Hi Everyone :)
Today, Michael chose a fantastic theme for his Scribble Picnic! "Your Favourite Fictional Character(s)". Gosh I have so many, but I decided a battle of evil should happen today in my world! :)
I chose the Headless Horseman from Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and of course Poe's The Raven.
I read all of these books in high school, and multiple times since. I'm a fan of anything creepy and scary...but well written, not like the torture crap that's being 'written' in the modern era. I think that Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow is my favourite movie version; Spencer Tracy as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a wonderful movie version too if you can find it! Sadly, the movie version of The Raven was so poorly done. But The Simpsons did a fun version during one of their Halloween specials! :)
Having your head lopped off? Clubbed to death with a walking stick? Or driven to madness by a bird using psychological warfare? Not very good options if you had to choose, lol! Follow the link above to visit other artist's scribbles! And why not join in yourself? :)
Typically, January is "empty the freezer" month. So that's what I've been doing. I made an oven-fried chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn muffin dinner. Talk about comfort!
We had some of my leftover Mozzarella and we felt like poutine, so I made a version of that...oooh cheesy goodness!
And I made my first "cheese" of 2018. It's a recipe for cream cheese, but I mentioned a while back that it tastes more like a really good sour cream, so that's what I'm calling it now! For the recipe, check out Rainy Day Cheese Making. I'm going to make some more soon so we can flavour them with some herbs and eat them like a cream cheese Boursin. So last night we had pork and chicken fajitas with my Homemade Chunky Salsa. Those little frying pans come in handy for different meats! :)
Trust and innocence. Oscar the cat and my Jack sleeping back to back in bed. :)
The five-pack chewing on bones. We had a very positive and honest video call with our friend and his family last night. He's the one who left his two dogs with us in September and never came back to get them. Well, there are very good reasons we finally found out...illness, family issues and big decisions from his mom as to whether she'll relocate to Canada with our friend or not. SHE was the one who gave us confidence, Mom to the rescue. What a sweet lady. Anyway, we are okay with everything now, our friend will move back to Canada before next winter, anytime from March to September depending on his health, but it's a firm decision.
We are so relieved, not just knowing we'll be able to get our lives back to normal again...but also that he was finally honest with us about everything (thanks Mom), so that maybe we can salvage the friendship. Second chances, I don't often give them; but this time it feels right.
I wouldn't have chosen these three to be a favorite but we all have different tastes. but your rendition of the three characters is perfect. I wouldn't want to meet any of these in a dark alley.
ReplyDeletehave a lovely day.
Ooh I love that painting! I am just like you in that I love anything creepy, mysterious, a little macabre! Nice work!!! I would take the crow torture any day! ;)
ReplyDeleteI too do not like the torture, blood and gore stuff that is out now. Its not scary!
Your dinners looks delicious - especially the poutine! Now that I am following a 99% vegetarian diet, I need to figure out how to make mushroom gravy. I don't think its that hard.
Now this is good news on the Stella/Pavlov saga isn't it? I am glad that answers were finally given! Keeping fingers crossed that it all gets sorted for good! :)
Dang, now I need corn muffins!
ReplyDeleteHi Rain ~ you and my middle daughter would have a great time with a sleepover watching scary movies. She loves them. I like a good mystery, but like you said our modern era has gone to far with the torture and gore...
ReplyDeleteI did read all those books in high school too. They've been around a LONG time. haha.
I like court room dramas and have read most of John Grisham's books. Now I find "Bull" on TV interesting with minds of jurors.
I love that we are free to give second, third or more chances. Where would I be if someone hadn't given me a second chance.
Beautiful animals. Have a great day. BTW ~ all your food looks tasty. Haven't had good gravy in a long time.
Great job for scribble picnic. Great idea for Jan. I need to think about doing that. Course when I put things in the freezer, I need to mark them so I know what they are later...haha
ReplyDeleteWell I am glad the dog situation has some answers. Those dogs won't want to leave you!
