Busy Day

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..a quick update

The day started with soccer practice at 7:40 to 8:20. After the announcements my principal and I drove across town, through rush hour to check out some used furniture and fixtures for our school. We put our names on pieces that were on the wish lists of the staff. Now we have to wait and see which pieces we’ll be gifted.

When we got back to school I ordered books and supplies that a few more staff members had requested.

Lunch

Art class to my 3/4 class. Worked through recess.

Library class and then prepared for Girls on the Run

3:00 to 4:30 – Girls on the Run. My back was still bothering me today so I didn’t run but I did walk quickly around the course. I did 4 laps for a total of 2k. We have a few girls who need a little extra motivation to keep running so I kept sneaking up on them and bellowing at them to run. It was a lot of fun and it was the most running these girls have done since we started 6 weeks ago.

5:00 drove to Costco to pick up a cake for a baby shower at school tomorrow. Also picked up some chicken and salad for tonight’s dinner.

5:45 prepared dinner and washed up dishes

6:30 drove to book club. We had our meeting at the library where the author, Nancy Richler talked about her book The Imposter Bride. More on that in my next post.

8:00 went for coffee with the girls from the book club. Really enjoyed tonight’s talk.

9:30 drove home

10:00 – checked my emails and watched So You Think You Can Dance

11:50 – should be in bed but decided to quickly post about my day

12:15 – finished this post and plan to head to bed

Good Night!

Sherwood Park

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. another gem in the heart of Toronto

We had about a 2 hour window yesterday when the sun tried to peak through the clouds and the rain, wind and hail took a break. In that time my family and I decided to take the dogs for a walk to burn off some of the calories from our wonderful Mother’s Day lunch.

My daughter and her husband live in the North York district of Toronto and are lucky enough to have numerous parks and off leash areas for walking their dog, Lucy. We decided to head over to Sherwood Park, partially because we could walk there and secondly because I’d never been there.

The park is a picturesque wooded area nestled in a ravine.

There are great trails for runners and walkers. The hills and stairs give the user an excellent workout. In the off leash areas the trails are fenced in, allowing dogs to enjoy the freedom to run to their heart’s content. We kept our eyes open for trilliums, our provincial flower. They are protected so it is illegal to pick them and another reason for the fence is to keep human feet off this sensitive ecological area. This was as close as I could get to photograph this patch of trilliums.

The total distance walked yesterday from Yonge and Blythwood Rd. to the park, up and down the hills and then back again along Sherwood Avenue was about 4.3 k. The day before I walked 4.0 k and I worked in the garden pulling weeds. The latter activity has played havoc with my back and I paid for it last night and most of today. Back pain sure makes one feel old.

Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow so that I can run with the girls at school. We’ll see. Till then, cheers!

The Best Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….despite the crazy weather

Spending time with my adult children is the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Unfortunately this year two of my three children are out of the country so having them all together was impossible. The day, however, was close to perfect.

It started with breakfast in bed, made lovingly by my husband; strawberries and yogurt, a feta and spinach omelet, bacon, toasted baguette and great coffee. Later in the morning I got a long distance phone call from my son who lives in Rotterdam. It was so nice hearing his voice and catching up on all the news in his life. I could have talked much longer but my husband and I were invited for a special lunch at our youngest daughter’s apartment.

Lunch at G’s and B’s place was relaxed and informal. We had a smorgasbord of cured meats, cheese, fresh bread, a citrus fennel salad and a rapini pesto with olives. After lunch the weather had cleared and the sun started to peak through the clouds so we decided to take the dogs, Lucy and Frances for a long walk through Sherwood Park.

My son-in-law and the girls.

The weather held out for our walk and actually started to warm up. Earlier in the day we experienced rain showers, gusty winds, cold temperatures and on the drive to the apartment we drove through a torrent of hail. When we returned to the apartment we stopped at Dufflet’s (situated just below the apartment) to pick up a couple of tarts to share and enjoy with our coffee.

