SNAP THAT

I went through my archives for these sunset photos.  These shots were all taken within a few moments of each other.  I hope you like them.  Enjoy your week and check out some other beautiful skies from around the world. Skywatch Friday

More cards out the door and in the post. Wordless Wednesday

  Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest... It's about who came, and never left your side... - Unknown Another week begins. I am blessed that though we were having cold weather, it has warmed up a few degrees.  Better still we are having clear skies and lots of sunshine.  This is a rare treat at this time of year and it is supposed to last all week! Yah! On Friday I bought a new pair of flannel sheets. I already have some neutral coloured sheets but I wanted some plaid ones to change them out when I am doing the laundry. I bought this blue, red and white tartan and they kept me very warm during my first night of use. I've been wanting something in shades of red and gray for some time.  The neutral pillow cases in the back are also made of flannel.   You might remember that on Friday I also went out shopping for a few little gift items and for a food care package for my mom.  I am hoping that she will be feeling a little bet

If you've been following my recent experiments in baking with millet flour, you may also enjoy this recipe.  This is my favourite of the 3 recipes I've made with millet flour so far. Ingredients 1 1/4 millet flour (I used Bob Red Mills brand but you may have another brand where you live) 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking power 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground ginger (fresh is always nice but I used powdered ginger this time) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 ripe banana 1 cup crushed or chopped pineapple (I used a can of pineapple tidbits) 2 cups finely grated carrots (next time I will use half zucchini and half carrots) Directions  Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine the mashed banana with the pineapple, grated carrot, ginger, cinnamon, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  I used a Kitchen-Aid mixer but you can also just combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them with a wooden spoon. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking pow

Hi friends, I'm a bit late with the post but it is still Friday where I live so I am posting my Skywatch Friday pics. I took these about two weeks ago when I was in a different part of the city running errands. I am not usually out at dinner hour looking at the sky so I often miss the beautiful sunsets. I hope you like these photos of the one I caught that day. I had a busy day today dealing with my mother and her needs.  There is a flu outbreak at her residence and she and 13 other residents are quarantined. It sounds rather serious. I pray that she and the others will be better soon and that the staff will give them the very best care. In all honesty, I am not pleased with the level of care she has been receiving since she moved in there 4 months ago and I've put in a request to move her to another residence on a priority basis. We are now waiting for an available room. After discovering mother was in quarantine and that I'd done what I could to ensure her

Brrr, it has been quite chilly here both yesterday and today. On Monday it was overcast and raining. I think it was Monday night when it snowed on the mountain top. On Tuesday it was very windy and by the afternoon the clouds and dull sky had cleared.  I went out and joined a friend for a few hours of relaxation over coffee and a natter (chat).  Last night the temperature went as low as -2 Celsius and I had to turn the heat on for awhile in the living room.  My feet are like ice blocks this week so I also have on a pair of socks and slipper booties and from time to time I put the heating pad on my feet too.  I'm drinking cups of tea and hot chocolate to keep warm late at night. Today it was another cold day.  I dressed warmly when I went out to buy the week's supply of vegetables and fruit.  I stopped at the Post Office where I posted a birthday card to a local friend and a Christmas card to Joshua, son of my new blogging friend, Tammy from Texas. Tammy is my buddy for a

In my world this week I am trying hard to juggle everything.  Mostly I find it hard to keep up to housework.  I am never caught up but I try. I continue to work on 5-6 projects for Christmas.  Most of which will be unveiled on this blog if I remember to take pictures of the finished products.  I'm pleased with the progress I am making so far . Two projects underway. It is a very good thing I got an early start on these projects as they are all taking a lot of time and I need to pace myself and do other things in between.  I've been enjoying reading the book, The Perfume Collector whenever I need a break from crafting.  Sometimes too there is a good movie on television.   I  "enjoy" vacuuming and washing the floors for a physical break every few days.  When I need to run my errands, I  manage to fit in a short walk in the neighbourhood.  Friendships and family remain important in my life just as they are for most people and these relationships all need time.

Last week I made a millet-5 grain cereal loaf . This week I'm trying some cookies. Ingredients 2 cups rolled oats 1 cup millet flour (Bob’s Red Mill brand) 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup butterscotch ½ finely chopped almonds ¼ oil or shortening 4 tablespoons milk Directions Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl adding the wet ingredients last.  Once thoroughly mixed, drop dough by small spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.  If you are using butter or margarine as your shortening, you can blend it together first with your sugar and milk before adding all the dry ingredients.  If you bake at all you already know this but someone who is new to baking won't necessarily know. Bake for 20-25 minutes until done. Gently remove cookies from the sheet with a egg flipper.  This recipe makes about 32 cookies formed with a teaspoon.  These cook

An evening earlier this week. I was intrigued by the fast moving clouds. Please join in with Skywatch Friday and check out more skies from around the world.

