A Nice Evening Out

We went to dinner at the CN Tower 360 revolving restaurant with some friends the other night. It was pricey, but we had received a gift certificate, so it helped considerably with the cost. We had never eaten there before, so we played tourists. It takes about a minute to ascend the 1100 or so feet to the restaurant. It did a couple of rotations by the time we had finished our dinner and L and one of our friends felt queasy by the time we got to dessert. They are not cruise worthy. Afterwards, we went down the stairs to visit the observation deck. It was a clear night, but cold.

This is the wine cellar in the restaurant, they have a considerable wine list:

This is the view from the observation deck:

The CN Tower in seasonal colours:

Happy New Year when it comes!

Some Quick, Healthy Dips

L passed on a few quick, healthy and delicious recipes one of her roommates passed on to her. For this one, you dump some salsa sauce into a bowl, pour some sourcream over top, then top with grated cheese. You have a healthy dip for tortilla chips!

The other thing they do is add some onion flakes to some sourcream and they have an almost instant, delicious chip dip!

News

Bubbles key to New Year's champagne: study

Polish Honey Cookies

I got this authentic recipe for Polish Honey Cookies from a Polish friend. She actually translated her recipe into English for us, and then L and I converted the measurements from decagrams as best we could. We also adapted the instructions a bit. I have to share it with you because they are so delicious. It's hard to stop at just one. I hope you will try them.

Ingredients (for approx. 36 cookies)
4 1/3 c flour

1 c honey
1/2 c icing sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 egg

2 tsp baking soda
spices - ground nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, pepper (L used cinnamon and nutmeg)


Mix honey with other ingredients until smooth.

Flatten small spoonfuls, making a hole with a straw, apply any decorations you wish....remember to apply icing sugar AFTER BAKING

bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 F

Remember, the cookies are hard, they will soften when you store them in a tightly closed container... the longer, the better..... you can keep them for several months

Enjoy!

Japanese Food Photos

We were at an authentic Japanese restaurant the other day and K snapped a few food photos for us: grilled scallops, cold soba noodles and steamed mussels. That seems to be a quail egg beside the noodles. I must admit that was our least favourite dish that went largely uneaten, but it was unusual for us and worth photographing. We thought we were ordering the transparent glass noodle salad that L and I love. We ate tons of other stuff, so we did not go hungry that night.

A Day of Unwinding After Christmas

Yesterday was a day of rest and unwinding, after all the gifts were packed away. We have so many chocolates, cakes, nuts, candies and cookies left to eat, oh dear. L and K made these spicy gingerbread cookies using a recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen. They are delicious, with just a hint of sweetness. The kids like to dunk them in a cup of milk.

We went over to my mom's on Xmas Eve. I baked her some salmon with zucchini strips, being careful to use no salt, just herbs and spices. She said it was delicious. She has all the symptoms of heart failure and the doctors have advised a no salt diet. I had a damaged baby photo of her at 10 months old restored in time for Christmas and gave her an 8 by 10 inch framed photo as a gift. She loved it. L and K exchanged gifts with their cousins. A cousin of mine who recently moved back to Toronto dropped in to say hello.

On Christmas morning I went for an enjoyable early morning walk, I felt I needed the exercise. Then, we opened gifts. I usually get the kids a lot of gifts then I realized it's just more for me to pack away every year. They are older and it's not as if they still believe although they look forward to Christmas. So I just got them a few nice things and I think it was a good idea.

In the afternoon, we went to M's sister's place for a large family gathering as we have been doing every year for over 20 years. We met M's nephew's new baby daughter, just one month old. She is gorgeous. M's niece has a 19 month old son, so the next generation is well underway. The turkey was moist and delicious.

M's sister had photos of their recent tour to Africa scrolling on the TV. Their group of 24 people flew into Nairobi, Kenya before heading out to the National Parks. They stayed in some lovely resorts with fabulous views overlooking the parks. A highlight of the trip for the group of seniors was the hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti. They brought back some gorgeous photos of the wild animals in their natural habitat.

One of M's sisters was looking in good shape and she told me she lost 5 pounds simply by not eating after 6 pm. She felt it aided her digestion and she is now sleeping better at night. I'd love to lose 5 pounds.

We got home after 2 am, it was a long day and I was exhausted.

Sunday Sketches - Diamonds

I did a 'diamond' theme for Sophia's Sunday Sketches this week. While I don't own any of these pieces myself, I thought they looked pretty. Hope everyone had a good Christmas. Time for some to get ready for the New Year's parties!

Gingerbread House

Merry Christmas Everyone!


The Gingerbread House is all decorated and ready for eating, thanks to L. I won't post tomorrow in honour of Christmas Day.

News

I thought this article was informative and yet funny:
The Christmas Invitation

Swiss Delice

I bought these Chocolates from Costco and they are absolutely to die for or should I say 'heavenly', I knew they'd be good.

