Share Your World 2015 – Week 6

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Mama Cormier

What was the last time you went to a new place? Two weeks ago, after my husbands post op appointment with his endocrinologist we treated ourselves to a dinner at a restaurant that I had never been to before. It was a BBQ place called Barque’s in the west end of Toronto. Delicious!

If you were or are a writer do you prefer writing short stories, poems or novels, other? And what type of genre would you prefer?

I guess as bloggers we are all writers but I prefer to write short stories and free verse poetry. I’ve often toyed with the idea of writing and illustrating children’s picture books.

Out of your five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, hearing) which is your favorite? As an artist and photographer I’d have to say that sight is my favourite sense. I wouldn’t be able to produce the following pieces without my sight.

If 100 people your age were chosen at random, how many do you think you’d find leading a more satisfying life than yours?

Based on the people I know who are my age I’d say that there would probably be 20 people who might lead a more satisfying life than mine. I think I’m better off than most people my age but I wouldn’t be so cocky as to believe that no one has a better or more satisfying life than mine.

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

A few days ago my husband was in a bicycle accident and I’m grateful that his injuries weren’t more serious and that he didn’t suffer a concussion. He looks bad like he was in a bar brawl or street fight but he’ll heal and be as good as new in a couple of weeks.

I’m looking forward to a long weekend. We have parent teacher interviews Thursday evening and Friday morning. I’m off Friday afternoon and on Monday we celebrate Family Day in Ontario. We’re planning on going to Chinatown and partaking in some dim sum. Maybe we’ll even go to the art gallery which is just down the street from the restaurant.

It’s suppose to be very cold this weekend so it’ll probably be a good weekend to make art and snuggle up with a good book.

A New Cooking Blog – The Tiniest Test Kitchen

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….my youngest daughter has gone back to her first love

Forgive me, as I take a moment to gush over my daughter’s new blog. After high school she studied to become a chef. Three years later, she decided that she really didn’t want a career in a professional kitchen. Luckily her love of food and food preparation wasn’t totally extinguished. Four years later after graduating with a degree in photography she met her husband. He too was a foodie and their common interest in cooking and photography was literally a match made in heaven. Two years later they became engaged to be married and G started her first blog. A wedding blog.

To make a long story short, they were married a year later and the blog was rated as one of the top ten wedding blogs in Canada. Unfortunately it was difficult making a living from the blog alone so she gave it up and worked on editing other people’s blogs.

After taking a long hard look at what she really loved she has decided to return to food and created a food and recipe testing kitchen. This is where her new blog comes into play. She is producing about one recipe a week. So far I can vouch for every recipe. They are all delicious. I hope you take a minute to visit her site. She has added a subscription button so you can be notified whenever she posts a new recipe.

Enjoy!

The Tiniest Test Kitchen

A Word a Week Photograph Challenge – Pots

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks to Sue Llewellyn for this week’s word ‘pots’

One of my favourite photographs is of my husband standing on a ladder to stir down the tomato sauce that we were preparing for canning. The pot is huge and he couldn’t see over the top of it without elevating himself above the rim of the the pot.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 2

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for 4 more great questions

Are you a hugger or a non-hugger?

I don’t come from a family of huggers but I’ve learned to hug over the years. I actually enjoy hugging family and friends but I’m a little put off by strangers who want to hug you. I’ve also become more careful as to whom and when I hug, especially students. Most children love to hug and usually initiate the action but over the years I’ve noticed that some just aren’t comfortable hugging and I have to respect their personal space. Unfortunately for male teachers it’s more risky to hug students and most of my male colleagues are very careful about any type of physical interaction with students

What’s your favorite ice-cream flavor?

I love all flavours of ice-cream but If I have to choose I’d say cinnamon or coffee flavoured ice-cream.

Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?

I love a bit of both but lately I think I do more exercising of the mind. I play scrabble daily and love the puzzles in the newspaper, especially Sudoko. When the weather isn’t too cold I love to walk and I do enjoy restorative Yoga.

Are you more of a dog person or a cat person? Why?

