Share Your World – October 16, 2017

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…… thanks Cee for hosting Share Your World

If you had to move to a country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

I think I would move to Italy, in the hills of Tuscany or Assisi. I loved the serenity while I was there but I might miss being close to water.

What color would you like your bedroom to be?

I’ve lived with this horrible grey for so long and I agonized over what colour to replace it with. I’ve purchased a rich cream colour but the thought of having to move everything to paint over this dreary grey has held me back.

What makes you Happy? Make a list of things in your life that bring you joy.

My husband and children and granddaughter
My friends
Making Art
Taking photographs
My cottage
Talking to and visiting my sisters
Travelling with my husband
Baking for my father
Reading a good book
Listening to great music

What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

I’ve appreciated the warm temperatures that we’ve experienced this past week. October has had all kinds of weather but it’s been mostly warm. Even on overcast days I’ve been able to get out for my walks with the dog and take some great photos.

I got together with some friends last week. I think the one thing about being retired that I miss is the daily interaction with colleagues, so when I do get together with friends it’s extra special, even if it’s just to talk and do some errands together.

Every week I try to get to Hamilton to spend time with our granddaughter, Winnie, and give her mother a bit of a break. Last week she let me take her for a walk down her street after the three of us shared a treat at the local coffee shop.

I always appreciate when my husband cooks dinner, which is most of the time but last week he made pizzas from scratch, which he hasn’t done for awhile. We weren’t sure how Dad would like the fig and mozzarella pizza so he made two different pizzas. Dad loved both of them.

Seven Day Challenge – Day 2

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..I love scarves

I received this challenge from my blogging friend Cee over at Cee’s Photography

Rules are

Seven days.
Seven black and white photos of your life.
No people.
No explanation.
Challenge someone new each day.

Today I challenge Jill over at Jill’s Art Journal. If anyone wants to play, feel free to jump in and start your own Seven Day Challenge.

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Share Your World – October 9, 2017

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks Cee for hosting Share Your World

What do you consider is the most perfect food for you? (It can be your favorite food to something extremely healthy.)

My most perfect food would have to be grilled salmon and oven roasted vegetables. Not only is it healthy but it is also one of my favourite meals. For comfort food I would go with homemade macaroni and cheese but I tend to eat too much of it and any health benefits go right out the window.

Are you focused on today or tomorrow?

Since tomorrow never comes I’d have to say I tend to focus on today. That’s not to say that I don’t think about tomorrow but if I focused on it all the time I’d never get anything done.

If you could interview one of your great-great-great grandparents, who would it be (if you know their name) and what would you ask?

My great-great grandparents were born between 1828 and 1838 and died between 1908 and 1917. After more research I discovered the names of 8 great-great-great-grandparents. These were only the ancestors on my grandmother’s side. I know very little about my grandfather. These ancestors lived from 1789 to 1895.

I’m very fortunate to have photographs of my great-great-grandparents and I found one photo of my great-great-great-grandmother Karoline (nee Witte) Mewes. Karoline was born in 1814 and died 1895. The photo I have of her is with her adult son Walter Mewes (born 1840 and died 1917). It appears to have been taken when Walter was in his 30s or 40s. I’m assuming the family had money by how well they were dressed and the number of professional photos they had taken of the family. Walter was a very distinguished looking man, always with a cigar in hand. His mother, Karoline appears quite stern and dressed in somber dark clothes. She bore 6 children.

If I could interview Karoline I would ask her about her past and if she had help raising her six children. I would also ask her if she ever had any desire to have a career.

What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

This past week I appreciate being able to get six family members together to celebrate their birthdays which all take place from Oct. 2nd to Oct. 17th. The birthdays span 89 years; the oldest being my father who turned 91 and my granddaughter who is two later this week. The other birthdays include my husband, my cousin, my son-in-law and his brother.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….celebrating with a Southern flair

This year we substituted turkey and stuffing with deep fried chicken, BBQ ribs and macaroni and cheese. We started the meal with curried pumpkin soup, served in the pumpkin shell and freshly baked corn bread. Our daughter hosted the meal and because there were 14 of us we decided to share the work with a pot luck meal. I brought the soup and bread and plum cake. Gaelan and Brendan cooked the meats and the mac and cheese. Other contributions included roasted potatoes, pasta salad, coleslaw, wine and meat and cheese platters as appetizers.

As you can see from the photos our granddaughter loved the pumpkin but she loved the soup just as much. Even my Dad who normally dislikes pumpkin pie enjoyed this soup.

The recipe came from a cookbook that my friend Janice gave me as a gift last Christmas. Her church, St. Philip’s Lutheran Church, collected soup recipes from friends and members of the church and created the book It All Begins With Soup and sold the cookbook as a fundraiser. This recipe is dead simple.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 large can of pumpkin puree

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic

3 cups of chicken broth

1 Tbsp curry paste (more if you like spicy)

1/4 tsp. coriander, salt and pepper (adjust seasoning to your taste)

3/4 cup coconut milk (1/4 cup for swirls in the serving bowls)

Saute the onions and garlic in the coconut oil. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, paste and seasonings. Stir and cook until boiling. Cover and continue to boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin puree and coconut milk. Whisk until smooth. Cook for a final 5 minutes before you puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Serve warm with a swirl of coconut milk in a bowl.

if you are vegan you can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth
I doubled the recipe to serve 14 people – the bowls were small but some people had seconds
my pumpkin was way to big – the soup filled just over half the pumpkin

WPC – View From the Car Window

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….this week’s WordPress photo challenge is windows

On the way up to the cottage this weekend I decided to take photos from the front seat of my car. Seeing that my husband was driving I decided to experiment with my iPhone as we were zipping along the highway up to Georgian Bay.