Skin Crack Care

My fingers have been getting all these painful skin cracks due to the cold. I decided to purchase
this new product called Nexcare Skin Crack Care and it is working wonders for me, I love it. It's like a tiny bottle of nail polish. You apply it twice a day to the cleaned, cracked area and let it dry for a minute. It seems to be healing faster and it eliminates the need for band aids which are always falling off.

People recommend olive oil, and other creams, but this is not messy at all and it
works quickly. You can always apply creams as usual over top.

L made it home safely the other night, so happy to have her home for Christmas!

Party Favour Extraordinaire

We went to a wonderful dinner party this past Saturday. Our friends went all out. My friend used to be a florist and made these pretty flowers for us to take home. Her house is perfectly decorated at this time of year and it was a treat to be invited over. Dinner was delicious followed by a chocolate ganache cake. K just ate all the sugar cookies that adorned the top. The hostess has all these delicious chocolates lying around so I had to have a Laura Secord Frosted Mint chocolates and some butter crunch candy.

While walking out of church on Sunday morning I heard this young boy conversing with his mother. She was saying 'I don't know, after the way you were behaving yesterday...' The kid smiles at her cheekily 'Well, that was yesterday, today's a whole new day' To which his mother replied, 'well...no' as they kept up their argument. I'd say he was about 10 - 12 years old. I wonder if he was able to talk his way out of his bad behaviour!

News

New Blog Captures Awkwardness of Parental Text Messages - it's called 'when parents text', check it out here.

Upscale Dim Sum

M, K and I decided to do a dim sum lunch with my girlfriend this past Saturday. We ended up waiting for an hour and a half to get into this restaurant/banquet hall that we've never been to before. It was lavishly decorated inside and the food was delicious, served on fancier dishware than in a normal Chinese restaurant. After we paid the bill, my girlfriend estimated it was about double the normal price and perhaps not good value. However, we did enjoy the upscale ambience even if the jumbo shrimp dumplings (har gow) were twice the price. To tell the truth, I sent these photos to L and she can't wait to try it when she gets home. It's Christmas after all. We can try going during the week, it might not be as busy then.

Huge Chandeliers


Beautiful Dishware , extra large teacups

Sticky Rice encased in Yam Wrappers

Milk Tart Dessert

Sunday Sketches - More Holidays

Here is my Sunday Sketch continuing with a Holiday theme. Sophia's Sunday Sketches rock! There is such a lively bunch of contributors here, do check them out at Blue Chair Diary.

River Effect

I thought this Xmas 'river' effect at the mall was neat.

Today will be a busy day. A girlfriend is coming over for a morning walk then M and K may join us for lunch, if we do end up going to lunch. We're also exchanging gifts. In the evening we have been invited to dinner at the home of some other friends and exchanging gifts.

Baked Cheesies and Miscellaneous

Look what I found at Walmart! Yes, these are baked cheesies packaged in 100 calorie servings. I'm going to enjoy without so much guilt.

There are a lot of jewellery sales these days. My hairdresser had told me that he has a lot of jeweller friends and they complain that it's expensive to buy gold these
days, and as a result, they have to charge more for their jewellery. So sales are down and business is bad.

L told me all her friends check their smartphone instant messages but they don't all check their emails. It's a sign of the times where email is becoming outdated. Oh dear. Everything has to be instant and fast now in these changing social times.

I've been sprinkling cinnamon into my cups of tea for a seasonal treat. It's delicious, not to mention cinnamon carries many health benefits.

Have a Great Day!

I forced my tired, slightly headache'y self to go to my exercise class yesterday on a cold, ultimately sunny morning and felt much better for it. I overheard one lady saying she's been overshopping for Xmas as usual and buying too much for herself.

Afterwards, I picked up new 2011 desk calendars from the bank as I had to do a few transactions anyway. The lady at the bank told me her 10 year old still doesn't know about Santa, although he might suspect.

I decided to make an overdue trip to a hardware store yesterday to do a bit of 'shopping'. I'm at home in a mall, but a hardware store is a different place, I'm totally lost. Perhaps because there is no interest. Anyway, I found mostly what I was looking for within an hour. I wanted a small hammer, a multi-bit screwdriver and a new lock for the gym. I also got a carebiner bungee cord with hooks for K's next field trip in the new year. He's going on a toboggan/snowshoeing expedition, but thankfully they will be in cabins this time. His gym teacher is one of the few people who gets paid doing work they love.

I can't figure out K's latest Science lesson and neither can he. It's to do with colour subtraction. Hopefully some light will be shed on that soon. He's on school vacation at the end of the week and looking forward to Christmas. It's nice that a kid any age can look forward to Christmas.

Our furnace broke again yesterday evening but luckily the furnace guys were able to come and fix the problem, we needed a new motherboard ($400 plus), but it was 14 years old, not bad. You do take central heat for granted until you lose it. And those furnace guys are heroes in my mind.

Have a great day!

