Humber Bay Farmers’ Market

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….we started our day with a bike ride to a new farmers’ market in the neighbourhood

The Humber Bay Farmers’ Market is in its second year but it’s new to me. It’s been an absolutely perfect day, weather wise today. Both my husband and I got on our bikes with our panniers strapped to the back fenders. We headed east along Lakeshore Blvd and then turned south on Norris Cres towards the Lake. From there we transitioned from the road to beautifully paved bike and walking paths that followed the shores of Lake Ontario.

http://www.strava.com/activities/147643960

The Farmers’ Market itself was situated in one of the parking lots in Humber Bay Park. It’s only the second week that the market has been opened for business but there was a good number of vendors there selling a variety of wares, including fresh breads, cheeses, teas, coffees, flowers, plants, meats, cookies, and of course fruits and vegetables.

Soccer Finals, Future Aces Assembly and Jump Rope for Heart

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..all on the same day

To say it was a busy day is an understatement. Our soccer games for the West End Conference Finals were moved up to today because of a scheduling conflict within the organization. At school we had already booked our assembly and Jump Rope activity for the same day.

At first I was a bit upset because I’m also the coordinator for the Jump Rope for Heart activity and one of the soccer coaches. Luckily my principal is very generous and understanding and she suggested that I go with the girls in the morning for soccer and return in the afternoon for Jump Rope. If the girls moved on after their first game my colleague and the second coach would stay with the girls.

As it turned out the girls did win their first game. They begged me to stay for the next game so I agreed to stay for the first half but then I really did have to leave. When I walked toward the car during the second half the girls were ahead by one point but as I drove away I saw that the other team scored. I knew that if they lost this game they would be back at school within the hour.

When I got back to school I watched part of the assembly and at the end of it I took the photo of all of the Future Aces winners. Then I set up the tent for the music equipment and the prizes that I had for the skippers. As soon as the children came out for recess we started skipping and continued for a good hour. Teachers chose students who were working extra hard and sent them to me for a prize. Some of the older students performed their favourite songs with the microphone and near the end of the hour we had a jump off where specially selected students jumped for a short period of time while teachers and student helpers counted how many times they turned their ropes. We had 3 different age categories to make it more fair. All in all it was a great event.

…..and guess what? The soccer team didn’t return within the hour. In fact when they did return they ran over to me and declared that they had won all their games and were going to the city finals in two weeks. Yeah!

Two Down and One Big One to Go

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..paintings that is

Today the grade 5 students in my art class managed to finish painting all the circles and background of their art project for the silent auction. After school I started putting a second coat on some of the areas that needed it. Tomorrow I’ll pull a few more students out of class to go over the background one more time and then I’ll redraw the black lines around and inside the circles.

The two canvases that the one grade three class designed and painted had the finishing touch ups done today. Tomorrow I’ll have all the students sign the back of the canvases and they will be good to go. The first one actually has a grey background. I’m not sure why the colour looks so beige.

Writing Lists – Jobs I’ve had since I was 10

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Mama Cormier

… Anna Fonté challenges you to write a list that transcends its orderly or numbered format

I’ve always had a job as long as I can remember. I remember my first paying job was to babysit my neighbours disabled daughter for an hour or so when I was just eight years old.

1. Babysitting

2. Paper route

3. Cashier in my parents’ milk store

4. Working in Woolworths keeping shelves tidy

5. Sales clerk in my parents’ fabric store

6. Embossing metal address plates at Pitney Bowes

7. Factory worker – vacuum packing perfume samples

8. Cashier at Dominion

9. Waitress

10. Assembly line at Mattell Toy Co. making Barbie tents

11. Chamber maid at a small hotel in Germany

12. Office clerk at Ontario Produce

13. Family Studies Teacher

14. Delivering Flowers

15. Selling Regal products

16. Selling and demonstrating needlecraft kits

17. Doing house parties for a line of clothing

18. Colour consultant and make-up artist

19. Making and selling crafts at local craft shows

20. Guidance counsellor

21. On a writing panel creating an educational document

22. Census taker for election lists

23. Delivering flyers

24. Teaching knitting classes at the community school

25. Chairperson and grade 5 homeroom teacher

26. Librarian and art teacher

All these jobs were paid positions. I’m sure I’ve missed one or two along the way. As I head towards retirement I’m already thinking about my next career.

