Share Your World – Jan. 16, 2017 (Getting Back to Normal)

….a slightly different format this week for Cee’s Share Your World

Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

I have sliding mirror doors on my closet and I tend to keep them closed.
Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?

Absolutely! I figured I paid for them so I might as well take them home. I like them when I go away for short trips where they might not supply those things.
What is your usual bedtime?

I try to go to bed by 11:30 but often I’m up till after midnight. Not a good thing when I have school the next day and I have to get up at 6:30.
Do you like to use post-it notes?

Not really. I find they often don’t stick well enough to whatever you’re sending and they often get lost.
When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

I have a second cousin in Germany who doesn’t have a computer so recently I wrote her a letter and sent her photos of the wedding from the summer. I would probably write her more often if she had a computer.
Any phobias?

This may sound strange but I’m afraid of bears. I’ve never had a confrontation with one but many years ago I went camping with my husband and I swore I heard a bear sniffing around outside of our tent. I was terrified. It was probably just a racoon.
How tall are you?

I am 5′ 5″ or 165 cm tall. When I was growing up I was considered average height but now I have to buy petite length pants or take them up at least three inches.

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As you can see I am the shortest of the three sisters.

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

Last week we had a death in the family. My father’s wife of 22 years passed away quite suddenly. She had been ill for awhile but we didn’t know how ill she was until last Christmas when she stopped eating and drinking and didn’t get out of bed. On Jan. 9th, just a few hours after being diagnosed by the doctors at the hospital and taken off all life support she died. We thought it would take weeks and my father was preparing to go to the hospital every day until it happened. In many ways it was a blessing in disguise.

On Friday we had the funeral and I offered to speak on behalf of my father. I didn’t realize how difficult that was going to be until I started walking up to the podium. Luckily I managed to get through my speech. At the beginning  and at the end I had to take deep breaths but the sobs and tears came anyway. Once I got going I was fine and the my family appreciated the effort.

The good news is that my father is doing very well and is already planning a trip to Germany to see his brother one more time and in the spring he is flying to Calgary to visit my sister. He has resumed playing cards with his friends from across the street and he is making new friends in the retirement home. For this I am grateful.

This week I returned to work and I’m looking forward to seeing my family on Saturday. My youngest daughter and her husband and baby are coming into town and we’re having lunch at my oldest daughter’s place. My husband is feeling much better and he’ll be joining us as well.

Other than that I have to work on my report cards, which I’m not looking forward to but they will be the last term 1 reports I will ever have to write. Hooray!

 

A Week of Art, Knitting and Play

….starting with a visit and an open house on New Year’s Day

What a great way to bring in the New Year. Visiting a long time friend and catching up over wine and cheese and then going to a New Year’s open house at another friend’s house directly across the street from where we live. More wine and nibbles and great conversation, catching up with the news in the neighbourhood. Thank goodness I was able to walk to both venues and didn’t have to worry about driving.

On Sunday, I started participating in a new year-long on-line art class with Carla Sonheim. The interesting thing about this class is that Carla posts a new video every day for 365 days. I was hesitant to sign up for another class but I knew I would miss it if I didn’t. So far I’m not disappointed. The videos can be short mini lessons on techniques, supplies, quotes from celebrities and interviews from other artists. So far we’ve had a lesson on making your own cloud stencil, a quote from Alan Alda, an interview from Carla’s nephew who is a clown, a photography assignment, a blind contour assignment, a glue resist lesson and a lesson on quinacridone paints. I haven’t even checked out todays class.

It’s very interesting how some of the other 400 plus students interpret each video. Even when there isn’t an assignment many of them, including myself, play with the concepts from the videos and create a piece of art. My son sent me a small journal and I’ve been painting and drawing in it every day since the class started. It won’t be long before this one is filled and I’ll start on the other one another friend from school gave me.

I’ve also been knitting on my knitting looms. For my daughter’s birthday I knit her a large infinity scarf to match the hat we gave her for Christmas and I knit my granddaughter a hat and a small neck warmer. On Thursday I drove to Hamilton and brought my looms with me. While Winnie was sleeping I taught my daughter how to use the looms and left her one to make another hat. I even knit Winnie a little pot holder for her little kitchen.

When Winnie woke from her nap we played together while her mom and dad prepared lunch for us. She’s at the age where she likes to play peek-a-boo but she runs to hide behind a table or chair and then peeks out to see if I’m watching. When she wasn’t running she did sit with me for a minute and I read part of a book. After lunch we dressed up warmly and went for a walk over to James St. N. to look for fabric for a quilt that G wants to make and then to another store where she had a gift certificate from her birthday that she wanted to spend.img_0840

On Saturday I finally took down our Christmas tree and vacuumed up all the needles. I also put together the organizing unit that J gave me for Christmas and I’ve already filled it with my art supplies. I have one more shelving unit to assemble for my pens. Already my drawing table is much neater and ready for more art projects.