No Heat

The weather turned icy and freezing this past Monday. We woke up on the coldest day and M noticed our furnace wasn't working. He put a call through to the repair people then started tinkering a bit and concluded that somehow the automatic scheduler on our thermostat had kicked in, even though we had it on permanent hold. So the heat came back on after he cleared out the scheduler. We have a gas fireplace in the basement that was our backup in case of emergency. Once the repair people knew we had heat we were put on the back of their repair list as there were people waiting who had no heat. It was simply a matter of calling them the next day to say the problem seemed to be fixed.

Here are a couple of interesting news articles I found:

Snail mail still popular for Christmas cards - Do you still mail your cards out? I do. My sister heard the Post Office is not as busy as usual this time of year. Hmm.

When is twins too many?
'Doctors could “reduce” the pregnancy from twins to a singleton through a little-known procedure that eliminates selected fetuses ...
Experts question whether parents should choose to terminate a fetus just because of the impact the child would have on their lives'

Healthy Holiday Party Food Guide

The healthy holiday party food guide advises the following:

Choose Olives over Mixed Nuts
Choose Soft Cheese (like Brie, Goat) over Hard Cheeses (like cheddar, gruyere)
Choose Crudite and Dip over Cheese and Crackers
Choose Mini Quiche over Pigs in a Blanket
Choose Roast Beef over Ham
Choose Gingerbread Cookies over Sugar Cookies
Choose Cocoa over EggNog
Choose Candy Canes over Chocolate Kisses
Some of these are surprising to me, how about you? See the article for more details.

Lowe's Toronto Christmas Market 2010

The weather was mild on Saturday evening, so M, K and I decided to check out the Toronto Christmas Market downtown. We struggled to get parking but eventually found a spot a few blocks away. That's downtown for you. It was crowded with families. We ate Slovenian sausages on buns. They were fresh and yummy. We found some melt in your mouth shortbread cookies, although they weren't cheap at a dollar apiece. Enjoy the photos!

Sunday Sketches - Holidays

Here's my first Sunday Sketches entry for Sophia's art co-op, I chose a Holiday theme.
Sophia says, 'Just grab whatever you love to draw/sketch with and have at it.'

Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

'T's Daily Treasures' had a posting for an easy peanut butter recipe that she got from Sherry of 'A Happy Valentine'. It attracted me because it only calls for 4 ingredients. Of course, one of the ingredients is a baking mix, which accounts for the lack of ingredients. Let me know how yours turns out if you decide to try it.

I asked M to pick up a package of 'bisquick baking mix' at the grocery store. This is what he brought:







I suppose this might still work. He didn't realize it was an oatmeal cookie mix, he just saw 'biscuit' on the backside. All the products sold in Canada are printed in English and French.

Freak Accidents

This lady at the gym has been wearing an eye patch over one eye recently. I was guessing she may have had cataract surgery. She said she was opening her car door and hit herself in the eye. Ever since then, she has been having vision trouble, seeing doubles, etc. So without the patch, she can't process very well. She has gone for cat scans and all kinds of tests, but they don't know what the problem is. The doctor thinks she may have damaged the nerve and the hope is that it will repair itself in time. Meanwhile, it's apparently okay for her to drive. Isn't this such an unfortunate freak accident? I get bruises all the time, but usually it's an arm or a leg.

This is worth a read and a listen, I think.

Helen Mirren Sounds Off On Sexist Hollywood Ways – And Much More (Video)

Joanna's Perfect Moment

Joanna at The Fifty Factor has a fun post called 'Perfect Moment'. It goes like this:

'What one perfect moment in your life would you relive if you had the opportunity? ...without changing a single thing...a time of pure bliss.'

I'm still thinking about my answer, how about you?


News

This is sad, but true, I think:
In Smartphone Era, Point-and-Shoots Stay Home

Lunch Talk (At Christmas Time)

I went for a haircut a couple of days ago and took a bottle of wine for my hairdresser, in honour of the season. He gave me a big hug and kisses on both cheeks and told me I shouldn't have. He mentioned he is 63 years old, with no plans to retire. Either way, sooner or later I'll probably need a new hairdresser, I'm thinking.

Before going for my workout, I decided to have lunch at the mall. There was a new (and busy) Mediterranean restaurant in the eatery, so I decided to try the chicken shawarma sandwich which was on special. It was nice although a bit too 'garlicky' for my taste. I'll try the falafel sandwich next time anyway.

It was crowded in the eatery, but I spotted a couple of seats next to an older couple. I asked if it was okay for me to sit there, and the lady said brightly 'you are most welcome to do so'. She sounded like a teacher, I thought. Her husband left the table but she remained seated, finishing her meal. She asked how my Christmas shopping was going. She had happily made a lot of progress that day.

It turns out she has 3 grown sons and some grandkids who live at other ends of the city. She hosts the entire family on Christmas Eve and also on Christmas day (overnight, I think). She said it was a lot of work, but she'll do it as long as she can. I continued messily eating my shawarma sandwich, there's no way to eat it neatly, not me anyway. I said, 'Maybe if you had a daughter, she would take over the celebration.' She said, 'Well, I have a daughter-in-law that would probably do it, but she's Serbian and...she'd probably serve pork. And my boys and I are so used to having Turkey, it wouldn't be the same.' I said '...I like pork'. She said 'You know, when the time comes, it will be her celebration, and I'll support whatever she chooses. Family is what's important.' I agreed with her.