For more tips on writing lists check out The Daily Post Writing Challenge – List Lesson

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Water

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….. rain, puddles, rivers, lakes, ocean, sea

For more fun photos of water, check out Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge.

Share Your World – 2014 Week 21

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….these are the toughest questions yet

If you could make a 15 second speech to the entire world, what would you say?

This is the only world we have. Love it, look after it and keep it safe for the next generation. Love yourself and your fellow man. Be generous with your time and share your knowledge to create a better world. Use your words to solve problems, not weapons. There is no place for hate in this world. Be kind.

If you could take a photograph, paint a picture or write a story of any place in the world, what and where would it be?

I have no idea. There are so many great photographers and travel writers and subsequent photographs and stories of magnificent places in the world that the work has already been done for me. Maybe a better question would be what would I like to see first hand. Even this question is difficult for me because there is so much I haven’t seen. Off the top of my head I’d like to see Machu Picchu, the Pyramids of Giza, the Coliseum in Rome, Stonehenge and the canals of Venice.

If you had to spend one weekend alone in a single store but could remove nothing, which store would you pick?

I thought this question would be fun to answer and then I read that I couldn’t remove anything. Does that include gourmet goodies and bakery delights. I am spending the weekend there after all and one does need to eat. Seeing that I have to sleep there I’m thinking about a department store that sells beds, comfy chairs so that I can curl up and read and exercise equipment so that I can get in a bit of a workout.

I would want to try on shoes to my heart’s content and pull designer clothes from the racks to see if they suit me and are comfortable to wear. Of course I would return everything to its rightful place and leave everything no worse for wear. In Canada I would choose Holt Renfrew and in the U.S., Saks Fifth Avenue.

If you were given a boat or yacht today, what would you name it? (You can always sell the yacht later)

Owning a boat is not high on my priority list so I haven’t given much thought to naming one. How about ‘Get Me Home Safely’ or ‘Slow and Steady Wins the Race’. As you can see I’m a bit of a nervous Nelly when it comes to riding in a boat, especially at high speeds. I’ve always been amazed at how much time and money it takes just to get a boat onto the water and then again when one returns (more fuel, repairs, docking fees, on going maintenance, etc.). Maybe a good name would be ‘This is Where My Money Goes’ or ‘Four Hours of Prep for One Hour of Enjoyment’. To all boat lovers I apologize for my sarcastic response.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that the girls won all four of their games at the soccer tournament last week. I’m also grateful that the weather was so warm this weekend that the flowers actually started to bloom and I was able to really clean up the front garden.

I’m really pleased that my rhododendron survived the winter and blessed us with some blooms this spring. My Dad’s aren’t nearly as bountiful.

This week I’m looking forward to finishing up the art projects for the silent auction. It’s being held this Saturday at the Fun Fair. Also Jump Rope for Heart is this Friday and so is the playoffs for Girls’ Soccer. It’s going to be a busy week.

For more great posts of Share Your World check out Cee’s Photography.

Sunday Trees – 132

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….I love birch trees, especially the bark

For more Sunday Trees check out Becca Givens site.

Reading, Playing My Uke, Gardening and Partying

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….the only thing missing is painting

What a perfect day. I woke up early and started reading the book The Silent Wife. After a couple of chapters I made myself a cup of coffee and then started practising Somewhere Over the Rainbow on my ukulele. I’m hoping I can play it well enough to accompany the kindergarten class at this years school concert at the end of June. I then made myself an omelet and prepared fresh berries for breakfast.