ReplyDeleteHaha I emptied my freezer too, also went through the fridge and emptied all the expired condiments...I had way more than I thought. Had a lot of interesting smells going on but I had to recycle all the bottles!!
that's great news about the dogs! i am a firm believer in always being honest no matter how hard it is! yum...one of my favorite things in life is poutine! i don't like scary movies or books or anything. my early life was so scary i never go near any of that stuff!
ReplyDeleteA Headless Horseman, lovely to see your choice here Rain, and well done with the scary theme. We should all clear the freezer more often your food looks good. So glad you came to terms with your friend, leaving his dogs behind like that...wow.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Joyce on the scary stuff. Real life is scary enough. What a relief to know what the future will hold for you and the five pack. Your friend doesn't know how lucky he is (well, he should by now) to have his precious pooches in such good and loving hands. I hope he is continuing to provide financial support. We know how expensive feeding and caring for multiple dogs can be. I am going to HAVE to make poutine!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had some friend drama. I'm glad he finally told you what was going on and that he'll be coming back. Ppl can take learning about being sick differently; I guess he freaked out?
ReplyDeleteYou are one brave woman. You and Tim Burton would be besties! I saw Sleepy Hollow and it freaked me out. Did I tell you when I was in utero my mom was made to watch The Exorcist? I could never watch horror movies. I cried at Kujo; my uncle at the time tried to explain to me how it was all fake and what happen in film production - didn't help.
I appreciate and savor your online friendship, Rain. Thank you so much for your support.
I LOVE your artwork, Rain. So wonderfully, beautifully spooky. And fun...LOL... And that is great news about your friend. I'm very happy to hear that. I do like positive stories and positive outcomes. And being able to salvage a friendship is a very good thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd can I say that I'm starving now after looking at the photos of all this great food? Everything looks delicious!
I really like the joy and energy in your home. Lots of love and happiness at your place. ❤
beautiful painting and so much good food, you make me hungry!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh that's so scary. Such use of black and silhouette.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Janis
I agree. The modern horror films are mostly grisly torture movies.
ReplyDeleteI want to chugalug that gravy.
ReplyDeleteLovely picture Rain (in a scary way, of course). Burton's Sleepy Hollow may be my favorite horror picture of all: not too gruesome, very engaging, and excellent graphics and action scenes.
ReplyDeleteThat's a terrifically terrifying trio and well-done. It is hard to narrow it down to one sometimes - you've managed a great way to put them all together. And your meals look delicious!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got the info on the dogs.
ReplyDeleteSoooo happy that you finally found out the truth, about the dog situation. So happy.
ReplyDeleteWow that is some scary scribble!!!! Double wow. ,-)
Oh my Goodness, Rain, your life is both exciting and complicated. I agree second chances need to feel right, because too often, if they hurt you once, they are likely to again. I hope that works out well for you, it is hard to lose a friend. I love that you chose the three scariest and infamous evil doers. I loved all three of these stories both as books and as movies, though I don't think I ever saw The Ravon in movie form (probably a good thing :) And, I couldn't agree more that the current day horror stories and grotesque and I rarely watch any of them ... though the rest of my family seem to like them. Oh well, I can only dream of coming to your house for dinner. All of your dishes make me drool ... I wish I was as good a cook ... I have some good favorites that I make, but nothing like your food adventures. Well done, as always, Rain ...
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From the Sol
I love your concept and it's fantastic!! Great job. And I love your furbabies. You're wonderful to help take care of them, despite how it all happened. Wishing you a lovely rest of the week and weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteCreepy but beautiful and especially after you explained the characters....classics! You are so artistic I can't get over how great you can draw/paint. The dinners look great and after spending almost $8 for cheese for one meal I think I will definitely be looking seriously into cheese making! This was feta cheese and I use cream cheese quite a bit too. Would those be easy to start with?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you blogged today as I was getting concerned but sometimes it's my fault as I don't refresh my blog...duh!
