Sunday, February 19, 2012

Let's Catch Up.

So you may have noticed that I haven’t written many posts lately. That’s just me being lazy, I guess, sorry. I’ve been keeping myself busy this winter with other things so let’s catch up.

I finally got around to working on a craft project Hubby made for me as one of my presents last Christmas, that’s as in 2010, by the way. It is a set of snowmen and snowflakes for my hangar. You might remember that I posted about “All in a Row” back in that year. The original design was made by Julie Hardy at Country Feelin’. She has lots of other projects, too, but I like this one the best. You can see the “All in a Row” sets by clicking here.

Anyway, the snowmen had been gathering dust on my craft table so I decided that I would wipe them off and finish them up. I really enjoyed painting and decorating them, I was just savouring the moments till they were finished off just right. All they need now is some wire and they are ready to go.

 Here is a close-up of three of the snowmen.
Here is a close-up of three of the snowmen.


 All the pieces have finally been painted and assembled.
All the pieces have finally been painted and assembled.


All they need now is some wire to attach them to the hangar.
All they need now is some wire to attach them to the hangar.


 Hmmm… Looks like someone has been busy in the craft room.
Hmmm… Looks like someone has been busy in the craft room.

My new iPod with its accessories.
My new iPod with its accessories.

For Christmas this year Hubby got me an iPod Touch with a beautiful orange case to replace the mp3 player I had been using. I had given him an iPod the previous year and he had spent the entire year raving about it and all the things it could do. I doubt I’ll ever use half the features it has but as soon as I charged it up I immediately wanted to download a game called Angry Birds which I have been hearing so much about that I just had to see what all the buzz was really about.

BIG MISTAKE!!!

I’m hooked and honestly can’t stop thinking about breaking levels and achieving the high scores. I have even purchased stickers for the inside of my professional notebook so I can have a laugh while sitting around important meeting which are truly boring. I’ve gone bird crazy looking for t-shirts and any cool stuff I can get my hands on relating towards this game. Oh and I’m not the only one who is infatuated with this game. I have talked some of my co-workers into down-loading the game and they are hooked, too.

We don’t really know the names of the birds so I have devised names of my own for them. Speeder bird, splitter bird, bomber birds, fat ass balloon bird, big red boss, little fart red bird and boomerang bird to name a few. I bet you’ll look into angry birds to see what I’m talking about, maybe get a copy for yourself. Don’t worry you won’t be alone. With over 10 billion downloads the Rovio guys have done something right.

 Big Red Boss Bird
Big Red Boss Bird

I have also been trying new recipes lately and made a fantastic supper for Superbowl Sunday that just so happened to exactly match a suggested meal written about in a local newspaper. Slow roasted BBQ back ribs, homemade baked beans and coleslaw, mmm.

The local paper had an article suggesting the exact supper we had planned.
The local paper had an article suggesting the exact supper we had planned.


The coleslaw was a new recipe that included carrots, celery and green onions.
The coleslaw was a new recipe that included carrots, celery and green onions.


Ribs and beans and coleslaw, yummy
Ribs and beans and coleslaw, yummy.

I also made a turkey pot pie from a recipe I found in a Canadian Living magazine. It was the first time I had ever cooked anything using leeks and it turned out great. We'll definitely be doing this one again.

Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Pot Pie

And then there was Valentine’s Day where we had our beef stew and fresh biscuits and I made Hubby a pecan pie from a recipe that I found on the Pioneer Woman’s site. The pie turned out great and was super easy to make. He loved it and he was kind enough to give me a small piece but, at 10,000 calories per slice, I didn’t really want too much anyway.

We always make beef stew in a large economy size. It lasts for several meals.
We always make beef stew in a large economy size. It lasts for several meals.


The perfect side dish for stew is fresh biscuits and butter.
The perfect side dish for stew is fresh biscuits and butter.


