First Breakfast at the Cottage

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…June 30, 2025

I arrived at my cottage for the first time this season. Knowing we were going to be in London for a month I hired two young men (friends of the family) to go to the cottage and open it up, tidy, sweep, wipe down counters and set up the deck furniture and build me a railing for the deck. It was the best money I ever spent.

When I arrived I only had to make up my bed, cover the couches, start the fridge and put away the food. Today I will do a deeper clean of the cupboards and give all the dishes a quick wash.

This morning I made my first thermos of filter coffee and prepared oatmeal with fresh Ontario strawberries, drizzled with wildflower honey, cream and cinnamon. Yum!

Judy’s Numbers Game Photo Challenge

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Judy Dykstra-Brown for hosting the Numbers Game https://judydykstrabrown.com/2025/04/27/the-numbers-game-70-apr-28-2025-come-play-along/

This weeks number is 191.

Looking Back With Judy’s Photo Challenge

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Judy Dykstra-Brown for hosting the Numbers Game https://judydykstrabrown.com/2025/02/10/the-numbers-game-60-feb-10-2025-come-play-along

This week’s number is 181. Type it into your photo search box and see what old photos show up.

Wordless Wednesday – February 5, 2025

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Mama Cormier

The Bread is Better Than Ever

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Debbie for hosting Six Word Saturday https://travelwithintent.com/2024/06/08/old-radar-station-now-strikingly-decorated/?blogid=45569860&blogsub=subscribed#subscribe-blog

The premise is simple….come up with a title for a post using only six words.

For over a year now we’ve been back to bread baking at Montgomery’s Inn. It’s all run by volunteers. On Thursday three of us go in and warm up the outdoor oven for the next day’s bake and prepare four to five batches of bread dough. On Wednesday, five of us do a variety of jobs to get ready for the afternoon Farmers’ Market where the bread is sold. We make two batches of sour dough bread and sometimes focaccia, get fire started to heat up the oven, shape the bread, let it rise and then put it into the oven to bake.

All the money that is made from the sales goes back into buying more supplies and funding projects at the Inn.

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RDP Thursday – Picture Book

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to the Ragtag community for hosting the Ragtag Daily Prompts https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2024/05/23/ragtag-daily-prompt-thursday-picture-book/

Today’s daily prompt is picture books. I loved Mies van Hout’s books about friendship and feelings. They made for great discussion starters in my classes and the drawings inspired many art lessons as well.

New Flower (February 2, 2024) – Tropical Flowers from Costa Rica

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Mama Cormier

….courtesy of my friend Liz

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Installing the Black and White Show at WAAC

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Mama Cormier

…probably one of my favourite shows

On Wednesday I spent four hours helping with the installation for the Black and White Show at Women’s Art. I love camaraderie when working with this talented group of women. It’s a beautiful show and I hope those of you who live close by will come downtown to check it out.

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A Look Back on 2023

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Mama Cormier

It seems that I have been very inconsistent with my blog in the last month. For that I apologize to my regular followers. I hope to do better in 2024. Here is a quick review of my highlights in 2023.

January to March 2023

33109696-B657-4593-9-BE7-276-ECAD2-A733 — *Going to the AGO*

20420591-8-D61-448-C-A3-B5-B60-B111-F024-C — *Fun in the Snow in January*

EE2-BD025-22-D3-4-F10-8-B8-D-6048361-CED30 — *Going to the Opera with my good friend Linda*

06081096-0-BE1-4907-8-F25-A92-FD2-DBAF91 — *Attending the Kent Monkman Show for the second time*

57-FFACE0-9-DE5-48-C5-8360-8719-E0750613 — *Indoor bowling*

FF98-CF6-F-34-C4-4112-9-E05-108-F15-EDFA37 — *Balmy February weather…no snow*

7-D085613-813-B-4030-836-E-AF7-AEDCAE377 — *Helping with the installation of the Legacy Show at WAAC*

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811-EEF41-9-DF7-4-FF7-B184-E030613-D6229-1-201-a — *Working in my sketchbook*

DE0986-B8-0979-4388-AB2-F-B7-E4-F20-EBD03 — *Starting work for my solo show in May*

8740339-B-8274-4459-B329-0-A89-FF261-E4-F-1-201-a — *Attending College Royal in Guelph*

17-D84637-E940-4-A72-A5-AD-C3067-F687476-1-201-a — *In the barns at the University of Guelph*

E3-D79598-9-A09-44-D4-9-FBE-B108-C26-CA0-ED — *Attending the Quilting Show at the Neilson Park Creative Centre*

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To be continued…..

More Than Just Baking Bread

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…one of the reasons why I find it so hard to lose weight

As many of you know I volunteer at one of the historical museums in Toronto and bake bread which is then sold at the Farmers’ Market. All the proceeds go to the Inn to support their programming.

Every Tuesday I make the 15 minute drive to Montgomery’s Inn, where I prepare the dough for four to six different varieties of bread. I also feed the sour dough starter for the bread that we make the next day and the following week. The dough is stored overnight in the refrigerator. There are usually 2 or 3 of us that do the initial prep work.

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The next day on Wednesday there are anywhere from four to six of us that prepare the sour dough bread, get the fire in the oven ready and shape the breads that we made the day before and that morning. We’re also in charge of clean-up and Jim is particularly good at it and likes doing it.

When the first loaves are in the oven we sit down as a group and have a lunch that is prepared by our lead baker and I’ve become the salad maker. Every week the meals seem to get more elaborate and in the past three weeks, Dale, has also added desserts which he usually prepares at home. Dessert is served after the second batch of bread is in the oven and we sit down and enjoy Dale’s sweet delights with a cup of tea.