Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen and the alphabet... I am doing the letter "F" today. I am doing two lists... one of "F" things and "F" songs on my Ipod. As you may have noticed I love my Ipod. It is part of my life just about every single day. I am proud to share with you my songs. But first my other list of "F" things
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1. Flowers.... I love flowers... their smell, their beauty. My favorite flowers are lilacs and tiger lilies.

2. Fragrances... I have many favorite scents and fragrances. To name a few, lilacs, fresh mowed grass, cedar trees, coffee shops, bread baking.

3. Foxes... We live in a northern community and there is tons of wildlife around. We see foxes on a regular basis. They really are a beautiful animal.
4. Family... I love my family!
5. Friends.... Love all my friends!

6. Forrest Gump... The movie. Life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get.

7. Fruit... I love fruit... my favorites are oranges, red grapes and peaches... I prefer canned peaches to fresh though and I love fruit pie.

8. Firepits and fireplaces... I enjoy a fire. I love an outdoor firepit with friends around sharing time together and watching the fire. Roasting wienies and marshmallows.

9. Friday... I love Fridays.... I always have. When I was in school I looked forward to Fridays... school was done for the week and I had two days off to do as I wished. Friday nights always seemed special.

10. Fantasy.. I love the land of make believe and fantasy and fairy tales.

11. French Fries... or Freedom Fries whichever term you like.

12. Fountains... I love water fountains, especially large ones you can throw your pennies into and make a wish. I enjoy seeing fountains in gardens.

13. Falls... water falls... Niagara Falls. They are spectacular to look at and really refreshing in the heat of the summer. They are peaceful and soothing.

My "F" Ipod List
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1. Fernando by Abba

2. Fly Little White Dove Fly by The Bells

3. From a Distance by Bette Midler

4. Father Figure by George Michael

5. Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra

6. Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop/Rod Stewart

7. Fields of Gold by Sting

8. Funeral for a Friend by Elton John

9. Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk

10. For All We Know by The Carpenters

11. Free Falling by Tom Petty

12. Father and Son by Cat Stevens

13. Fanny Be Tender (With My Love) by the Bee Gees

Thanks for stopping by!

Pancakes Anyone?

Today is Shrove Tuesday or better known to some people... Pancake Tuesday. I remember as a child my Mother celebrating Shrove Tuesday by making pancakes for supper... something I remember as being decadent and exciting... the idea of having breakfast for supper. I had no idea why we were having pancakes.
The past week or so I have been reminded of the upcoming Pancake Tuesday by the media and have had it in the back of my mind to prepare pancakes for supper tonight. As soon as I am done here I am going on the hunt for a good home made pancake recipe to prepare.
I got wondering what exactly Shrove Tuesday means and what the significance of it is. I knew it had religious meaning and was tied into the crucifixion and ressurection of Jesus but I was pretty sure it wasn't because Jesus enjoyed pancakes. Here is what I found out.

Shrove Tuesday 2009 (Pancake Day)

In the UK, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day (or Pancake Tuesday to some people) because it is the one day of the year when almost everyone eats a pancake.
Pancake Day ( also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes.
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is therefore the final day before the commencement of Lent, a Christian festival leading up to Easter Sunday (Easter Day).
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between 3 February and 9 March.
The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

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Now that I know why I am eating pancakes tonight I am off to find a great recipe!

Happy Pancake Day!!!!

Fun Monday # 46... My 1st Fun Monday

This is my first Fun Monday challenge... I wanted to start participating in a photo meme and use my camera a little more so I thought this would be a good challenge to start off with.
Our hostess this week is http://www.beyondmyslab.blogspot.com/. Sorry... I am not computer savvy enough to know how to post a link using her name.
Anyway... the challenge this week is a show and tell and we are to show what our kitchen counter looks like without being fussy and tidying it up. So here is mine, folks! Enjoy.


I have to admit I am pretty anal so that is why my counters look pretty neat. They look like this most of the time, unless I am in the middle of creating a feast. I have a very small kitchen and only have two small counters. I like "stuff" as you can see.