Hubby's Valentine gift, my first pecan pie.
Hubby's Valentine gift, my first pecan pie.


Don't stare at this picture, it will make you fat just by looking at it.
Don't stare at this picture, it will make you fat just by looking at it.


So that's how I'm filling up my days. Working and baking and gaming and waiting for winter to fade away so that I can get out to my garden. It can't come soon enough.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

A Lobster Port In The Winter

These beautiful fibreglass fishing boats are waiting on the wharf for the spring season to open.
These beautiful fibreglass fishing boats are waiting on the wharf for the spring season to open.

There was “Knot a Chance” I was going to miss a cold, snow covered, bright sunny day to take some pictures of a cute fishing village wharf close to home here on the Witch’s Island. It’s an interesting place at this time of year. The boats are all resting, some in fine shape, new and gleaming and some are very much showing signs of wear and tear. One boat had an ugly metal patch on its gunwale and there were several more that were badly in need of a good paint touch-up. Still, they looked so graceful up on their stands waiting for spring so that they can sail the ocean far and wide again to bring home the daily catch. Oh, what stories and secrets have been told on these beautiful boats we can only imagine.

 Might be time to give this mermaid a new coat of paint.
Might be time to give this mermaid a new coat of paint.

 Not the prettiest vessel in the fleet!
Not the prettiest vessel in the fleet!

In summers past I have been on quite a few deep-sea fishing trips where I have fished cod, mackerel, hake, sole, and even the odd sculpin fish. Only the last kind was ever thrown back and that was only because they are so damn ugly. If you ever saw one you would know what I mean. Still, apparently while they are lacking in good looks they supposedly very tasty. Maybe you’ll try one and let me know.

The boats are all on shore at this time of year.
The boats are all on shore at this time of year.

Even with the mild weather we have had this year the water has still frozen solid.
Even with the mild weather we have had this year the water has still frozen solid.

 Not a soul around.
Not a soul around.

The wharf itself was very still, not even the water was moving, it being frozen right to the edges of the pier. Even the wind stopped while we were there. It was kind of like a maritime ghost town. It was pretty, though. Most shacks had some kind of decoration, a bright red paint, some old tuna tails, a pirate flag. They really stood out against the winter sky and the ice.

 Like notches on the gunslinger’s pistol, someone is keeping track of the kill.
Like notches on the gunslinger’s pistol, someone is keeping track of the kill.

 The Skull and Crossbones. I don’t imagine that this flag leaves the port.
The Skull and Crossbones. I don’t imagine that this flag leaves the port.

Three of the sheds had weathervanes, which seems sort of redundant but I guess it’s important to know which way the wind is blowing if you’re heading out on the water. My favourite of the three was the funky bird one which looked like it had been constructed from old yard tools.

This weathervane looks like it was homemade from old garden tools.
This weathervane looks like it was homemade from old garden tools.

This one has a fisherman in a dory.

This weathervane is some kind of duck floating in a pond.
This weathervane is some kind of duck floating in a pond.

We have been very lucky with the weather so far this year. Winter is already a third complete and I choose to believe that spring is just around the corner. I can almost picture the boats plowing through the waves right now.

 The last thing the lobster sees just before his trap is hauled over the side.
The last thing the lobster sees just before his trap is hauled over the side…

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

My Secret Santa Has Really Come Through!

 My Secret Santa parcel has arrived!
My Secret Santa parcel has arrived!

My Secret Santa has really come through!

Christmas had come and gone and there had been no parcel in the mail and I was wondering if maybe there wouldn’t be one but, lo and behold, there it was in this morning’s post! Hubby picked it up before work today and then phoned me to say that it was here. I spent all day wondering what it could be, just like a little kid.

When he finally got home this afternoon I tore right into it and it was full of wonderful things! There were four jars of home-made preserves in a table-top caddy, fours small books and a nice card. Wow, Secret Santa, thank you so much!