So glad you were able to get things straightened out with your friend! That's wonderful! I'm trying your menu and grocery list method but I need a price list as I think I would have broken the bank had I gotten everything on my list! LOL! I've been saving receipts so I can write prices down of things I usually buy. You are such a great motivator for me! Thanks as always! Love Jack and his feline friend and the pack chomping on their bones together....amazing!
I'm happy that things are clearer about the dogs and that you can salvage your friendship. As always your food looks lovely and good luck with the new cheeses. Big hugs to you dear friend.xxx
ReplyDeleteSo good to read about the situ with your pet sitting being more settled and figured out now. Boy, he must have been seriously ill! Glad things are getting better there and "mom" was able to help.
ReplyDeleteThese are great choices, Rain! I mean, no reason one has to chose a nice character to be a loved one. I love that lovable rogue, Toad, even though I would never chose him as a house guest or friend!
Your painting her is superb too. Very moody. Love it!
And as Andrea said above, always enjoy reading about your cozy hoe life! And all tht fab nosh. :)
Thank you so much. I think I am going to hide behind the tarts whilst those characters are around, just to be cautious. :)
Great choice for the theme, Rain! I've always had a taste for the macabre, scary, frightening stuff! I don't think I ever saw the version of Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde with Spencer Tracy...I did love him in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? I feel that the blood and gore can be overdone in today's movies which can spoil it for sure.
ReplyDeleteYou have been a busy girl!
I only have one meateater in the house so I will often prepare meals in bulk and freeze them for him (my son)...makes it easier for me. I have always loved mashed potatoes but I just veganise them now...potatoes are such a versatile veggie, aren't they?
I'm so glad you sorted things out with your friend. While it wasn't nice that he left his dogs with you under false pretences (geez...September was ages ago), it's heartening to know that they did end up with you — someone who obviously loves and cares for them. It breaks my heart to see how many pets are dumped at shelters. You are a very good friend and I sure hope he appreciates that.
I LOVE your fur-kid photos! They all look so content.
What a crowd you've got there! And as always, such yummy looking things to eat. You all eat really well!
ReplyDeleteI agree that those doggies are SO fortunate to have you caring for them. I was wondering if they were still with you - that's rather a lot to have been been dumped on like that so long ago now. I certainly hope your friend realizes how grateful he should be, and hope he lives up to his promise to return sooner rather than later!
ReplyDeleteYour art is scary and you are so good at that. Your characters are definitely different - and we don't have to wait until October to have a shiver run down our spine, haha.
Cheese and food look awesome as always - and knowing you guys are warm and happy makes me glad. I'm trying to get my freezer empties too - so much has piled up with so much soup making especially through these colder months!
Take care - Mary x
Like you, I read those back in the day, but haven't read them lately because anything scary is pretty much out. Here's some trivia for you. Halloween is being rebooted, and they actually got the very great Jaime Lee Curtis back and all. The movie won't reference the other 30 versions that have been made over the years, though.(lol) That's really cool about the cream cheese you made which I really like, and who doesn't adore your pizza nights, Rain?We're ready to grab any of those leftovers too! (lol) I think sometimes that people do things in fear or frustration, and once the dust settles, want to resolve the problem, but don't know where to start. I'm glad you friend's mom put things in perspective so there's the possibility of repairing the friendship, and also giving you a much needed break. It's clear that your friend knew he could trust you with his precious animals though, but I know it's sure been a lot of extra work. Thank goodness you got all the facts so you know what's going on. Happy Saturday and HUGE Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteRain , you left out Chuckie Schumer and Hillary Clinton , surely the most dreadful and frightening monsters of all time!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that the guy who left all his dogs with you might come back and get them. I hope if he does he does right by the dogs and doesn't do this again. Sounds like it might all work out. They sure look like nice dogs.