Spam... And Not the Email Kind

For those of you who are unaware of the fact, Bruce is and has always been Spam's biggest fan, this blog is about his life long obsession with this mystery meat in a can.
Bruce has for as long as I have known him waxed poetic on the virtues of what I had always considered dog food in a can for humans.
My Father bought Spam and Klik and other similar knockoffs when my brothers and I were young and I believe he was the only one of us to actually eat it. I wonder why?
Our good friend Mike D always found it amusing that Bruce enjoyed and talked about Spam so much and so for a few Christmases he would wrap up a couple of cans for Bruce as a gag gift but little did he know that Bruce treasured those cans of Spam more than any other gift he received.

Last evening in honor of Bruce I decided to make him a Spam dinner and went in search of Spam recipes on the internet. I was amazed at how many sites there are and how many different recipes I found. I decided on a Spam stir fry which was actually easy and quick to prepare and had such a nice tang it mercifully covered up the taste of the Spam. And I found I didn't mind it at all. Shhhh... don't tell Bruce!

In these tough economic times one must do what they can to cook with a financial conscience. I expect that we will be able to avoid the food bank for many years to come as long as we continue to cook with these incredibly versatile and inexpensive staples such as Spam.

I forgot to take a picture of the meal in the pan before I served it up and instead took the photo after supper when there wasn't much left. It looked much prettier full in the pan. Here is the recipe I used........................

Cantonese Sweet and Sour Spam Recipe

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large carrot, sliced diagonally
6 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small cucumber, cut in chunks
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons catsup
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 (12 ounce) can Spam, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained
In wok or large skillet, cook oil over medium heat. Add carrot, green onion, garlic and cucumber. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisply tender (4 to 5 minutes).
Add remaining ingredients except SPAM and bamboo shoots. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened (5 to 6 minutes).
Add SPAM and bamboo shoots. Cook over medium heat until heated through (4 to 5 minutes).
Serve over rice.

I made a few changes to the recipe. I had no green onions so I used a whole onion chopped. I had no can of bamboo shoots. I added in some yellow peppers and some red cabbage. I also omitted the cucumber.

Next Spam meal I will be preparing is ..... Spambalaya!!!! Don't everybody knock down the door that night cause we ain't sharing.

Butternut Squash Soup

Bruce and I have a new favorite soup these days. We started buying President's Choice Autumn Squash soups in those small boxes at the grocery store a couple of months ago. The boxes only hold about one large or two small servings....why can't they make them bigger? But we have been enjoying them anyway. The squash soup is our favorite however we have tried the other kinds and they are pretty good also. Now to the point of this. I decided I could make my own squash soup from scratch pretty easily since I often make home made soups anyway.
I bought a large butternut squash. This is what took the most time in the preparations... peeling and dicing the squash. But other than that it is fairly easy to prepare. And it is a most delicious soup.
Here is the recipe I used...............

Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4

2 1/2 C Butternut Squash*
4 Cups of Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 Medium Onion, diced
1/2 tsp Sage or 1 Tbsp of Fresh Sage
1 tsp Thyme leaves (dried)
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbsp Butter

In a medium saucepan saute the onion over medium heat until translucent in a little butter (about 1 Tbsp). Add the Butternut Squash and cook 10-20 minutes until tender. If it starts to look like the onions are burning add 2-3 Tbsp of broth. Add sage, thyme & nutmeg and saute for 1 minute. Add remaining broth & simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool and puree in a food processor or blender (allow to cool first). Return to stove and re-heat. You can add a little cream or milk if you like.

* There are a couple of options regarding Butternut Squash. You can buy a whole squash (1 med. squash equals about 2 1/2 cups), peel it, and cube it OR you can also buy a bag of already peeled & cubed butternut squash. Another option if you can't get your little hands on a fresh squash is to buy a bag of frozen cubed squash. If you go the frozen route, just thaw it and put it into the onion mixture.

Bon Appetit!

Thursday Thirteen

It's Thursday again.... Man, do the weeks ever fly by. This week I am doing "E". Not an easy letter by any stretch of the imagination but I did manage to find 13 "E" things.