I thought it would be fun to take a few photos while out on my errands.   It was about 5:30 p.m. and as you can see the darkness falls early at this time of year. It was the warmest temperature on record today with a comfortable 14 degrees Celsius.  The next few days it will cool off by a few degrees each day until it hits a low of 4 degrees Celsius (a few degrees cooler than the norm) on Saturday/Sunday. A garbage can and a recycling bin side by side and a girl waiting for her bus.  I don't know how often the can are emptied.   I think a lot  depends on the weather too & what people are eating/drinking as they walk along the streets.  In summer months the cans are overflowing. I always like the look of a bike sitting against a post or a tree awaiting the return of it's rider.   In this case, I think he was in the  barber shop getting a hair cut.  I snapped the tree and I'm surprised it turned out. In fact I'm surprised any of these photos turne

Hello friends, Life continues to move along at a quick clip here on the west coast of Canada. I've been catching up to a lot of things and enjoying as much as I can. A friend and I recently went to the newly released movie "12 Years a Slave". It is a heartbreaking story about a man, Solomon Northrup, a free black man who was captured and sold into slavery for 12 long years.  After he was freed and reunited with his wife and children, he wrote the story of his capture and enslavement and the movie is based on this first hand account.  It is not a pretty movie in terms of it's content but well worth watching for a glimpse into our sordid past as North Americans. Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. George Santayana  The idealist in me hopes that when we learn from our past mistakes we are less likely to repeat them. I know this isn't always true but one can have positive hopes for the future.  Slavery still goes on today (sex slave

He who does not economize will have to agonize. ~ Confucius Sometimes I post about what I'm doing to save money from time to time (you can search "frugal" in my posts to see some of them).  Other times I post a running tally of what I've saved during particular shopping trips.  It helps to keep me on track and accountable for spending. I was inputting all my shopping expenditures onto a spreadsheet each month for awhile.  That way I could compare the costs over the year(s).  I still have all my receipts but whether I continue to input the information will depend on how much time I have.  Right now I am busy making projects on a deadline as I'm trying to get them finished for Christmas gifts.  When I am busy crocheting or quilting, I spend so much time on projects.  I hate to tear myself away to look at receipts and input data.   I'd rather work on projects, read or get together with friends for a frugal outing.  Having said that, my major savings strat

Fall is well under way here on the west coast but I am reminiscing about summer ;-) Lazy, hazy days of summer 2013 down at English Bay. Skywatch Friday is the place to see glorious skies from all around the world with our hosts, Sylvia, Sandy and Yogi.

Hi friends, it is time to check in with the Crochet-A-Long with Chrissie Crafts & Ladybird Diaries .  Last week I did make a small amount of progress on my afghan but didn't have time to post anything. I'm pleased to report that I have an additional 28 hexies over the past 2 weeks. I now have 62 hexies. I have to weave in the ends of 20 of them. I will work on that part of the project when I have a few moments here and there. I've been working on the hexies to the left of the photo over the past 2 weeks. I haven't had a lot of time for this project but am pleased with what I did manage to get done. I'm not quite sure how big I will make this throw. I will use up the yarn I have now and see how many hexies I have before deciding whether to buy more yarn and make a larger throw.  I'd prefer to make it larger but I am not sure how long I want to spend on making this throw before I finish it off.  Whatever the case, I am hoping to complete this proj

pink and beautiful grace notes  brighten my days but  rains usher in the new month I was very pleased to find these luscious flowers about 2 weeks ago. I took a few more floral photos which I will share another day during our gloomy winter months when I need a "pick me up". I apologize to my blogging friends if you see me less these days.  Even if I don't leave as  many comments as I usually do I am still reading most of what you write or post. I've been busily trying to catch up on my crochet-a-long but didn't have time to post an update last Thursday. I'll try to post a progress report and photos on Thursday. I've also finished two of the books I borrowed from the library.  Reading borrowed books is the most frugal hobby one can have. Of the two books I borrowed and read, I enjoyed Almost French best.  It is an engaging memoir of a young Aussie woman who ends up meeting a Frenchman on her travels around the world. He invites