I’ve owned both cats and dogs but I am definitely more of a dog person. We currently own a dog named Frances and in the past we owned two Golden Retrievers for 23 years (back to back, not at the same time). I’m not sure why but all our dogs are and were females. As much as we loved our cat, the dogs were always more active and demanding of our time. For many people that would be a reason to prefer cats but the dogs get us out and walking and enjoying our surroundings. They also bring neighbours together. We may not know everybody’s name but they all know the dog’s name.

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 my husband’s surgery is over with and that it went well. He’s home now and is recovering quickly.

This week I’m looking forward to going back to work and do more of my art assignments for Year of the Spark. So far I’ve only done a few of my one-line drawings and I’m anxious to elaborate on some of them.

Share Your World – 2015 – Week 1

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..wow a new year of Share Your World with Cee

How do you get rid of pesky phone calls from telemarketers?

If I hear dead air for a second or two after I say Hello I know it’s a telemarketer and I hang up. Simple!

What are you a “natural” at doing?

I don’t know if anyone is a natural at anything. I know that people might think I’m a natural when it comes to art or public speaking but it wasn’t always that way. I had to work at it to gain confidence and even now I still have doubts about my abilities but I am always willing to try new things and take some risks.

How often do you get a haircut?

When my hair is short I try to get it cut every 6 to 8 weeks. When it’s longer it might be every two to three months.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “fun”?

Fun for me is creating art and being around friends.

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

Last week I was grateful for having my entire family home for Christmas and having everyone together to celebrate B and G’s birthday. I also loved visiting and spending time with friends.

This week I’m looking forward to some quiet time with my husband before he has to go back for more surgery on his thyroid next Monday. I’m also looking forward to starting a new on-line year long art class with Carla Sonheim and Lynn Whipple called Year of the Spark.

I can’t upload my Year of the Spark poster that I made. How frustrating!

Share Your World (2014) – Week 51

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….thank you Cee for another week of great questions….will there be a week 52 or do we start with week 1?

Would you prefer snowy winters, or not, and why?

I’d like something in the middle. A little snow (maybe one good blizzard) and when there’s no snow I’d like mild temperatures. We had a lot of snow back in November but for the most part by the time December rolled around most of it had disappeared and we ended up with a green Christmas. Today is Dec. 31st and we still don’t have any snow but it’s become bitterly cold. I like to walk but when the wind blows and the temperature drops it makes for a bone chilling experience. What a difference from last year!

So, you’re on your way out and it’s raining. Do you know where your umbrella is or do you frantically search for it all over your apartment/house?

Rain? The umbrella is always in the car. A lot of good it does me when I have to run through the parking lot at school in the pouring rain to get to my car.

Do you prefer your food separated or mixed together?

I like both but when it’s separated I’m not one of those people who can’t stand to have the different foods touching. That’s just weird. Sorry to those people who feel that way. I also love casseroles, soups and stews. When I need comfort food the latter mentioned meals hit the spot.

…..filled with lamb and a side of fesenjoon (ground walnuts with chicken)

What is set as the background on your computer?

On my computer my background is a photo of the city of Toronto that I took from the park west of the city. This is what I see every day when I walk to the park with Frances.

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 for having my entire family home for Christmas and being able to spend another Christmas with my Dad.

This week we celebrated the birthday of my twins and I am looking forward to going to my friends 60th birthday levi on Thursday and bringing the family together one last time on Saturday before my son and his fiancé fly back to London, England.

Happy New Year, everyone. All the best in 2015!

Birthday, Brunch, Books and Best Buys

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..Dec.30 is the birthday of my twins, G and B

Today we celebrated a birthday. Thirty-three years ago I gave birth to two healthy children, a girl and a boy. We celebrated at G’s place where she treated us to a wonderful brunch of homemade bread, homemade ricotta cheese, jams, honey, coffee, fresh fruit salad, kale and goat cheese frittata and a delicious green salad. Everyone contributed to the meal but the bulk of the work was prepared by G.

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Gifts were exchanged earlier in the day and then again at the brunch. Our son loves books and our daughter collects cookbooks. Yesterday G ordered B a very special cookbook that he had expressed an interest in and surprisingly it was delivered while we were there. Now that’s service!