We discussed the weather and she told me she had grown up on a farm and watched the animals all the time. She knows this is going to be a hard winter because the squirrels seemed extra busy this fall ferreting food away. And their coats are extra thick. There is a red fox in their neighbourhood sporting thick,lustrous red fur this year when he's usually like a pale orange shade. I said I would most certainly pass this information on to my husband, so he could get the snowblower ready! Then she went off to finish her shopping and I went to do my obligatory cardio workout. I told her she was a good mother and she told me she was sure I would do the same if I had to.

Our mailbox was frozen shut that evening, even the lock de-icer wouldn't open it. Maddening. This happens every year. The next day, a lady at the gym told me to try WD40 oil and I did and it seemed to work, but maybe the mailman did something.

Creative Tuesdays - Holiday

Here's my entry for Mmm's Creative Tuesdays "Holiday" theme.

Great Gift Ideas

M, K and I had a lovely lunch with some new friends at the other end of town yesterday. It didn't snow until night time, so it was a safe drive over there, although it was cold. They gave me a lovely cookbook, 'Ricardo, Meals for every occasion', from Ricardo Larrivee of FoodTV. It was such a thoughtful gift, because I so enjoy his show on TV.

Afterward, I was able to attend Mmm's Virtual Xmas Tea party which was in full swing! He was an attentive, gracious host and what can I say, it was like a real party! There was delicious 'food', 'dancing', and fabulous guests. Yes, the Christmas season is well underway now.

L said they received about 30 cms of snow yesterday in her town and are expecting another 20 to 30 cms today. That means lots of snowball fights and hopefully lots of studying.

This looks like a perfect gift idea for teenage girls , (although L is more of an eyeliner, eyeshadow person and I've already got her gifts). It's a set of 15 mini lip glosses in assorted colours:
Tarte lip gloss set at Sephora

And for teenage boys like K, there are DC shoes T-shirts, (although I've already got his gifts too).


I got these great gift ideas from this article:

Great Holiday Gifts Under $30

Mmm's Xmas Tea Party

Well, Adam Lambert is in Scotland for Mmm's Xmas Tea Party! Doesn't he look great in a kilt?

Here's Adam doing a beautiful acoustic version of Whataya Want from Me.

This is 'Aftermath (Acoustic)' on his new acoustic album.

Hop over to Mmm's this evening to meet all the beautiful people! It'll be fun.

Toronto Christmas Market

We received a Dylan's Candy Bar Gingerbread House Kit yesterday from our financial advisor. This means Christmas is officially underway! I put the tree up and laid out all the decorations. K was watching 'The Santa Clause' that night, one of his favourite movies.

Everyone is starting to arrive at Mr. Toast's Virtual Christmas Tea Party. It's fun stopping by there to see the current goings on.

'My Kitchen Snippets' recently posted her recipe for Redang Chicken Curry and I thought, I have to visit a local Malaysian Restaurant to try this dish, it sounds delicious. So, it's on my list of things to do over the holidays hopefully.

Another event I hope to attend is 'Lowe's Toronto Christmas Market', which is something new in the city, European inspired. It sounds like fun. It starts today, until Dec 12th. It is a very cold weekend, unfortunately.

Dry Shampoo

I heard them talking about Dry Shampoo on the radio yesterday. Have you ever heard of this before? Apparently it's available at the drugstore.

Here is an informative review of Batiste Dry Shampoo that I found.

And in an unrelated topic, this is 'The OMG Cat', funny.

News

Scientists find way to reverse aging in mice

Lemon Grass

I noticed lemon grass at a local supermarket recently. So now I know where I can get it, if I decide to try a recipe that calls for it.

I'm making a conscious effort to eat more chicken and fish as opposed to red meat. Yesterday, I made spaghetti and meat sauce using lean ground chicken instead of lean ground beef and it was just as good.

Coffee Talk

It was raining hard yesterday morning but the weather was a mild 6C. I stopped in at McDonald's for an apple oatmeal muffin and coffee. It was surprisingly empty either because of the rain or because the free coffee special ended. I heard the manager ask one of the cashiers to get a muffin ready with a candle for a regular called Roger, who was turning 80.

I ended up sitting next to a well dressed lady wearing a dark grey sweater over a light pink top. It was so pretty how her earrings and ring were also pink. It turns out she's originally from Mexico, so we got talking about the crime and poverty in poor countries. She said she goes to the big market in Mexico City with her good looking cousin to shop. It's a place her big burly male cousins avoid because they are afraid. However, they sell fabulous shoes and she knows the shoemaker. So she will order the ones she likes in size 4 and a half, a difficult size to begin with.