My husband wanted to start planting in his new raised bed but we decided that it needed more soil and it needed to be sectioned off with string. So I made a quick trip to the dollar store for twine and the nursery for more soil. When I returned home I found that the front lawn had been mowed but now I could see where the dandelions were starting to expose their yellow heads. I donned my gardening gloves and pulled the weeds from the flower beds and the dandelions from the lawn. Then I took my trimming shears and trimmed away the long grass around the tree, at the edges of the flower beds, sidewalk and driveway and around the telephone pole…..all the areas that were missed by the lawn mower.

It took me hours but it felt good to get out in the sun and fresh air and the yard looked so lovely and groomed. It was almost 3:00 before I finished and I had a party to attend at 4:00. I quickly showered, washed my hair, blew it dry and dressed for the afternoon birthday celebration.

It was a perfect day for a backyard get together. It was warm enough for people to sit outside and I got to meet M’s sisters and friends. M was celebrating her 70th birthday. She looked stunning and her son did a fantastic job organizing the entire affair. His friends did all the serving and bar tending. A great time was had by all.

The day’s not over yet, Maybe I’ll get a little painting in as well.

Cheers!

Time for a Trip to the Toronto Islands

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..with the temperatures going into summer mode this weekend, there’s no better time

If you haven’t headed up to the cottage this weekend and need a little get away trip, make your way to the ferry docks this weekend.

I would avoid Centre Island, unless you have children and need the amusement park for entertainment. Ward’s Island is a great alternative. It is a residential community where people own their homes but not the land and it’s the largest urban area in North America that has no motorized vehicles other than a few service vans. Most of the homes are tiny and on small lots. It looks very much like a cottage community.

My daughter’s mother-in-law was lucky enough to rent a house for a couple of months when she came back to the city before moving on to her next foreign adventure. On the Mother’s Day weekend we were all invited to her place for a meal. It had always been a dream of hers to own her own house on the island and every year for a number of years she paid a fee to enter a lottery when homes became available for sale. Needless to say she was never chosen so being able to rent for awhile was the next best option.

While we were there we took a walk and enjoyed looking at all the cute homes and emerging gardens. As we continued north we ended on a beach and even though it was still chilly that weekend there were quite a few people walking along the beach and some were sitting on the sand and enjoying a small picnic.

Our hostess loved living on the island. She was there in the middle of the winter and then again in April and May. Her only source of heating was a gas fire place in the shape of an old fashioned wood burning stove. She was toasty and warm all winter and she loved the solitude and quiet of her neighbourhood. The ferry runs every hour and residents can buy a monthly pass so if they have to make more than one run a day to the mainland it doesn’t cost them an arm and a leg. Most of the time if you’ve forgotten to buy something or have run out of something there’s a web bulletin board and your neighbours come to your aid if they have what you need.

Update on the Paintings for the Silent Auction

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..one is almost finished and the other is just started

It’s been a busy couple of weeks. Assemblies, trips to feeder schools, soccer tournaments, field trips and a school council meeting. The grade 3s abstract painting is undergoing a second coat and will be finished by the end of the week. The grade 5 project has been delayed because the class missed art one week and this week I was at the soccer tournament with the grade 4/5 girls (we won by the way) when the same class had art. When I saw the class in their library period last week I told them I was taking inspiration from previous projects they had done and applying some of their designs onto our massive set of canvases.

Today some of the students asked if they could help start the project after school. I had painted up a rough copy of what the project might look like and most of the class liked what they saw. We agreed to keep the background one colour and I’ll conference with a small group to decide on the other colours. One of the girls from the class was able to stay for quite awhile and together we drew the design onto the canvases and I started painting the background.

Hopefully I’ll be able to take a small group at a time out of class to work on the project. Ideally I’d like every student to paint a portion of the project. If you can’t tell from the photo the entire piece is quite large. There are four canvases measuring about six feet in length.

I also introduced a new project to my grade 3 art classes today. Carla Sonheim gives a free tutorial on how to paint crazy flowers using watercolours, gesso and pencil. It’s a fun project and very textural.