have a blogging buddy in California who started a blog not so long ago. Her name is Brenda Green and her blog is called Hearts Touching Hearts . Brenda writes about what is on her heart and what the Lord is teaching her. She really has a heart to have a testimony for God. I  met Brenda on line through our mutual love of Africa. She really has a missionary heart. Photo Credit: Brenda - Isn't she beautiful? Better than that, she has a beautiful heart. Brenda writes about other things too.  Check out her blog and let her know how you found out about her. Let's spread a little blog love. Blessings and Happy Sunday! Hearts Touching Hearts: “Chocolate Chip Cookie Lovers” : My dear readers, To all of you who like chocolate chip cookies. I was encouraged to put a little food on my site. so here goes. I just...

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in your life you will have been all of these. Dr. Robert Goddard   Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.  (Leviticus 19:32)    Last winter I bought her a beautiful red car coat in lightweight wool. However, it is supposed to be a very cold winter this year and the little red coat, though pretty, won't keep her warm.  Especially if she has to go anywhere on a cold and windy day.  Mom and I chatted a bit the other day about her needs.  In the end I think I was able to find things that were a good compromise between her wants and what I thought would match better with the clothing she currently wears. She doesn't have a lot of space to put too many clothes so we have to be able to coordinate multiple outfits with fewer items

This yellow flower reminds me of a "happy" flower.  The Dahlia. Just the perfect thing to gaze upon on a rainy Vancouver day! Please be sure to check out more beautiful flowers by clicking on the badges below.

Every third month I go to a diabetes workshop run by my doctor and the medical clinic's nurse. I missed the last workshop and so it has been six months already since I was there last. At the workshop we get a little education and each member of the group is provided with their updated cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and weight numbers. We are also given any shots we might need. I was a bit anxious over my numbers as the last time I went my blood sugar was a little higher, again. My blood pressure was also a wee bit elevated. I had also gained weight since the last workshop I attended. I was happy to find that my blood sugar levels have in fact improved and I am nearing normal. My weight has returned to where it was, however my blood pressure has gone up a bit more. I'm not sure if it was hidden salt in the breakfast I ate and the coffee I had within half an hour of being tested, the white coat syndrome or just rushing to get to the clinic on time.  They let me r

I experimented today and it led me down an interesting path. While I was out at the supermarket buying mushrooms for my stir-fry veggies, I decided to pick up some watercress, guava and small, fuji apples Tonight's juice consisted of all of the above, plus some spinach, parsley and two small green pepper. Watercress and other cabbage greens are among the most highly nutritious vegetables. They provide an excellent source of vitamins B6, C, manganese, and carotenes.  Greens in the cabbage family also provide a very good source of fiber, iron, copper, and calcium. The greens are also a very good source of vitamins B1, B2, and E. Greens like these provide almost three times as much calcium as phosphorous.  Great news because high intake of phosphorous is linked to osteoporosis. As a member of the cabbage family, watercress also has anticancer properties.  Caution.  If you have hyperthyroidism you should avoid eating watercress because of its high iodine content. I bought

I made some awesome veggie soup today. I put a cup or so of pearl barley in a pot with about 8 cups of water. While I waited for this to boil I cut up one pork loin chop and fast fried the chunks. Then I cleaned, sliced and chopped the following vegetables: - 2 small onions - a few stalks of celery (the last of them from the middle part) - 2 skinny carrots - about 1/4 of a small head of cauliflower - 1 medium sweet potato - 1 medium russet potato - a few broccoli florets - 6 radishes cut into thick slices - small amount of chick peas left over from my hummus   After the water began to boil I put in the onions, celery, carrots and pork cubes and boiled them all until tender. I added some light soy sauce and Himalayan crystal salt sparingly as flavouring.  I didn't add too much because I wanted the taste to come from the vegetables. Once this mixture boiled and the barley began to soften, I added all the other vegetables and cooked them just until they began to soften.

The other day I featured a few sky photos, taken on the drive from Vancouver to Seton Lake, near Lillooet.  I thought it would be good to post more photos of this spectacular area as my submission to this week's Scenic Sunday Meme. I do hope you enjoy them.    I think these photos will give you a sense of the driving conditions and the mountainous terrain.    You can see that there are some extreme switchbacks in the road. If you look in the far distance, you can see the blue plastic shelters (around the middle of the photo). Those are Aboriginal fishermen of the St'a'imc (pronounced Statleum) First Nation, who have set up camps to do their annual food fishing for salmon. Here is a closer view...   and here are the fishermen right on the water (below). It can be dangerous as the river is very powerful. Fishing for salmon may be the most important part of the First Nation's culture in in this area.  The  people use