Today I’m hoping to get to the ROM to see the Chihuly exhibit. It’s the last day so I may not be able to get in but it’s worth a try. I still have a lot to do around the house and even though I had two weeks off it seems I never get to the mundane things like cleaning my bedroom. Having said that though, I did have a lot of fun and spent time with family and friends.

Cheers!

Share Your World 2017 – January 2, 2017

…..thanks Cee for continuing to host Share Your World

Would you prefer to receive a unicycle, bicycle, tricycle or motorcycle?

I already own a bike and a unicycle is impractical. I think owning a Vespa could be fun.

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photo courtesy of : Just Bikes. in

What is one thing you’d like to accomplish this year?

One thing I’d like to do this year is continue to lose weight and get healthy before  I retire in June.

What was one of the highlights of 2016 for you?

There were two highlights for me and they were the weddings of two of my children.

Would you prefer to fly a kite or fly in a hot air balloon?

I’ve flown kites and I like the sensation of getting your kite airborne but I’m curious about hot air balloons. The problem is I have a fear of heights and I’m a bit of a nervous Nelly.

Optional 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 time spent with my family and being able to talk to our son on the phone. This week I’m looking forward to some quiet down time. I’m hoping to do some art, read a book and visit my granddaughter. fullsizerender-31

The Perfect Gift

…..besides being with family over tshe holidays

I know that in a previous post I declared that presents weren’t important to me and that family was everything. Despite that sincere sentiment I did have some very thoughtful and welcome gifts given to me this year.

Anything to do with art is always most appreciated. This Christmas my secret Santa gifted me a five drawer rolling organizer and a desktop marker organizer. Hopefully this will help me get my supplies neatly organized and free up my work table so that I can actually create some art. She also gave me a new set of Pigma pens and artist’s hand soap. My son in London sent me paper and a beautiful set of pencil crayons.

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Last year my husband gave me a very nice camera, a Panasonic Lumix, DMC-GF7 and for my birthday he gave me a macro lens to go with it. Unfortunately the camera has so many features that I frequently get lost trying to use it. My brother-in-law who  is very proficient with all types of cameras, confirmed that I had a very fine camera. When he was here in October he gave me a quick lesson on how to use some of the features. As soon as he left the camera malfunctioned. No one seemed to know what was wrong with the camera. When my brother-in-law returned in November he brought me one of his old zoom lenses that he no longer uses and that fit my camera. The problem with the camera, however, had not been resolved at that point so we couldn’t try it out.

Eventually we found someone who knew how to solve the problem. It turned out to be a quick fix.  Now I have a working camera with two amazing lenses and I still don’t know how to use them. Voila….the perfect present arrived. My husband enrolled me in two camera classes. The first class takes place in January and I will learn all about the ins and outs of my camera and the second class in February will teach me how to get the most out of my camera and how to use the camera in some creative ways. I can’t wait.

Since my husband and I are foodies the other gifts that are always most appreciated are items of food. This year I received homemade tomato sauce, chill sauce, relishes, jams and a variety of condiments and spices. Of course chocolates are always present in our stockings and under the tree. I love dark chocolate and anything filled with marzipan.p1020167

The last gift that was very special was a beautiful Pandora leather bracelet with a silver charm with our granddaughter’s initial. This was also from my husband.img_0793

As nice as all these things were I still find time with my loved ones the most precious gift of all. Today we travelled as a family to visit my father in Oshawa. Eleven of us went to his new apartment in the retirement home. His wife is very ill at the moment so he showed off his new place quickly and then gave us a tour of the facility. Everything is very new and beautifully decorated for the holidays. We ended up visiting in the library on the main floor. We were the only ones in there. It was the perfect spot where our granddaughter could run around, look at the fish tank and play with the soft decorations and remote controls. For the adults there were comfy chairs and a fire place where we could visit and talk. After opening a few gifts we headed over to the restaurant where we enjoyed a family meal together.

After describing all the fantastic gifts I received this Christmas I’d have to say that having  my granddaughter wiggle out of her mother’s arms to run over and hug me today was my most ‘perfect’ gift.

Did you have a perfect gift or a special moment to share this holiday season?

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Best Wishes for the New Year

I’m sitting here, alone, in my living room reading a few emails before I need to seriously finish decorating the tree, wrap a few more presents and fill the stockings. Tonight we will be celebrating Christmas at my daughter’s house. It will be the first time in 30 years that we haven’t celebrated in our home. I feeling somewhat nostalgic about that but with time things change.

Before I continue with my chores I wanted to send all my loyal followers and new bloggers who are just visiting for the first time a special holiday greeting. I wish for love, good health, joy and peace for all. May 2017 bring you all these things and more. For me the simple things in life bring me much pleasure and spending time with family and friends is more important than the number of gifts under the Christmas tree. I think that’s why I always have such a hard time asking for things I’d like for Christmas or my birthday.