 Pulling the contents from my Secret Santa parcel.
Pulling the contents from my Secret Santa parcel.

 Everything was nicely wrapped and looked beautiful.
Everything was nicely wrapped and looked beautiful.

 My Secret Santa gifts, homemade jams in a pretty metal caddy and four little books.
My Secret Santa gifts, homemade jams in a pretty metal caddy and four little books.


While I can’t be 100% sure who my Secret Santa really is I think that I know and she is a fellow blogger. You can find her at this link and if that isn’t her then that blog is an interesting read anyway.

Thanks again, Santa!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Best Wishes For 2012!

We were out for a drive yesterday and this caught my eye from the passenger side window. This guy was prepared for any possibility! I had to take a picture. It’s was just too funny.

Roadside email inbox
Roadside email inbox. Funny!

When I got up this morning I discovered that Granny New Year had arrived while I was sleeping. She keeps some late hours. I know because we were out in the back yard lighting off fireworks until almost 12:30 in morning and there was nothing on the kitchen counter before I went to bed. This year she brought me a book about sea glass and it should keep me going until the weather is a little moe suitable for beachcombing.


Pure Sea Glass Book by Richard LaMotte was my Granny New Year gift this year.
Granny New Year came through again.

Anyway, I just wanted to wish all my family and friends (including you readers) a Very Happy New Year!!

Enjoy.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

From Our House To Yours...

Outdoor Christmas Tree
Outdoor Christmas Tree


Merry Christmas to all.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Christmas Is A Week Away

Remember the picture we posted back in October of the sky being reflected in the calm water of a nearby river here on The Witch’s Island? Well, they were having a photo contest at work to decorate the president’s office wall. You know, something to impress visiting customers with, and I entered that picture. Guess what. My picture was one of only three selected! Better still, each of the three finalists won a crisp new $100 bill! And even though it is one of the newly introduced plastic bills it’s still a hundred bucks, yahoo! That’s right, baby. The Witch is rich, sort of. It was a shock, but a pleasant one.

This is the picture that won me a hundred dollars.
This is the picture that won me a hundred dollars.

So, what else have I been up to, you say? Well, I’ve been busy crafting away in my basement workshop. I created a little picture using shells and other bits and pieces I collected at the beach this summer while Hubby was in swimming. I really enjoyed designing this and the shells just all fit together nicely to make this scene come alive. I’ve already got some more ideas floating around in my brain and it’s going to be a long winter so I may try some more of these.

I made this picture using shells and driftwood I found on the beach this summer.
I made this picture using shells and driftwood I found on the beach this summer.

I’ve also been decorating the family room for Christmas. The fireplace mantle is one of my favourite things to work on. I love birds so I’ve given it kind of a nature theme. And some poor little elf must have fallen through the ice and gotten soaked. He seems to have left his clothes to dry by the fire. Someday I may find the right elf figurine to sit up there too but so far I haven’t come across one. He would have to be the right scale to fit the clothes and he’d have to be semi-naked or in his undies and that’s just a little too much to ask, I guess. I just might have to make my own.

This is my mantelpiece all decorated for Christmas.
This is my mantelpiece all decorated for Christmas.

I’m hoping you all enjoy this little up-date as it is only 7 more sleeps till the big day. Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Wow, My First Award For Blogging!

Well, I was really surprized today when I checked for comments here on the Witch's Island to find that It's Me, Sam had nominated me for a Liebster Award.

Liebster Award

A quick Google search doesn't turn up much information about how the award originated but Sam has a brief description of its intent as well as the rules for passing on the love.


The rules:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have fun!


Here are the five that I would like to nominate:

Grunge Queen
A Garden Wench
Japan - Living The Simple Life
Canoe Corner
The Fat Hydrangea

These are all great reads and I try to get to them all every day. You might want to go to the Grunge Queen's blog first because she is all set to move to England to get married.

Thanks again to Sam for this. It's been fun!