The little things that mean so much............

Another beautiful day.......

Natural woodpecker house in a piece of old trembling aspen

The chickadees took up residence after Roger did some minor upgrades (like shingles on the roof)--ha ha

Chickadee

"Up close and personal" with one of our cedars

Rhododendrons about to burst into full bloom!

White lilacs following suit.

Hosta right at the base of an old birch in the front yard

The promise of peonies

A scarce apple blossom on the old apple tree

The beginnings of a good crop of chuckley pears in our back yard.

These blueberries that I bought today make it feel like summer....

 Should I sprinkle them with sugar, like mom used to do for us as kids??????

Last, but certainly not least, a few snaps of a set of dishes that Roger gave me from Rana, on her first Christmas, back in 1986.  The next day, on my birthday (December 26th), Rana's birthday gift to me was her very first tooth!!

Gambo Pond (a.k.a -- a little piece of Paradise)

Yippeeee...the sun is shining for the third day in a row!!!! 

What a difference a bit of sunshine makes.  I don't know if it's only me, but the weather plays a big role in my mood and outlook.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good rainy day or two here and there--it gives you a chance to catch up on all the little things inside that always get overlooked when  the weather is nice, but hey...enough is enough, right??

The weekend was fabulous.  It was sunny and about 15-16* in the afternoon and cooled down in the evenings.  It was just right for pulling on a soft warm fleecy and taking a nice walk, or sitting outside with a big mug of coffee & Bailey's.

Roger is catching up with the gazebo work and it is now ready for the roof.  We took a little break from the yard work on Saturday afternoon and went to Gambo Pond for the night.  We had promised our best friends, Dave & Sharon, we would come and spend the night.  We weren't sorry that we did.  What a treat!! 

We arrived about 3:30 and the smell of turkey roasting in the oven was fabulous.  Sharon had prepared the full meal deal...turkey, stuffing, salt beef, cabbage and all the other trimmings.  She even made bread pudding and peas pudding.  YUMMY!!!  It was just like Christmas dinner, except we normally don't sit outside on the deck sipping delicious drinks while waiting for the meal to cook.

Dave did an awesome job carving the turkey....

Needless to say that we weren't  the slightest bit hungry after we finished!!

****************************************

After we ate and cleaned up, we walked down to visit some friends, Connie & Ross, at their cabin.  It was so relaxing......the perfect combination of big comfy chairs, good red wine, great music and excellent company.  As we were leaving to walk back, just before dark, this was the scene from Connie & Ross's back deck!

 

I just had to walk over and take a picture of the chairs they have set out for enjoying the view of the pond....

WOW!!!!

We are so blessed here in Newfoundland and Labrador.  This is a closer shot of Connie & Ross's little pond deck.  There are only a handful of cabins in the area, and as far as you can see, there is just blue sky, blue water and every shade of green in the variety of native trees.  The only sounds are birds chirping and the water lapping on the beach.

By the time we got back to Dave & Sharon's, it had cooled down considerably, so Sharon lit a fire the beautiful big wood-burning stove inside, while Dave was busy sparking up a fire in the fire pit on the beach.

Here's Dave & Sharon's cottage........

I'd hardly say we were roughing it--ha ha

Four huge bedrooms upstairs, bathroom upstairs has shower  with hot & cold running water

Here's a view from behind the cabin, looking towards the pond.

So, as you can see, it isn't a sacrifice to have to go and spend a night at this beautiful piece of paradise, right on Gambo Pond.

What did you do this weekend?  Whatever it was, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we all enjoyed ours!!

Cheers ;o)

Fousty, Foggy Friday

Oh Boy---I hate to be one of those people always complaining about the weather, but it's hard not to.  It's wouldn't be too bad to be getting all this rain and drizzle, but it's only 4* outside---it freezes at 0*!!  I'm afraid  things are going to start going fousty--ha ha. 

Here's the Newfoundland dictionary definition of fousty:






fousty a also fausty [phonetics unavailable]. EDD fusty; fousty Gl Ha W So D. Mouldy; musty; gone sour; having a bad smell. Cp SMATCHY.
   1925 Dial Notes v, 330 Fausty—musty or mouldy; of tea or bread. 1937 DEVINE 22 ~ Sour, decaying. P 148-61 Look at the fousty clothes on him. T 141/66-65² [This old cape ann] was fousty. He was one of them old timers, red flannel linin's in un, see. A kind of greenish colour, they was. T 222-66 [The other kind of jam] often has [foust] on it after a few months ... in other words it's fousty. C 69-31 My mother called a dress she found in an old trunk fousty—having a stale, bad odour. C 24-71 [The soup is] rather smatchy and I was going to give it to the cow, but you can have it if you want it. (Smatchy means sour or fousty). 


Okay---enough of that...let's think positive.  Look at all the things I've gotten done inside since I finished work for the summer!  All my closets are tidied, lots of furniture rearrangement, we had the house painted inside, top to bottom, and my pantry is organized better than ever before!!  (the rain still pisses me off though--te he)

Well, why don't I put up a few pictures and try to cheer us all up.  Yesterday, I made stir-fry and apple baked pork chops for supper.

Each time I make stir-fry, I use different ingredients, whatever is on hand works.

Bake pork chops, then for the last 20 minutes, add a slice of apple

Delicious...and easy

 

 

 

Here's a snap of some fresh flowers I bought at the local supermarket yesterday--I couldn't resist. Usually by now, I have vases filled with lilacs and other fresh beauties from my garden, but nothing is in full bloom yet......come on Mr. Sunshine!!

