Shelley's Birthday Lunch

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to host a little lunch for dear friend Shelley. I had it all planned out. A fresh cauliflower soup to begin. No problem. Turned out great.

The day before, I made up the tuna filling for the fish shaped pastries as well as the fish shaped pastry. No problem.
I also made a fresh mushroom sauce. Piece of cake. I had made this recipe thirty years ago for my dad on his birthday one cold February. I've wanted to make again since, and this was my big chance. To share it with another special person. No problem. Right?

Well, as you all know you cannot make a good meringue in damp mild weather. Just doesn't work. (That's what all of November has been, damp and mild.)
So, I made up one meringue pie crust and baked it, it failed and fell miserably. Considering it bakes slowly for two hours and filling must chill within it for three I was running out of time to make things work. Thursday morning, at 4:30 AM I am making another one, this time things looked much more promising. It was even colder outside! However, it went into the oven standing tall and firm, and it came out all folded over and unhappy looking again.

Off to the grocery store to find little meringue shells to turn my pie into tarts. I left the filling obediently chilling in the fridge and I hoped to return to proper clumps as per the recipe. On my way out, I wasn't holding out much hope for success with the whole dessert idea but once home, there was my properly firm citrus filling. And so, in the end, it all worked out and a fine time was enjoyed by all.
I made extra so the guys would have the same for dinner that night. Now that there are only three of us, it actually gave us two meals. Now that's a treat in itself. I love leftovers.

And The Winner Is...

I had Marty draw the name this morning before he went off to work. He drew Ronna's name. Congratulations. I hope you will enjoy "The City Outside My Window", by Matteo Pericoli.

I wish I had a copy for each person who left their name. Thank you for leaving comments.

Giveaway Time

I received an email from Simon & Schuster wondering if I would like to offer another book as a giveaway. I said certainly! Below is a description of the artist and the book that I received from the publisher. Their words are better than what I could come up with.

"You may already know celebrated artist and architect Matteo Pericoli for his incredible and meticulous drawings of cityscapes and landscapes. His bestselling illustrated book Manhattan Unfurled (2001), published just after 9/11, consisted of two 37-foot-long drawings (the East and West Sides of Manhattan as seen from the water) printed on each side of one piece of paper, folded into book form. And in 2007, he completed Skyline of the World, a 397-foot-long panoramic mural for American Airlines’ new International Terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York (see it in action here).

Pericoli’s latest unusual and beautiful project, The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York (Simon & Schuster; November 3, 2009) captures New York as seen through the eyes of New Yorkers both famous and ordinary, whose particular window views reveal a hidden perspective of the city—and of themselves. "
"What Pericoli reveals is not the traditional, iconic postcard images of skylines and points of interest, but rather something more intimate and uniquely local: the singular and distinctive mosaic seen when New Yorkers look out their windows on the most fascinating city in the world. It’s a view of New York that would otherwise be invisible. “The way you see the city from your window is yours and only yours. And your view describes your city as much as it tells something about yourself,” says Pericoli. "

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the pictures and found much more to their initially simple presentation. If you would like to own a copy of this really unique work please leave a comment by the end of the weekend and I will randomly draw a name on Monday.
Have a great weekend.

Foggy Morning

The other morning was another early outing to take Joshua to work. It was very foggy out and the buildings on the property looked so neat. I tried to take pictures and this is what I got. Standing in the cloud as it were. That's the barn corner above.
Here I am able to see the stand of trees in the front yard but the camera just catches the fog and the tree I am standing under. Too cool!

Tomorrow, I will be announcing a giveaway. See you then.

More Show Artists

This is Richard Dunphy. He was next to Aaron at the Brockville market during ht summer. I love looking at this fabulous photographs. Aaron bought me one of his pieces. I think I like his windows and doors best.
Here we have Julia Armstrong of Stone Age Garden Art. I have a few of her pieces too. She also creates pet memorials. Another Brockville Market vendor.

This is Sarah from Gibbon's Family Farm, Maple Sugar House and Museum. She is a regular at the market as well and does a very brick business with her fabulous Maple Syrup products. She's holding the out of this world Maple Butter crunch. They don't make it but those who do, use the Gibbon's syrup.
One very popular item is the maple cotton candy. Fabulous and wonderfully addictive. How Canadian can you get? It was very nice to see familiar, friendly faces at the show.

Show Time

Craft show time that is. Here is Marty getting comfy after the set-up is complete. We were in a corner which was nice and quiet but we didn't get missed by anyone either.
Saturday saw me making peanut brittle. I ended up with eleven packages of a half pound each. Sold almost all of it. When Sue and I had our invitation only Christmas sales years ago, I couldn't make enough of it!
Marty got the glass put on the little shadow boxes.
I also made up a bunch of Chocolate Peanut Raisin Clusters. We had free samples of each so you be certain you weren't going to be disappointed.
I got the racks from a local store that was downsizing. They are very handy. It was a good show at a very nice venue with a steady stream of people.
I'm all tuckered out now so will return tomorrow and introduce you to some of the other folks from the show.