On the drive home the weather changed again. The temperature dropped, the wind picked up and it rained heavily. Just before arriving home it started to hail again and people on the street were covering their faces and running to find some kind of cover.

When we arrived home I got back in my car and went shopping. I needed to buy some things for school but that particular store closed as I drove up. At that point I decided to check out Marshall’s and boy am I glad I did. I needed a new spring coat that I could wear with dresses and skirts. I found that perfect coat plus 2 skirts, a short one and a long one and 3 summer tops.

When I got home my oldest daughter ‘skyped’ me from Argentina. Like her brother it was so nice to hear her voice but also to see her face. We had a few problems with the video portion of our exchange and we had a couple of laughs when the screen froze on a silly expression or when it started to loop over and over again. My day was perfect. I had a special moment with each of my children. Thank you, all! Love you!

Me with my youngest daughter, G at her apartment.

P.S. …..and Cochran won Survivor. How perfect is that?

Signs of Summer in My Neighbourhood

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..on my evening walk with Frances

Who says you can only decorate trees at Christmas?

As we entered the park I noticed a lot of bird activity. It’s clear that there’s a lot of nesting going on. The pond has a pair of resident swans. The female was on a reedy little island in the middle of the pond, probably sitting on her eggs, while the male was enjoying a leisurely evening swim.

The shrubs and trees are almost completely green and flowering species are near the end of their blossom cycle.

One of the most obvious signs for me that summer is just around the corner is the reappearance of the boats from the yacht club back in the water.

An Artsy Couple of Days

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….pottery and children’s Mother’s Day gifts

On Thursday I went to my pottery class and was delighted to find that my pot and platter had been fired and were ready to be glazed. Deciding on which glazes to use was probably the most difficult part of the process. It’s like deciding on what colour to paint a room. So many choices.

Before I tackled the glazing I cleaned up the berry bowl I started last week and it is now ready to be fired as well. Here is a photo of it upside down. I need to make a saucer to go underneath the bowl so that the water that drains from the berries has somewhere to go other than the table it is sitting on.

As most of you know I teach 110 students art at my school. This week I had many students trying to finish up projects that they could give their moms for Mother’s Day this Sunday. Most of these projects didn’t start off as gifts for mom but as the day got closer I may have suggested that they would make terrific presents. Unfortunately not all the students were able to finish their works of art and I encouraged them to give the project as is and then bring them back and finish them next week.

Next year I’m going to have to either plan earlier for a simple project that I can start with the students and then let the teacher finish it in class or leave the gift making entirely up to the homeroom teacher. It’s too difficult to organize that many projects when you only see students once a week for an hour and twenty minutes. Someone is always away or doesn’t use their class time well and then has nothing for me to evaluate or doesn’t finish special projects that are intended to be gifts.

Here are a few of the successful projects that are making their way home for Mom this weekend.

The top two projects were made by boys in grade 3. These quilt squares were completely hand stitched and then decorated with embroidery stitches and buttons. The third project was made by a girl in grade 4. In this class the students had to design a coat of arms and then they transfered the design onto a foam plate and rolled printer’s ink onto it and transferred it onto fabric. When the ink dried they attached a piece of batting to the underside and then stitched the lines with coloured threads (embroidery floss or crochet cotton). The student for this project wanted her piece attached to a bag which we purchased from a dollar store.

Here’s another quilted square made by a girl in grade 3. She decided to frame her piece. The stitching in her piece is outstanding.

Note the tiny cross-stitich that she added on the right side.

The student who completed the following piece took everything that I taught her about pioneer quilts to heart and included fabric from some of her clothes that she had outgrown. The pink ruffled fabric is from her pyjamas and the studded fabric in the middle came from a pair of socks. She liked the idea of making a frame from twigs to give it a rustic feel and made it completely on her own after I showed her how to attach the branches with a God’s Eye pattern. I was very surprised that she pulled it off because it was quite an awkward process. The only thing I helped her with was attaching the square to the inside of her frame. What do you think? Pretty amazing for an 8 year old.