This photo, taken two days ago embodies the joy I get from being with my loved ones. img_8549

Share Your World 2016 – Week 47 (Grateful List)

….with American Thanksgiving coming up this week Cee has asked us to share what we’re grateful for

What are you grateful for in regard to:

Your home life?

….having a roof over my head and being mortgage free and having a wonderful place to go to in the summer


Your family?

…..that my children are all happily married and that my husband is on the mend
Your blogging community?

…..for my loyal followers who comment regularly
Your city or immediate area in which you live?

…..for being clean, vibrant and safe


The regional area in which you live?

…..that I live close to water that I can see every day and safely drink from


The country where you live?

….. for it’s diversity
You?

…..that I have a husband who loves me, three successful children and a beautiful granddaughter


Optional 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 an exceptionally beautiful week of warm and sunny weather; something that is very unusual for this time of year. I’m also grateful that I was able to get my snow tires on my car before the snow really begins to fall.

I’m looking forward to a three day camping trip with our grade five students. We’ll be travelling about 2 1/2 north of the city. Before you think I’m completely bonkers let me clarify that we aren’t sleeping in tents. We have cabins to sleep in.

I’m also looking forward to seeing my sister from Calgary on the weekend. She’s flying in with her husband to visit our Dad before this big move into the retirement home, spend some time with me, visit friends in Georgetown and visit her mother-in-law who lives in Ottawa. It will be a busy weekend for her.

The Town of Assisi, Italy

….despite being occupied with the wedding we did manage to hire a taxi to take us into the town of Assisi for a few hours

On the day our train arrived in Assisi we were scooped up by family and friends who were already there and we quickly drove through the town and up into the hills to get to the ‘farm’ where we were staying and where the wedding was being held. We got a glimpse of the narrow cobblestone roads and the facade of the Basilica of St. Francis and I knew that we needed to find a window of time to return to the town.

That evening we hired a taxi to take us back into the town, where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with our newly acquired family from Iran and Germany. It was a beautiful evening and dinner was served outside on the brick patio. The meal took several hours so there was no time to walk around. Besides we had a big day ahead and we needed to get our beauty sleep. Little did I know how important that was going to be. The next day was long and sleep was next to impossible.

On our last day, after the wedding, we woke up to pouring rain. It was a welcome relief from the heat we had been experiencing on this trip. It did, however, put a bit of a damper on the brunch that the newly married couple had planned. Instead of all of us gathering outside in one location we held a couple of brunches inside a two of the cottages. More food. After the wedding I couldn’t even imagine that people would have room for more copious amounts of food. Somehow we managed to indulge in fresh fruit, home baked breads and cakes and platters of cheese and meat.

Later in the day the rain stopped and we hired another taxi and made our way back into Assisi. We stopped in front of Basilica di Santa Chiara. It is dedicated to and contains the remains of Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi and founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, known today as the Order of Saint Clare.

After a quick look inside the basilica we headed out on foot, over the cobblestones, on our mission to find the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Around every corner we found magnificent views of the countryside and quaint shops. bistros and town squares.

 

Eventually we came upon the basilica. The entrance was patrolled by armed guards and our bags were checked before we were allowed to enter. It is built into the side of a hill and is comprised of two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of Saint Francis of Assisi are interred. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs inside the church itself but the courtyard and the grounds and the building itself are beautiful.

In my next post I will finally share the photos of the wedding and discuss the symbolism of a Persian ceremony. Till then, ciao!

 

Share Your World 2016 – Week 45

….thanks Cee for hosting Share Your World

Describe your own outlook on life in seven words or less. (NOTE: does not have to be a sentence.)

Make the most of it. Enjoy it.

Where do you like to vacation?

I like to vacation at the cottage but when travelling abroad I enjoy going to Ireland, the Netherlands and Italy. I’d like to take a trip to Iceland, England and Germany in the near future.

Candy factories (sweets or treats including chocolate) 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?

It would have to be dark chocolate with marzipan or nuts.

Complete this sentence: Something that anyone can do that will guarantee my smile is…

….show me a photo of my granddaughter.

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 a wonderful weekend with my daughters. On Saturday I went to the Royal  Winter Fair with both my girls and my granddaughter. I hadn’t been to the fair since I was a little girl. I loved seeing Winnie’s reaction to all the animals. I forgot how massive this fair is, especially if you go back into the barns where all the farm animals are kept.

On Sunday we had the whole family at the house to celebrate my oldest daughter’s 37th birthday. She wanted a pizza making party so my husband made the dough from scratch and we cut up a variety of toppings for people to choose from so that they could design their own pizza creation.

This week I’m looking forward to unpacking all the books that I purchased at the book vendor’s fair today and attending a party for a good friend. I’m also hoping to finish reading The Nest and starting on some art projects for myself.

Cheers!