These flowers could make anyone smile...;o)

Happy Friday and have a great weekend everyone.

 

Summer "Bucket List" & Cranberry-White Chocolate Scones

Well--I've finally gone and done it......I created a Summer "Bucket List"!!

Every spring, I have a list of things, in my mind, that we must do or I want to do that summer....and it usually turns out that I don't get anything on the list accomplished, or very little.

Well, this summer is going to be different, thanks to a fabulous blog that I've been following.  Check it out at http://baygirl32.blogspot.ca/.  She has come up with the fabulous idea of actually posting her "Bucket List" on her blog.   Now, that's commitment.  Once you post it, you're in for the long haul!!

I thought long and hard, drafted my "list", slept on it.....and here it is:
 

My Summer 2012 “Bucket List”

·         Play Scrabble(several times-ha ha)

·         Sleep in a tent

·         Sit down with mom and get the last bits of information I need to finish her memoirs, that I’ve started

·         Do the Tely 10 (a 10-mile road race in St. John’s -- I’ve already registered!!)

·         Have fires in our backyard and make “spider wieners” & S’mores

·         Watch the sun rise & set

·         Lie on the ground and watch the clouds

·         Take an early morning (and a late evening) walk on Signal Hill

·         Paint Mom’s toenails, roller-set her hair, then sit out in her lawn chairs with her and drink her homemade slush

·         Go on a date (with my husband of almost 30 years)

·         Spend at least one full day at the beach, complete with red wine, French bread, grapes and a variety of cheese

·         Play Frisbee

·         Eat ice cream at Moo Moos, in St. John’s

·         Make a cake mix, cut it into squares; roll the squares in (almost set) Jell-O, then roll the jelly soaked squares in coconut (just like Mom used to do for us when we were kids—yummy!!)

·         Walk the old rail bed (from the trestle in Gambo to the Middle Brook Park)

·         Pick blueberries, partridge berries & bake-apples (Yes…me, pick berries!!)

·         Eat fries in downtown St. John’s (tried it last summer, but before I ate one golden brown, crispy fry from my vinegar soaked brown paper bag, I came upon a homeless guy sitting in a doorway, gave him my fries and 5 bucks and ran to catch up with my sister, nieces, daughter and mom.  I've been craving some of those fries ever since

·         Take a nap in my new gazebo

·         Go on random midnight walk-with Lovey, of course!

·         Visit some place new

·         Spend an entire Saturday morning at the St. John’s  Farmer’s Market

·         Do the “lighthouse picnic” at Ferryland

·         Go “zip-lining” on the west coast of NL

·         Go for a walk.....and a bike ride, in the summer rain

·         Make a cream soda float

·         Donate blood

·         Wear a dress

******************************************************************

Well, there you have it.  

A copy of this, in a VERY large font, will spend the 

summer on my fridge.  I'll mention, and hopefully have pics to show for, 

everything that I cross off my list!!!!

Now, on a more relaxed note, I made a batch of Cranberry-White Chocolate Scones this morning.  This recipe is from my great friend at work, Moe.  Moe is an awesome baker.  She puts the finishing touch on this recipe by drizzling the cooled scones with melted white chocolate.

Did I mention that the weather is still absolutely terrible?????  It is.  I am running out of indoor things to do, hope the sun comes out soon.  I'd be happy if it would just stop raining!!

Here's Moe's recipe for the scones:

Cranberry-White Chocolate Scones

1/2 cup butter (cubed)

2 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 egg

 1 cup buttermilk

1 cup chopped dried cranberries

1 cup white chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients until coarse and crumbly.

Stir in cranberries and chocolate.

In a small bowl, combine egg and buttermilk.  Add to dry mixture and stir to combine.

With floured hands, form into a ball and turn out onto a floured surface.

Knead about ten times, then pat or roll out to shape a rectangle about a 1/2 inch thick.

Divide into two long sections and cut into squares approximately 4" square.

Cut each square on the diagonal to form triangles.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes at 350*

Here's how mine looked:

The finished product!!!!

 I took a batch to Roger's office for the gang to try on coffee break.  I also dropped a sample off at the post office for the staff there.

I love to bake, but I like to get rid of it quickly so I'm not too tempted to eat it all up!!! ha ha

Cheers

;o)

Republic of Newfoundland and Inukshuks

This morning I had a dentist appointment in Gander.  My mom tagged along and we met sister Brenda for lunch.  It was nice....we made the best of a crappy weather day.

Oh the rain --- it is driving me nuts.  Not much other than that to complain about....it seems to be the main topic of conversation everywhere!!

So, to try and brighten things up a little, I'll show you a photo of some new glass painting designs I've done over the past few rainy days.

I painted my interpretation of the Republic of Newfoundland flag on four wine glasses. I also tried my hand at painting an Inukshuk on some beer mugs.   I have always been intrigued by the Inukshuk.  Here are some images that I found on the web, and used to paint my interpretation on the glasses..........

And...here are my finished products.

(Left to right)  Republic flags, Little Black Dress, Mommy's Sippy Cup, and the Inukshuk

I did a couple "Little Black dress" glasses too.  I can't seem to keep those around at all.  This weekend I gave one to my sister's good friend for her 50th birthday.  I also painted two "Mommy's Sippy Cup" glasses.  One of those is for a friend who just a had a baby and also happens to love red wine.  It'll probably be quite awhile before she drinks any wine, as she is breast-feeding, but I think she'll get a good kick out of it.  I'm sure it won't take me long to find someone to give the second one to!!

"Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age."

--- Pope John XXII

Cheers!