For some reason, I mentioned my daughter away at school, and a son at home. She said she has 2 daughters. Her favourite, (and she said she shouldn't really say that) lives in London, England. It turns out this daughter got her teacher's degree at a university here, but couldn't get a job, even with all her many certificates. So she and a friend heard there were jobs in London, and off they went. They were readily employed and before you know it, she was married to an Englishman. Now they are expecting a baby. So the lady will visit, but she laments the 'loss' of her favourite daughter. She said she had actually seen a therapist to treat her problem. It seems her mother had died early at 58 and this daughter looks so much like her. So the therapist told her that was the reason she is so attached to this daughter. And this discovery has helped a lot in dealing with her feelings, it has helped her let go more.

I said, 'do you have a husband?' She says, 'yes, he is at home'. Then I said, 'what about your other daughter?' She says, 'she's at home too'. I laughed and said 'oh, that's not so bad, you have lots of company'. After about 20 minutes, I decided I better get on with my day. I bid her goodbye, we exchanged names (hers is Rosemary), and I told her I enjoyed listening and learning from her experiences. She said 'it's always good, because you realize you have no problems when you hear other people's problems'. I laughed and said 'same to you' and bid her goodbye. I'm terrible with faces, I'll try to remember hers in case I see her again.

News

The 20 Gift Cards Consumers Want Most

Jamaican Style Baked Crab

I found a delicious recipe for Jamaican Style Baked Crab. Well, I love crab. Here it is with a few alterations.

It makes about 4 servings.

two 120g cans of crab meat (available at this time of year)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

hot pepper sauce to taste

black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 tbs butter or margarine

2-3 tbs breadcrumbs

grated parmesan cheese

Season the crab meat with all the other ingredients except the parmesan cheese.

Fill dishes with seasoned crab meat. Sprinkle some more breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese on top.

Brown for about 15 minutes in the oven at 350F

How to peel a hard boiled egg

L came home for an extended weekend, on the train for the first time. Before she arrived I asked K if he missed her and if he was looking forward to the visit. He said, 'Well, I've adjusted to her being away, but I am looking forward to the visit'. We had gone to McDonald's on a very cold Friday, to pick up free coffees and an oreo McFlurry ice cream sundae. L was amused when he offered her his coffee and asked if she wanted to share his Oreo McFlurry. He even brought her a spoon! This sort of behaviour never happened before, he was treating her like an honoured guest. I've heard that the dynamics change when a sibling leaves home and it's certainly true!

K told his dad that I'm interested in getting a Maserati for my next car. M said to him 'Oh really!' (not really) We have purchased discounted tickets for the Auto show in February next year.

K had fun dissecting a frog in Science class last week and I had to listen to the gory details. He did nick his finger in a few places.

It was great catching up on L's news. She even managed to do her laundry BEFORE coming home. A friend of L's taught her an easy way to peel a hard boiled egg. I never knew this way either. Apparently you just wrap it in a towel, and roll it hard enough to just crack the shell. Then it just falls off! I'll have to try this next time.

Here's a photo of the CN Tower that I snapped on the way home, after we dropped L off at the train station yesterday evening. That's not the sun, it's a lamppost light.

M went to a Grey Cup football party last night. I'm embarrassed because we decided to send a few loot bags for the host's kids. For some reason I thought they were 10 and 7 years old. It turns out the twins are in Grade 8 and the youngest is just a couple of years younger. I saw them last year, but ... I guess the 'loot' will be ok, but maybe dinosaur and pokemon gift bags weren't suitable!

Xmas Tea Party - My Date

I'm delighted to say that Adam Lambert has agreed to escort me to Mmm's Dec 5th Tea Party. Adam is in London anyway, on the last leg of his International Glam Nation tour, how lucky is that. So he twittered that he will just stop over in Scotland on his way back to Los Angeles.

We discussed what he might be wearing. This is one of my favourite looks for him:

I also like this look:

But, I think this is the real Adam Lambert and I'm fine with that too:

And in the news, I've seen this designer on a number of TV shows. At first I thought he was gay, but he's not, and seems to have good taste. Now he's writing a column in the newspaper, I'll have to watch for it:

Designer Peloso promises to enlighten and entertain

Why men shouldn't write advice columns

Forgive me for this one, but it's a slow blog day!





Here are a few interesting news articles:


High-flying professionals producing a generation of stateless children

Kids of 'quiet migration' come of age

The Dinner Party

This past weekend, we attended a dinner party hosted by an old friend and her husband. I had not seen her in years although we have kept in touch via email. We had not seen some of the guests in quite a while either.

One couple announced that they were now 82 years old, an Englishman married to a German woman. He had forgotten how he had met me almost 30 years ago. I couldn't remember either. He showed me photos of their 60th wedding anniversary celebration, two years ago. I remembered he always kept photos in his pocket.

His wife was beautifully dressed as always, slim and chique in a red designer suit complete with taupe coloured, leopard print, high heeled pumps. She told me they had a new deck built behind their house over the summer. Her husband had painted it sage green, with a small brush that he preferred to use. The colour sounded so unusually pretty. She told me her passion has always been fine clothes and shoes. The only problem is closet space. They were never able to have kids so it is just the two of them. Both have things they enjoy doing on their own. For example, the husband still plays the penny stocks on the stock market although they don't own a computer. They have a lot of older friends that are alone for one reason or another.