1. Earrings.... I like earrings. I don't wear earrings all the time anymore but I do when I want to feel dressed up. My favorite kind are small dangling crystal earrings. I like small gold hoops too.

2. Eucalyptus... I now love the smell of eucalyptus. Especially in candles. It has a slight medicinal smell and I never used to like it but otherwise it smells interesting and it has grown on me.

3. Eggs... I am an egg person. I love eggs for breakfast. Especially scrambled with a bit of cheddar cheese in them for flavor. Deviled eggs rock too.

4. England.... This is a place I would love to visit. Most of the ancestors on my Mother's side came over to Canada from England. There is so much history for me over there; I would love to go one day and explore all the villages and towns where they lived, the streets they walked on, and the graveyards where they are buried.

5. Easter.... I love Easter. I revere the religious aspect of Easter but I also love it because it symbolizes spring for me.

6. Evergreen Trees... I love evergreens. It is nice to see some green among all the bare deciduous trees in the winter. I love how evergreens peek out after a heavy snowfall.

7. E.T..... The movie. This was a great movie about E.T. the adorable alien and the kids who tried to hide him out in their bedroom. Drew Barrymore was so cute in this movie. It was such a feel good movie.

8. Elizabeth: The Golden Age... Another good movie which I saw over Christmas for the first time. I really enjoyed it and Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth was great as was Clive Owen who portrayed Sir Walter Raleigh. It was based on events during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

9. Early Morning Rain... song by Gordon Lightfoot... love it.

10. Elves... They are a creature of Germanic mythology according to Wikipedia. They have been portrayed to be long-lived or immortal and as beings of magical powers. They were featured in many of my most loved stories and fairy tales as a child.

11. E-Mail... My link to the world. Without it I would be lost.

12. Eagles... The bird and the band. Eagles are such a majestic bird. They are a fascinating, larger than life bird. I also love the musical Eagles. I have been a fan of theirs for most of my life.

13. Economy.... Not really a fan right now since we are in such a global economic slump and when times are good the economy is something we mostly take for granted. I look forward to when times improve and we can resume living our lives without fear for our future.
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I am going to list again the last 13 songs I listened to on my Ipod because I find it fun to do.

1. A Lot of Love by Nicolette Larsen

2. I Need a Hero by Bonnie Tyler

3. Sacrifice by Sinead O'Connor... love this version

4. First of May by the Bee Gees

5. Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg

6. Sweet City Woman by the Stampeders

7. Always Something There to Remind Me by Naked Eyes

8. The Lion Sleeps Tonight by the Tokens

9. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses by U2

10. Avenue A by Tom Cochrane and Red Rider

11. Hooked on a Feeling by B J Thomas

12. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John

13. Sing by Theo Tams (2008 Canadian Idol)

It's That Time Again...Thursday Thirteen

Here we are back to Thursday again... wow, did the week ever go by fast. Just to refresh your memory, I am doing the alphabet and am at "D" this week. Here are some of my favorite "D" things..................................................


Decorating.... I love to decorate my home. I am always visiting decorating sites and other blogs where decorating is featured, decorating shows etc... I am always trying new ideas in my home and it really gives me pleasure.
Ducks... I love ducks swimming on the water. Mallards are a particularly pretty breed. I love wildlife photos and especially duck photos, framed and hanging on a wall.
The Dragonfly... one of my favorite restaurants in this area. Really interesting decor and a great menu... we have always enjoyed our visits there. We are going there for Valentines Day.
Dillweed... the spice. Love the smell and the taste. Where we used to live in Alberta we were driving somewhere and this overwhelming smell of dill enveloped us. We came upon a huge
field full of dill. The smell was intoxicating.
Diamonds... a girl's best friend!
Desserts.... what a great way to end a meal.
Danielle Steel... one of my favorite authors. I love to lose myself in one of her romances whenever I need an escape.
Dances With Wolves... I love this movie. I love Kevin Costner in it... what a hottie!
Daisies.... Aren't they a beautiful and friendly flower? I just love a field full of daisies and other wildflowers.
Dollar Store... I love to shop at the dollar store. You can always find lots of things you need for around the house and I love paying so much less than anywhere else.
Desperate Housewives.... One of my favorite shows. Those ladies on Wisteria Lane are a hoot.
December.... I love this month and how it is filled with everything Christmas.
Lastly but definitely not least... Dogs.... I love dogs. I have had some really great dogs in my life. I currently do not have a dog but I am sure I will not be able to live without one for too much longer.