Harry
Thanks Lissa :) I wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley either, let them fight it out between them :)
ReplyDeleteHi Dianna :)) I knew you'd like this one! :) Ha ha ha...I think I could handle a bird saying "nevermore nevermore" over and over, rather than my severed head rolling down a hill hee hee...I think mushroom gravy would be good. And you could also use veggie broth as a base. The gravy I made was simply chicken broth with some flour and herbs, very basic.
ReplyDeleteYes...the Stella/Pavlov saga...you know, in September, no matter what he said, my gut told me he wasn't honest. This time we both feel confident, but it was because of his mom, honestly. She is a strong lady and she was the one who convinced us that all would be well.
Lol Gill, those corn muffins were pretty tasty! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Wanda :) I'm a big fan of John Grisham's books too. I saw most of the movies made after his novels but the books are always better! I think my very favourite is The Testament with The Pelican Brief following a close second! :) And you are right, second chances are definitely deserved, I do hope things work out with the dogs. They deserve a happy, stable life!
ReplyDeleteThanks Pam :) January is a poor month here, after all the Christmas spending! :) We've been having lots of soups lately and I'm really doing a good job emptying the freezer, with all things labeled, lol! Thats a good habit! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn, me too :) I love those dogs, but my gosh it's too much work. They have it good here lol...I'm going to miss Pavlov...but one thing at a time right? :) You wouldn't believe how many condiments we had...they took up an ENTIRE row in the fridge, I did some purging of those this week too!
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce :) The make-shift poutine was really good! I kind of like the Mozza rather than the curd cheese for it. I'm like you, I just want honesty. Now that we have all of the information, we can rest assured that come next winter, we'll have our little peaceful home back! Unless Winnie needs a sitter! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Christine :) Yes...our friend surprised us on that one. But we did see it as a pattern when we looked back. He has some issues and his mom is helping him through it thankfully. This time she's taking charge so we know things will be okay. And thanks, I do love the scary stuff! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Susan :) Lol...you're so right, real life is scary enough...why must I have MORE of it? Lol...I think that the video call with our friend really made an impact on all of us. He was truly humbled when his mom took over the conversation. I'm very old school...an email, a text...no. I need to see a person visually to read them and this helped a lot. He will continue the monthly financial support for sure...(or I'll tell his mom lol)...you MUST make poutine! Fries, cheese, gravy...very basic, very comforting!!! Btw it's fondue night tomorrow, did you dust off your fondue pot yet??? :)
ReplyDeleteHi Stefanie :) I don't know what the heck he was thinking. He'd always been so open and honest with us...but this time around it was like talking to a brick wall. He had some pretty bad health issues himself, so we're trying to be compassionate. I LOVE Tim Burton!! :) It's that German Expressionist style he has that I'm a sucker for! He's good at scary too! YES! You told me about the Exorcist! I totally think that influenced you. I'm a big believer in energies and you probably got a little traumatized in utero. Stefanie, I think you're a fabulous woman! I'm so glad I've met you too! :)) xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Martha, I knew you'd like it! :) Get yourself a poutine girl, it'll make you feel great! :) Well, you know the entire saga of Stella and Pavlov (as Dianna above said)...the video call came as quite a surprise to us. I told you we were giving him the ultimatum this month, well he beat us to the punch and his mom was the one who laid down the law so to speak. We are grateful she was there. He's had a rough time, we're trying to be compassionate to him. It's tough though because of the situation, but I think that by next Halloween, we should have our three dogs and three cats house back!
ReplyDeleteThanks Laurie! :) Have you had poutine?
ReplyDeleteThanks Janis :) Nice to see you back at the picnic! :)
ReplyDeleteHi John :) I can't even think of watching them anymore. I like psychological thrillers and suspense, it's all so warped now.