There was another couple M and I met for the first time, a retired diplomat and his elegant wife. They are my friend's neighbours in the condominium complex. Being a diplomat they had lived all over the world and the wife had never learned to cook because all their meals were provided for. He speaks 6 different languages. They have grown children and in fact, grandchildren in university. The wife looked much younger than her husband although there was just a 5 years difference. Perhaps because she never had to cook all her life? Lol.

My friend's (our hostess') husband had recently turned 70. I inquired about his son and daughter from a previous marriage. He mentioned that his daughter had ended up adopting a child within Canada after five unsuccessful in-vitro attempts. It turns out both parents had fertility problems. The child is now a wonderful 5 year old who actually looks like them.

Another lady had had two hip replacements, but I wouldn't have known, she was walking so well. There was a woman we knew about my age who was dressed kind of flamboyantly like Liza Minelli. She was telling jokes to some of the men. Her husband had been unable to attend.

Eventually, after eating some delicious desserts, it was time for everyone to leave. The years do fly by, and it was good to catch up with old friends and acquaintances.

Wikipedia Donation

I caught this beautiful shot one overcast morning just before the sun completely broke through.

Have you heard David Archuleta's Christmas Album? I heard one of his songs on the radio yesterday and was impressed. Listen to his Ave Maria, it's so beautiful.

A few days ago, on a whim, I made a small donation to Wikipedia and received this acknowledgement:

Thank you. Imagine if every person on earth could share in the free and total access to all human knowledge. Your donation helps get us closer.
— Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia

It felt like the right thing to do. I also get a tax receipt as it's a non-profit organization.

Here's a nice video on how to beat the winter blues.

Living on the edge of hunger

This news article caught my attention when I read 'According to a growing number of believers, the key to tacking on an extra 20 years to your lifespan is to live on the edge of hunger — constantly.' It discusses eating until you are 80% full. Would you do this? I wouldn't have the discipline.


I gave L this simple recipe for bean sprouts when she left for university:





454g/1lb bean sprouts
2 tbs dark soy sauce
1 - 2 tbs oyster sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs canola oil
(as always, my measurements are approximate and you can adjust to your taste as L does. Note that no additional salt is required)

Heat canola oil in a saute pan.
Add rinsed bean sprouts, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic powder.
Stir fry for about five minutes and you're done.

L has started to cook more, and finally decided to try the recipe. Always creative, she added some snow peas to the mix. It was a big success with her friends. They even asked for the recipe!


Here's my finished product:



Amazingly, this is one serving of the two or three meat/alternative protein requirements for the day. Because bean sprouts are a legume, I think.

Creative Tuesdays - Heavenly

'Sunshine Through the Clouds' is the title of my entry for Creative Tuesday's 'Heavenly' theme. It's done on watercolour paper using acrylics. Whenever I happen to see these in real life, the word 'heavenly' does come to mind.

If you haven't already, do have a look at what I'm wearing to Mr. Toast's upcoming Xmas Tea. This is what Wanda's wearing. And have a look at Heather's travelling clothes in her post! I'll be confirming my date for the party this coming weekend!

Eye Glitter Liner

Ok, I heard Christmas music on the radio yesterday...that is a bit early I think. Although I am working on my list.

I found this Lise Watier Eye Glitter Liner product in a magazine and thought L would love it. It looks like a good gift/stocking stuffer. There are quite a few shades to choose from too.

So I bought some solid perfume from Lush as pictured, orange blossom scent for me, and vanilla scent for L. I tried it and it's ok, but I'm spoiled by my regular Nina Ricci L'air du Temps fragrance.



Lately (on the weekends I think) they've been including the business section at the back of the sports section in the newspaper. Hmm.

LadyCat recently posted a song by Sara Bareilles called 'King of Anything' and I really like it, as she does.

In case you miss this:
Prince William 'saves man's life' in chopper rescue

The Country Decorating Show

I went to the local Country Decorating Show on Friday. The theme was 'home for the holidays'.

It's good to go early so you can leave by the time it starts to get really crowded. There is always a lineup to get in, as the show has grown considerably over the years. But Santa was there entertaining the customers, as well as a Christmas choir. There was lots of sunshine, but no snow, so it didn't feel all that much like Christmas. I did buy some art as pictured in the photo.

The lady next to me in the morning lineup was talking to a bunch of us in line. I decided it wasn't a good time to take a photo of Santa or to videotape the carollers. She had come with a party from the nearby town of Orillia. She told me they all work in the casino there, in various jobs. In fact, her son is a dealer. She works in one of the restaurants, I think. While the casino provides steady employment to a lot of people, she had stories of all the gambling problems the customers have. There are the high rollers, who will lose hundreds of thousands in one night. Then the people who pawn their jewellery to feed their habit. And of course, the house always wins. Something's not right here.