Christmas Shadow Boxes

Here are four shadowboxes I created from some neat little wooden boxes my mom had years from her time as a teacher. They have seen a whole lot of use over the years. After she handed them off to me, they sorted items in Marty's desk drawers. Then some of them ended up on the wall of the boys room so they could display their little treasures. Now they are headed back to the wall, this time as nostalgic pieces for the holidays.
They are just waiting for some glass to be cut for the fronts.
The paper I used is from a grand yard sale find a long time ago. I got a big basket loaded with paper samples of all kinds of neat designs from the '60s.
So, if you find yourself wanting to pass a little time tomorrow and you are int he area of Maitland, near Brockville, drop by the M.E.R.C. hall to check out what else will be for sale and the Christmas Craft Market from 10AM to 4PM. Watch for signs.

Late Night Shots

I know before I begin, that taking pictures in the dining room is not going to be very satisfactory. However, I wanted to share a little of what has been keeping me busy this week. These are little "snowman kit" ornaments. I know that the "make your own snowman" movement has been around for a while but thought it would be cute in the small glass bottles I have had for years. The display tree came from my mom.
I have been saving small tart pans for years, just waiting for the chance to use them for something other than tarts. I got the pictures from vintage design wrapping paper, and edged them with mica flakes.
I am embarrassed to say that I have a great number of boxes of Christmas stuff stored for the holidays as well as in my studio to work with. I have been collecting it, as I find it, going back to before I was married.
BFF Denise and I would hunt down yard sales together as teens, filling our hope chests as it were with all things "perfect" for our future as wives/homemakers (we got married very young). All these years later we still have some of those finds.
I digress. The bottle brush wreath above is one of a number I had stashed away and finally it was time to do something with it. I love the non-Christmassy colour and wanted to try my hand at a little something different. I have two pink and two light blue ones. I used a copy of the image from a very old postcard I have from France.
I have one folder labeled "ancient papers." There isn't much in it but those are the few items that I will not use outright. Everything else is fair game when it comes to art.
I had fun digging through my collection of antique Christmas postcards to back these little wreaths. I used the original postcards this time.
~click on pics to enlarge

In A Christmas Mood

I've been a busy little bee today. Perfect weather and no need to leave the house. I did some spray painting outside, and some crafting inside. Took the dogs out a number of times and then headed out for a little walk around the property. Found two lovely little bird's nests too. I treated my boots for the upcoming cold weather and finished off the day enjoying the night sky. I've made a list of things to complete tomorrow and hope to post pictures soon.

While Denise was here she and I put up the garlands in the living and dining rooms. I love the lights in the evening when it is dark outside and everything sparkles inside.

The End

Truffles
2001-2009

Today we mourn the passing of Truffles. She lived a full eight years and is predeceased by Brownie who passed away in the spring. No more whistles in the morning to say hello and Feed Me! No more quick runs to the grocery store upon discovering the sandwich you made for your husband just consumed the last of the lettuce. They do love their lettuce. Romaine was a favourite. Alfalfa hay only, they wouldn't touch the Timothy. Carrots and oranges were also daily favourites. They used to enjoy watching television too.

At our most populated we had two Guinea Pigs, two frogs, a snake and two dogs. You know in your head these family members will not outlive us but when they go, there is a small empty place in our hearts.

Vacation?

You just never know what colour the sky will be until you peek outside in the early morning. I never grow tired of this kind of "surprise."
Marty had his last week of vacation this week. I thought I might be able to tuck myself away in the studio, however that is not what has happened.
Relaxed mornings and appointments have thrown us out the door and when at home there is the renovation to create a proper closet on the main floor for coats as well as a broom cupboard. That small project has turned into a somewhat larger one involving paint and some extra work where the previous owner just stopped. So, as in many an old home, things just grow and evolve from a "good idea" to a "simple fix" to all out renovation war.
There has even been some discussion of flooring!
That's where the week went.
Thankfully Joshua is off today so he is down there lending a hand.

Of Boys & Dogs

With the cooler temperatures, the dogs are especially frisky. Gumdrop just loves to run- everywhere.
I got a shot of Jacob at work while he was home for reading week. It's a lot of work, but he is enjoying his Architectural Design Technology program and doing really well too. What more can a mom want?

A Week Remembered

Denise drove a tractor at a job she held last summer. She was happy to take a spin on our "new" one. We enjoyed an extraordinary week of good weather.

There was a draw at the Christmas open house we went to at the flower shop. After a long day of shopping we came home to a phone message. Denise and Joshua had both been winners of door prizes! Joshua got the Monkey Bread mold and Denise the lovely arrangement. It wasn't prctical to haul it home on the train so I will enjoy the piece until the plants expire and then give her back the wicker sleigh.
It was very nice to have some female company in my male dominated home and to enjoy relaxing afternoons just visiting and catching up. Back to the old routine, which by the way, is never really routine. I keep hoping for some kind of quiet existence but that is not how it goes.

Girls Week Winds Down

This morning we are off to a Christmas open house at a local shop, then off to a funky nursery in Brockville called Green Things. They have everything! A moment or two in Brockville's downtown and then off to run a couple of errands and home.

Yesterday had us re-organising my wall of bookshelves in my studio. A little hard to get started but now I think it will be more efficient and look much better once done.

Oh, yeah. Outside of perfectly wonderful weather, we had a little of this stuff too.
Have a great weekend Everyone!