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Share Your World – Sept. 25, 2017

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for more thought provoking question on Share Your World

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

I think that it would have to be walking where ever I happen to be, with or without my dog, but always with my camera or iPhone close by. Here are some photos I took on this morning’s walk.

In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?

It really depends on who’s driving and where I’m going. When I’m with my 90 year old father I’d rather be driving because he’s too distracted when there’s someone else in the car. When I’m with my husband and on a long trip I like it when he drives but I don’t mind taking turns.

If you could have three wishes granted for you alone, what would they be?

#1 – I’d like to take off my excess weight and maintain that loss (is that 2 wishes?). I’ve been on a roller coaster diet all my life. I feel much better when I’m thinner, my clothes look better on me and I want to be able to enjoy my walks and time with my granddaughter without feeling the aches and pains in my feet and joints.

#2 – I’d like to have enough money to finish some projects around the house and still be able to take at least one trip a year overseas or across the country without worrying about how the bills are going to be paid.

#3 – I’d like to have more grandchildren but I guess that’s not really up to me.

What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

These past two weeks I appreciated spending time with friends in the middle of the week. When I was working this would have been out of the question. Two Tuesdays ago I went to the AGO (art gallery) with my life-long friend, Arlene. She’s been patiently waiting for me to retire so we could do this. The show we saw was called Every. Now. Then. Reframing Nationhood. In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, it explores three urgent questions through the eyes of some of the country’s best emerging and established artists: where has Canada come from, what it is now, and where is it going?

Last Tuesday I spent the day with my daughter and granddaughter. We went to the mall together, had lunch and just hung out. I finished a hat for Winnie while I was there and apparently she didn’t take it off for two days. My daughter had to hide it from her. We’ve been experiencing a heat wave here and a wool cap is the last thing she needs on her head.

On Wednesday I drove to St. Catharines with my friend Diane to visit her father at the retirement home. We met her sister there and went for lunch at a great place close by. After that we got back in the car and drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake where we took in an afternoon show at the Old Courthouse. Walking through this town is always such a visual treat for me.

This week I was also inspired to finally reorganize my room so that I can start doing art again. Two of my friends gave me a timeline (end of September) to get my stuff sorted so that I can start putting shelves, a desk and a filing cabinet in my space. Hopefully I’ll really be able to organize my supplies and then get down to doing some serious art. At least now I’m not embarrassed when people go up to my bedroom. I can get to my bed now without stepping over stuff or having to worry about tripping on something in the dark. I’ll post photos when I have more ‘after’ shots.

Cheers!

Thursday Doors – Sept. 21, 2017

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..church doors around Lake Simcoe

Last week D and I did a road trip around the west side of Lake Simcoe to check out some old churches. Our first stop was at the Temple of Sharon. This impressive building was built by an off shoot of the Quakers, called the Children of Peace. On the the grounds were old preserved homes and barns from the 1800s.

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As we continued driving further north up Lake Simcoe we came to two beautiful little churches at Roche’s Point and Sibbald Point.

Thanks to Norm for hosting Thursday Doors.

SuperDogs and the Midway

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….more fun from the CNE

All those years at the CNE and I never once managed to find the time to see the SuperDogs show. This year my daughters and I made it a priority and we weren’t disappointed. The show is free and the stands always fill up quickly. This show is fun and not meant to be taken seriously.

The CNE would not be the same for me or my girls if we didn’t walk through the midway. We’re not big on the rides but we like to look at them. We do, however, enjoy playing some of the games. At $5.00 a pop, Whack a Mole didn’t hold our attention for too long. We each tried it once but there was always someone with faster reflexes than us. We also liked playing the water guns but seat #12 always seemed to come in first. The Birthday Games also didn’t bring us any prizes this year.

After the girls and I parted ways I couldn’t help myself and I went back to the water gun booth and sat on chair 12. Success!

Dinosaur Park and a Pioneer Garden

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….the park surrounding Dundurn Castle in Hamilton

My granddaughter loves parks and the park surrounding the castle is one of her favourites. She calls it the dinosaur park because the climber has pictures of dinosaurs on it. She’s a great climber and loves the slides and swings. She made sure that her Papa got on a swing as well.

In the far corner of the grounds at Dundurn Castle there lies a large, old fashion garden with flowers, fruit trees and vegetables. Some of the produce is used in the kitchen at the castle and the rest is donated to the city food bank. Much of the produce is true to what was grown in the 19th century. The gardeners were very knowledgeable and wonderful to talk to. I learned a great deal.

Share Your World – September 11, 2017

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..thank you Cee for bringing me back to Share Your World

Would you want $200,000 right now or $250,000 in a year? It’s safe to assume all money is tax free.

I would want the smaller amount and invest it now. Who knows where I’ll be in a year? If I’m gone at least my family can enjoy the money.

Is it more important to love or be loved?

I think they go hand in hand. If you love others chances are you’ll be loved back and if you are loved you can’t help but give back that love. Having one without the other would be very disappointing or very frustrating.

List things that represent abundance to you.

Time with loved ones

Solitary days at the cottage

Freedom to paint

Reading a good book

A beautiful garden to relax in

Good food and drink with family and friends

Exploring new destinations, short and long trips

What inspired you this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

This past week I was inspired by the opening of a new store in my neighbourhood. It’s a wool shop with a lovely sitting area where customers are encouraged to bring their knitting and sit and share their knitting experiences and challenges. I’m very excited about this new store and wish them good success. I’ve been inspired to pick up my knitting needles and I purchased some beautiful yarn for a sweater for my granddaughter. The store is called Spin Me a Yarn. Check it out.