Anyway, the line moved quickly and I was soon browsing away at all the country collectibles. I sampled some shortbread cookies, some dip and applied some body butter to my dry hands, before I encountered an old friend. We decided to walk through the rest of the show together while we caught up on each other's news. It was as much fun as if we had planned to get together.

We spoke to a few of the vendors and discovered a lot of them are retired folk simply doing what they love part time. One man restored antique furniture, lovely stuff. Another lady owned a stressful flower store business but now does the craft shows. We happened upon a store selling lovely quilts and Christmas collectibles. They also had reasonably priced country furniture made from salvaged wood on display. It seems the furniture maker and his wife hold an open house in their country barn in the fall. This year, they all but sold out, so this was the only show the wife was doing. They spend the winter in Florida as they are also retired. At any rate, I left my friend contemplating the purchase of a new shelving unit. She wasn't completely sold on the 'salvaged' look, which I actually like.

Because of Love

I received this moving story in a recent email:

A Beautiful Reflection for your perusal....

A brother and sister had made their usual hurried, obligatory pre-Christmas visit to the little farm where dwelt their elderly parents with their small herd of horses. The farm was where they had grown up and had been named Lone Pine Farm because of the huge pine, which topped the hill behind the farm. Through the years the tree had become a talisman to the old man and his wife, and a landmark in the countryside. The young siblings had fond memories of their childhood here, but the city hustle and bustle added more excitement to their lives, and called them away to a different life. The old folks no longer showed their horses, for the years had taken their toll, and getting out to the barn on those frosty mornings was getting harder, but it gave them a reason to get up in the mornings and a reason to live. They sold a few foals each year, and the horses were their reason for joy in the morning and contentment at day's end. Angry, as they prepared to leave, the young couple confronted the old folks "Why do you not at least dispose of 'The Old One'. She is no longer of use to you. It's been years since you've had foals from her. You should cut corners and save so you can have more for yourselves. How can this old worn out horse bring you anything but expense and work? Why do you keep her anyway?" The old man looked down at his worn boots, holes in the toes, scuffed at the barn floor and replied, " Yes, I could use a pair of new boots". His arm slid defensively about the Old One's neck as he drew her near with gentle caressing he rubbed her softly behind her ears. He replied softly, "We keep her because of love. Nothing else, just love." Baffled and irritated, the young folks wished the old man and his wife a Merry Christmas and headed back toward the city as darkness stole through the valley. The old couple shook their heads in sorrow that it had not been a happy visit. A tear fell upon their cheeks. How is it that these young folks do not understand the peace of the love that filled their hearts? So it was, that because of the unhappy leave-taking, no one noticed the insulation smoldering on the frayed wires in the old barn. None saw the first spark fall. None but the "Old One". In a matter of minutes, the whole barn was ablaze and the hungry flames were licking at the loft full of hay. With a cry of horror and despair, the old man shouted to his wife to call for help as he raced to the barn to save their beloved horses. But the flames were roaring now, and the blazing heat drove him back. He sank sobbing to the ground, helpless before the fire's fury. His wife back from calling for help cradled him in her arms, clinging to each other, they wept at their loss. By the time the fire department arrived, only smoking, glowing ruins were left, and the old man and his wife, exhausted from their grief, huddled together before the barn. They were speechless as they rose from the cold snow covered ground. They nodded thanks to the firemen as there was nothing anyone could do now. The old man turned to his wife, resting her white head upon his shoulders as his shaking old hands clumsily dried her tears with a frayed red bandana. Brokenly he whispered, "We have lost much, but God has spared our home on this eve of Christmas. Let us gather strength and climb the hill to the old pine where we have sought comfort in times of despair. We will look down upon our home and give thanks to God that it has been spared and pray for our beloved most precious gifts that have been taken from us. And so, he took her by the hand and slowly helped her up the snowy hill as he brushed aside his own tears with the back of his old and withered hand. The journey up the hill was hard for their old bodies in the steep snow. As they stepped over the little knoll at the crest of the hill, they paused to rest, looking up to the top of the hill the old couple gasped and fell to their knees in amazement at the incredible beauty before them. Seemingly, every glorious, brilliant star in the heavens was caught up in the glittering, snow-frosted branches of their beloved pine, and it was aglow with heavenly candles. And poised on its top most bough, a crystal crescent moon glistened like spun glass. Never had a mere mortal created a Christmas tree such as this. They were breathless as the old man held his wife tighter in his arms. Suddenly, the old man gave a cry of wonder and incredible joy. Amazed and mystified, he took his wife by the hand and pulled her forward. There, beneath the tree, in resplendent glory, a mist hovering over and glowing in the darkness was their Christmas gift. Shadows glistening in the night light. Bedded down about the "Old one" close to the trunk of the tree, was the entire herd, safe. At the first hint of smoke, she had pushed the door ajar with her muzzle and had led the horses through it. Slowly and with great dignity, never looking back, she had led them up the hill, stepping cautiously through the snow. The foals were frightened and dashed about. The skittish yearlings looked back at the crackling, hungry flames, and tucked their tails under them as they licked their lips and hopped like rabbits. The mares that were in foal with a new years crop of babies, pressed uneasily against the "Old One" as she moved calmly up the hill and to safety beneath the pine. And now she lay among them and gazed at the faces of the old man and his wife. Those she loved she had not disappointed. Her body was brittle with years, tired from the climb, but the golden eyes were filled with devotion as she offered her gift-- Because of love. Only Because of love. Tears flowed as the old couple shouted their praise and joy... And again the peace of love filled their hearts.