I had so many other D things that I love it was difficult to choose only thirteen. See ya next week and thanks for visiting!

Unbridled Beauty

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

By Request

One of my new blogger friends, Barb, requested that I post my photos of a mosaic table top I crafted a few years ago. I decided to add in photos of a few of my other projects. I have not done any crafts since we moved to Elliot Lake but I would like to get back into it again. So here they are Barb... I hope you enjoy them and thank you for your interest!
The above is an angel I made at a ladies group in Redcliff, Alberta one Christmastime.
The next two projects were plain wooden trays I bought at Michaels Craft Store in Medicine Hat. The top one I spray painted black and the bottom one I stained. Then I glued broken floor tiles which I had first smashed with a hammer and pieced together into the tray in a random pattern. After the pieces had sufficiently dried I grouted over top which is simply applying grout compound and using a trowel smoothing the grout until it had evenly covered in between the tiles. After that dried, using a wet cloth, I polished the tiles, removing the excess grout. Lastly a few coatings of a form of shellac is applied to harden the grout and to give a bit of a shiny appearance to the tiles.
I made several trays as Christmas presents in 2005. Money was a bit tight that year and I needed a project to do to keep my mind occupied. It was a perfect diversion at that time. The stained tray I kept for myself.
The above is my mosaic table top... I used one of those wooden plant stands and in this case the table top screwed off which was perfect for me to be able to work with it. Using the same technique as the trays, this is how it turned out. It now sits in my living room.

The above is my dragonfly stepping stone. This was a fun project. First you mix the cement for the stone and place the mixture into a form which was supplied in the kit. Once you have the mixture placed and smoothed out satisfactorily you start placing the polished stones into whatever pattern you desire with the center being the dragonfly. After finishing placing the stones I cleaned them off with a wet cloth and then allowed the project to dry and harden for a few days. Once hardened you remove from the mold and voila... you have a perfect stepping stone.

The picture above was and is my best work and Bruce's favorite. I started with a wood square piece which is divided into nine squares. I spray painted the wood blue. Once dried I used a page from an old Thomas Kinkaid calendar. I decoupaged the page onto the wood piece and made sure it was nice and smooth with no bubbles.
Once placed and smoothed to my satisfaction I used an exacto knife to trim around each square so that the photo was now divided into nine separate pieces. And to finish a very hard shellac was prepared and poured onto the picture and sat in place until hardened. It has an almost plastic surface to it. And it sits in a brass photo stand on my dining room buffet.



I must make mention of the fact that most of these crafts were done with my very dear friend Connie. Not having ever really done any crafts I was so happy to have her around to guide me and we had so much fun shopping for, planning and making these crafts together. Had she not moved away to the Calgary area we would have likely made many more crafts together. I miss Connie and our times shared being creative.

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Things I Love Beginning With The Letter "C"

Hi All.....
Today I have decided to do two lists. I am continuing on with my alphabet theme but am also going to do another theme.... the last 13 songs I listened to on my IPod. But first my "C" list.....

1. Corn on the Cob---- so yummy dripping with butter
2. Cloud Formations----I love to see different cloud formations in the sky. Great for photographing
3. Coffee----the best cup is the first one of the day which I wish was never ending
4. Carrot Cake----So decadent--- I make a pretty good home made version my Hubby loves
5. Chocolate---- What woman doesn't love chocolate
6. Christmas---- I love the idea of an old fashioned Christmas and the decorations and the food and getting together with family and friends
7. Clocks--- I love clocks, the way they add to different types of decor, I love the gentle tick tock which I find very relaxing when there is no other sound in the room. I have a gorgeous mantle clock that I just love which was a birthday gift from hubby one year
8. Computer---- I love my computer because it keeps me in touch with the rest of the world; I would be lost without it
9. Candles--- Oh my, I have a real love for candles and have so many I could open my own candle shop. Don't you just love the soft glow of candles?
10. Crab Cakes
11. Cereals--Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Cream of Wheat and so on.....
12. Cooking--- I love to cook when I have lots of time and can be creative, I love trying out new
recipes and love cooking for my family and friends.
13. Crafts---- I never used to be a crafty person but became interested in crafts just a few years ago. I have made a few things... I made a lovely picture which sits on my buffet, I made a mosaic table which is sitting proudly in my living room. I have surprised myself with what I can do.