Next week I should have a few more photos of finished projects. Have a wonderful weekend. I need to get outside before it starts raining again.

Cheers!

More Awards – Thank you

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….when it rains it pours

Thank you to Across the Bored for nominating me for the following three awards:

The Versatile Blogger Award Rules:

Thank the person who gave you this award – of course!
Include a link to their blog – done!
Select and nominate for the Versatile Blogger Award 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly – see below
Finally, tell the person who nominated you (and the rest of the world) 7 things about yourself – this is always challenging

Awarding the people who live in the moment
The noble who write and capture the best in life
The bold who reminded us what really mattered
Savoring the experience of quality time

A lovely thought to carry forward and The Best Moment Award Rules are quite simple:

Re-post the badge and acknowledgement completely with an acceptance speech (either a video or written post) – done!
Pass the award on to 15 other bloggers worthy of the award – these will be the same 15 as the VBA
Notify them of the great news -the wonders of the link never cease to amaze…

And last but not least: sunshine-blog-award

The Sunshine Award Rules:

Include the award logo in your post or on your blog – of course!
Answer 10 questions about yourself (use the ones below or make up your own) – we will fudge this one a bit
Nominate 10 other wonderful bloggers – same as above
Let the other nominees know they are nominated and include links to their blog – done!
Link the person who nominated you – Across the Bored

As these awards were received as a bouquet I’m following the suggestion made by my friends over at Across the Board and am bundling the rules into a neat little package as well. Below are 7 fun facts about me, 12 questions answered and 15 blogs that I’m nominating for this wonderful trio:

Seven things that few people know about me:

1. I started painting in my late 40s.

2. I wanted to teach high school, got my first job in a middle school and now teach in a junior school.

3. For awhile I contemplated becoming a principal.

4. My favourite team sport to play is volleyball.

5. I love ballroom dancing and took lessons for 13 months.

6. I sang in a choir for 27 years.

7. I never get tired of watching Survivor.

Twelve Questions:

What is your favourite Colour? – red
What is your favourite Animal? – dogs
What is your favourite Number? – 8
What is your favourite Drink? – red wine, white wine,
What is your favourite Flower? – Gerbera and sunflowers
What is your favourite Day? – Saturdays and Christmas Eve
Who is your favourite actor? – Meryl Streep (my husband hates her)
What was your favorite vacation?– Amsterdam and Rotterdam
What is your favourite physical activity? – walking/running
What is your Passion? – Art
What is your favourite summer activity? – going to my cottage
Giving or getting presents – both!

Fifteen blogs that I’m nominating for this trio of awards:

Lakshmi Loves to Shop

Our Life in Food

Dietmar over at Flickr Comments

T.K. Morin

Jenna Mule Photography

kbvollmarblog

I know that some of my nominees may not accept accolades although they certainly deserve them. Putting together a page like this took me three days even though I followed the same format as Across the Bored. I encourage my followers to check out the blogs that I nominated and thanks again to Across the Bored for the honour. I’m truly touched and grateful for the nomination.

Cheers!

Everything is Blooming

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..except my flowering crabapple tree

Tonight I took a quick walk around my neighbourhood to get a few evening shots. At the park, 100 feet from my house, the reflection of the setting sun on the city skyline was spectacular. This is when I wish I had a better camera.As I approached the water I noticed that the swans have returned to our shoreline. Such magnificent birds. There was a bit of a wind tonight and I seemed to have trouble holding the camera still but I got at least one good shot.

On my little walk I couldn’t help but notice how the shrubs and trees have all of a sudden come to life with colourful blooms. The forsythia shrubs and magnolia trees are an explosion of yellows, whites and pink. As the cherry blossoms start to whither we are treated to new beauties to enjoy.