World-wide Dining Etiquette Test

I got this in an email and it's quite entertaining and informative:

Click on "Dining Out In The World" below, then select your answer by clicking on the twirling utensil.It will give you the correct answer, then move to the next country.

Dining out in the world

Pumking Ale

It was windy and rainy yesterday. But apparently it was snowing in Calgary out west. So unless you're a skier, rain's better for now. There was a nice photo of Prince William and his new fiancee Kate on the front pages of the newspaper, it made me smile. It's nice to have good news for a change.


Our regular fitness instructor is on vacation, so we had this other instructor, who also has a great sense of humour. She'll say things like 'kick back with your heels, you should have bruises on your bottom if you're doing this right!'


I met some friends for lunch after my exercise. One is visiting from Florida. We ate at a Mediterranean restaurant. I had falafel (chick pea patties) in a pita which came with a delicious lentil soup. Everyone else had Greek salads with their soups. Oh, I think one of the ladies had a tabouleh salad.





I found another neat gift idea or hostess gift called Pumking Ale, as per the following article:

Pumpkin pie, bottled

My Eye Exam

I had my annual eye exam at the opthalmologist a few days ago.

While I was in the waiting room, a toddler came in with his dad and grandmother. (Probably the grandmother had an appointment). The dad dragged a toy close and attempted to get the child interested in it without success. I thought it strange. Then later on, I noticed the toddler reading this leaflet with concentration. His dad was reading his own paper in much the same way.

I noticed the waiting room was not as crowded. The doctor's assistant told me she developed a new system where she will call in 2 patients at a time. One will sit in a room nearby while the other is being assessed. Then the doctor will see them in that order. The time saving results from not having to wait for each patient to walk from the waiting area to the assessment room one by one. Ingenious, and they are moving patients faster, resulting in a less crowded waiting room.

I've had a small cataract in my right eye for a number of years, so the doctor checks to make sure it hasn't grown to a point where I'll need to have surgery. It's been stable. I used to have a recurring eye inflammation in that eye toward the end of my working years. When I quit my job, the problem disappeared. It must have been the stress. I've been seeing this doctor for about 13 years now. He has a lot of older patients who think he's wonderful and I certainly think he's a good doctor for the few minutes I spend with him once a year. This time, I couldn't help but notice his hair is thinning and he's coloured it. He must be middle-aged now.

While waiting my turn, I flipped through a current issue of People magazine. Singer Ricki Martin was featured with a photo of his new surrogate twins. He talks about 'coming out' and how difficult it was being a gay Latin man. There was another story on Ellen DeGeneres' wife and her struggle with an eating disorder.

I ran into my family doctor in the parking lot as I was leaving. He's in the same building. He actually saw me because my eyes were still dilated from the eye drops.

The Visit

On the weekend, we drove up to see L at her university. It was so good to see her, we gave her lots of hugs. We took some utility shelves and a small coat rack that fit the space perfectly. Now she's all organized. She has settled in well and has made lots of good friends. In fact, it's home now. It seems 2 of her roommates share her shoe size, so the sisterhood has 3 times the shoes to choose from! L had bought K a jogging suit with the university logo and he loved it. She said her friends think M is the greatest dad who puts awesome care packages together. It seems they had all gathered around to see what came out of the huge box last week.

We did a grocery run and had a nice meal together afterwards. Before you know it, darkness fell and it was time to for M, K and I to head home. I felt a bit sad, but life goes on and my mind got busy thinking of the upcoming week's activities. I can always message her on my blackberry and she gets right back to me. K was fine being the centre of attention again.

Xmas Tea - What I'm Wearing

Well, Mr. Toast's 2nd Annual Xmas tea is coming up December 5th and I spent some time deciding what I was going to wear. I hate waiting until the last minute as it adds to the stress of travel. I understand it will be held in Scotland somewhere. Please let me know what you think of my outfit, and accessories! So far I don't have a date yet, I can't get up the nerve to twitter Adam Lambert. But it was so much fun choosing my dress and accessories.

I'll be wearing my faux fur coat. The dress is a Vera Wang taffeta cocktail dress, and my jewellery is all tanzanite gems. I was looking at designer clutch purses such as Jimmy Choo and Prada, but settled on what I liked that would match the silver of my shoes. I was going to wear strappy sandals but felt my toes would be warmer in these.

I just noticed Mr. Toast will be serving lots of hot cocoa and mulled wine, so be sure to stop by on the day of the party!