The general theme of the "C" blog would be "Creativity".

Now... on to my list of the last 13 songs I listened to on my IPod.......
1. Might As Well Be On Mars...The Pukka Orchestra... from the 80s.
2. One---U2... the live version which is great
3. Have I told You Lately... Rod Stewart
4. Love is Coming... A Foot in Cold Water... Canadian band from the 70s
5. Strange Animal... Gowan... another Canadian band from the 80s
6. Cruel to Be Kind... Nick Lowe... 80s song
7. Beautiful Goodbye... Amanda Marshall... Canadian artist
8. Rain, the Park & Other Things...the Cowsills
9. Last Night I Didn't Get to Sleep at All... the 5th Dimension
10. With You I'm Born Again... Billy Preston & Syreeta
11. Still You Turn Me On... Emerson, Lake and Palmer
12. Little Sparrow... Dolly Parton
13. Mary Did You Know... Kalan Porter version... Canadian Idol a few years ago

And that does it for another week. Hope you find my lists interesting.
Happy 13!

Longing for Spring

I have been feeling so blah lately... no ambition... short on ideas for my blogging. I am hoping it is just a momentary creative slump brought on by this very long winter. As you know yesterday was groundhog day and the two groundhogs that have been predicting spring for as long as I can remember... Punxsutawney Phil and Wiarton Willie, both saw their shadows and therefore that means we have six more weeks of winter left to enjoy. Except in our case up here in the frozen north, where we have eight to twelve more weeks of winter since that is pretty much the norm for here.
Nah... I am not bitter. Just bitterly cold!
Seriously, I am feeling quite cooped up and very tired and listless these days. We have been fortunate though to not have had any more major snowfall, since we were heavily hit in December with 59 inches of the white stuff and I don't mean cotton balls. Although we have remained snowless, we have been experiencing quite a few cold days but with that comes the sunshine and that definitely helps my mood. But still I am anxious for spring to arrive. To see the snow melt away and the grass begin to green up, the leaves on the trees begin to sprout, and all the lovely spring flowers poke their graceful heads out from beneath the cold and damp ground.... what a delicious dream.
I have already noticed the days getting longer. It is still fairly light at 5:00 now and even a little lighter at 6:00 than it was a month ago. That in itself gives me hope, although it makes me even more impatient for spring to arrive.
I have not been doing much this winter. As I mentioned I am feeling at loose ends. I should be doing something productive instead of hibernating but I can't seem to bring myself to do much of anything. I did get the house cleaned up and organized after Christmas and I am presently scanning some of my Mom's old photos from three of her photo albums which I "borrowed" to bring home and work on. I am saving the photos on my computer and will be organizing them soon and then hope to make back up CDs to store the photos. If anyone in the family is interested in copies I can email them.
Oh and I almost forgot....... the 1911 british census came online a few weeks ago and so I had fun perusing that which I intend on getting back to one day and see if I can come up with any more ancestors who were alive at that time.

Well.. that is my update for now. I hope to begin to feel more like blogging very soon and can come up with some interesting posts. I am also hoping to get more creative and start photographing more instead of looking for internet photos. By the way, these photos were all taken by local photographers here in Elliot Lake and they are posted on our local website... Elliot Lake Online. Once spring finally arrives I will be getting outdoors with my camera and try to capture springtime in all it's wonderful glory!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you will return on Thursday for another edition of "Thursday Thirteen". I will be doing a list of my favorite "C" things.

Ta Ta for now!