….and then there’s my poor tree. Of course I complain about this every year but because of the proximity to the lake our flowering crabapple tree is always the last to bloom in the neighbourhood. I’m particularly worried this year because in the fall the city came to trim our tree and ended up scalping it beyond recognition. Oh well, here’s hoping for the best.

We should know in a couple of weeks whether we will be treated with beautiful pink blossoms or not.

Cheers!

The Toronto Marathon, Cherry Blossoms and Road Closures

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….not a good day to be driving

It was another beautiful day. A great day for walking, riding your bike and other modes of transportation. With everything going on in the city, citizens were urged to not drive and to get to venues using public transportation.

My husband and I had to do a little gardening at our daughter’s house while she’s away. We know the city fairly well and we knew how to get to the house using a route that wouldn’t be as impacted by the road closures as some of the main streets. Getting there wasn’t bad but getting home was another story.

I’m not sure why we didn’t take the same route home but we didn’t. I guess we thought that the marathon would be finished but we didn’t count on the mayhem of cars trying to get into High Park to see the cherry blossoms.

Spectators were urged to not drive to High Park. The subway and the streetcar stop at the park. There are bicycle routes that go into the park. On Saturday the parking lots in the park were full by 8:00 in the morning and no one in the parks department thought to open the public washrooms that are situated throughout the park. I guess they normally don’t open until the long weekend in May. Apparently, the washrooms in the one and only restaurant in the park had huge lineups, especially for the women.

As we were driving down Parkside we couldn’t figure out why the right lane was moving so slowly. We moved over to the left lane and soon discovered that cars were lined up to get into the park. If you can see that the line isn’t moving why wouldn’t you use some common sense and change your plans?

I may not see the cherry blossoms, first hand this year but I did discover that there’s a beautiful cherry tree in our neighbourhood and on our walk this morning I took a couple of pictures.

When we finally got home I decided to do more gardening. It was too beautiful a day to spend indoors. I had already done about two hours of work in the morning, mostly cleaning the beds and pulling weeds. I worked for another two hours in the afternoon. I will probably regret it in the morning but I love the feeling of accomplishment when everything looks so clean and groomed.

I was pleased to see that my perennials are peaking through the soil. Last fall a parent at my school who works at the golf course offered a few of us some plants that she had to thin out. I loaded up the back of my car with some plants that had been cut down but the roots were still intact in a clump of soil. I planted everything in the areas of my garden that were most suitable for each plant.

Here’s my problem. As I look at the new growth coming up from the ground I realize that I have no idea what some of these plants are. I’ve forgotten what I was given. I know I have some ornamental grasses and one plant is a fern but I can’t remember what the rest are.

: Fern

: My Dahlia

: Forget-me-knot

Here are the plants I’m not sure about.

: ???????

: I think this is a grass

: This is an ornamental grass but I don’t see any new growth. It was the one plant I was really excited about.

Do any of you know what I’ve got here? Let me know if you do.

Cheers!

Dinner on the Deck

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…wearing our jackets

After our wonderful lunch today we really didn’t think we’d want dinner but after six hours had passed we were somewhat hungry so we prepared a simple cold cut, cheese and veggie platter.

It had been such a beautiful day we decided to eat on the deck. The only problem is that our deck is on the east side of the house so the sun had long disappeared from the upper portion of the deck. Nonetheless, we donned our jackets and set the little patio table and enjoyed our simple meal with the dog at our feet. When there’s food around we never have to worry about Frances running away.

How did you enjoy your Saturday? I hope it brought you joy!

Cheers!

Discovering a New Restaurant

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….enjoying a meal with my husband

My husband and I discovered a quaint little restaurant on Eglinton called the Hotel Gelato. As you can probably guess the house specialty is gelato. Today’s menu featured brunch with a variety of egg dishes, French toast, smoked salmon and salads.

I won’t lie I had the French toast made with Challah bread and blueberry preserves. It was yummy and I enjoyed every last bite. I’ll have to go for an extra long walk later today.