After brunch we (our oldest daughter, our son and his fiancé) drove north on Yonge St. and stopped at Super Khorak to purchase some special food items for dinner. Our future daughter-in-law is Iranian and we wanted to purchase some authentic Iranian food. My son and my husband literally cleaned their bowls and the food containers with the flat Iranian bread that we bought. There wasn’t a morsel of food left over. It was definitely a ‘best buy’ today.

New Flower, Dec. 30, 2014 – Red Rose

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….Happy Birthday to my lovely twins….I can’t believe my babies are 33 years old

Share Your World 2014 – Week 50

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Dawn over at Lingering Visions for coming up with this week’s questions and to Cee for hosting Share Your World

Do you have a signature dish? If not is their one in your family?

My signature dish changes every couple of years. Right now I’d have to say that my go to dish is a Kale, Pomegranate, Walnut and Feta Cheese salad. The recipe calls for wild rice as well but I change it up with Israeli couscous or faro and if I don’t have walnuts I might add another variety of nut.

Do you have a favorite board game?

I think my favourite classic board game is Scrabble and my favourite new game is Ticket to Ride.

Is there a household chore that you enjoy?

I’d have to say No! But wait I don’t hate all chores. I enjoy baking and some cooking and I don’t mind doing laundry.

What is one thing you will never care about?

One thing I will never care about is hockey or American football. These two sports just leave me cold. Too much fighting and physical contact for my liking.

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

Last week I’m grateful for two very different Christmas parties that I attended. The first one was the staff party and it was good to see so many from the staff turn out. It was fun and festive and it looked like everyone was having a lot of fun. The second party took place on Saturday and it was a very quiet affair with just a few good friends. Every year now my good friend L has the same group over for dinner. it was so relaxing and the food was outstanding. With her mom and daughter joining us there were seven of us around the table….the perfect size for good conversation.

This week I’m looking forward to Christmas and time spent with family and close friends. My son and his fiancé are arriving from London, England on Christmas Eve. Our big celebration is on the 24th and then we also do a Christmas dinner on the 25th. Boxing Day will be a day of rest and then the day after we will pack up two cars and all of my family will drive to Oshawa to visit with my Dad and G.

Wishing all my blogging followers a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukka. Be safe and enjoy your family and friends during this festive season.

Share Your World 2014 – Week 49

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..toys, candy, drinks and cash….I’m detecting a Christmas theme here

What is your preferred hot drink: coffee, tea, water, hot chocolate, or other?

I’d have to say that coffee is my preferred hot drink. I like it strong and with real cream. As a child I would have said hot chocolate and then I drank tea for years before moving on to coffee in my 30s.

What was your favorite toy as a child . . . and now?

As a child I remember playing with dolls and I loved ‘paint with numbers’. I also liked board games. Today my favourite ‘toy’ is my camera but I still love to paint and play board games.

Candy factories of the entire world have become one and will now be making only one kind of candy. Which kind, if you were calling the shots?

I’m not a huge candy fan but I do like chocolate covered peanut M & Ms. If that doesn’t count as candy my next cholce is Licorice Allsorts. Funny because I don’t like plain licorice.

Image courtesy of: http://www.brendanjack.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/licorice-allsorts.jpeg

Would you want $100,000 right now or $120,000 in a year (tax Free)?

I think I’d like the $120 000 over a year. An extra $10 000 a month over 12 months would be something to look forward to and I couldn’t spend it all in one go if I took a lump sum.

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

Last week I attended a couple of Christmas parties with friends and neighbours. I’m also grateful for a very successful United Way Silent Auction. The staff really pulled together and we raised the most money ever in all the years that I’ve organized this event. It was a lot of fun and people really got into the spirit of it this year. Today I took the girls’ basketball team to the west conference finals. We won the first game and moved onto the next level. Unfortunately we were beaten in the next game but I was really proud of how well the girls played.

This week I’m looking forward to two more Christmas parties and the beginning of a two week Christmas break.

Share Your World with us and join the fun.