ReplyDeleteLol Debra! :) I drink condiments regularly lol! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks TB :) Burton's Sleepy Hollow was fantastic. I loved his choice of cast, though I'm not a huge Depp fan. The older fellas were perfect in that movie! And Christopher Walken was brilliant! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lorraine :) I had fun doing this...I'm a wresting fan so all I could think of was a literary "smack down" lol...
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristina :) It's truly a huge relief. I'm so glad we got information...finally.
ReplyDeleteThanks Wisps of Wind :) The dog situation has caused a lot of stress for us...and brought a lot of love in our home too. It's such a sticky situation, but finally we got it all sorted out...at least I hope so!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea :) You're right...we've all had our own experiences, and the more I age, the more guarded I am. I say we gave him a "second" chance, but it was more like a fifth. But this time it really did feel like it was the right thing to do, like things were finally on the table in honesty, thanks to his mom really.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are blessed not to have slept through the modern rendition of The Raven movie lol...it was pretty bad! Thanks for your lovely comment! :)
Thanks Alexandra :) So nice to see your comment here. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sam! :)) Thank you so much! :) OMG...$8 for a Feta??? That's crazy, that makes me want to save you money lol...you've inspired me to make some Feta this year for sure. I love that cheese, but we're lucky, Quebec is cheese capital of Canada so we have some cheeses that aren't too expensive. Even still, I only buy Feta on sale when it's $4.99. I think that both cheeses will be easy, but the best one to start with is Ricotta. I'll work on a post on my cheese blog with cheeses I think are the best for a beginner. I hope that'll help you! You'll have to buy some basic ingredients though, likely online. I can't find the bacteria cultures here locally.
ReplyDeleteYes...the dog situation is straightened out, and in my gut, I feel like it really is. I'm so relieved, so is Alex. We love those pooches, but it's too much work. The price list helps a lot for the monthly shopping! I kind of know all of the basic prices by heart now, but I'm always careful to estimate. I write my list then check flyers and put the prices in. If nothing is on sale I'll estimate a price. That way it's much easier to keep to the budget. I also am able to figure out if my menus are too rich for the budget or not!!
Thanks Yarrow :) I'm really happy too. The furbaby situation got out of hand. Now there is hope. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Michael :)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, if not for his mom, we likely would have got the same run-around. He was pretty badly off health-wise...and I've mentioned before...why not just TELL US??? Why the pride...or shame? We are friends...anyway, it's settled and we're relieved!
LOL...I'd hide behind the tarts too lol! But I can't escape them...they are now pinned to my "watercolour wall"! I see those three villains every time I walk up the stairs!! At least they have each other to battle against! :)
Thanks Serena :) Oh gosh, I'll be honest, I think the Spencer Tracy version of Jekyll and Hyde is my favourite because I have a WEE crush on him...WEE in capital letters lol! :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE potatoes! And yes, you are a vegan...I don't think I could do it. I love butter and cheese on potatoes too much! But I really respect your choice. :)
September WAS a long time ago...and it might go to NEXT September, but at least we know now. Being left up in the air was causing way too much stress for us. That was one of our concerns...if he comes back and does it again...we put our foot down and say we can't take care of them...what would happen to those sweet dogs??? It was difficult. But his mother reassured us that she will keep them no matter what. Relief!
Thanks Leigh! :) We are gaining our winter weight with those meals lol! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Mary :) I think that I have a good feeling that our friend has been completely honest with us now, thanks to his mom intervening. Those dogs are sweet creatures...they deserve stability. They have all the love in the world here and if we could swing it, I'd love to have kept them. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, lots of soup this month! We must empty that freezer!! I hate to waste food, and I'm very good at saying "Oh just put it in the freezer, we'll eat it in a few days" which becomes a few months lol...I get creative in January! I'm glad you liked the scary spine-tingly watercolour!! :)
Hi RO :) That's interesting about Halloween! I love Jamie Lee! We're big fans of the old movies and I love her parents too. :) LOL at the 30 versions, and I've seen EVERY one! :) I've been trying to give our friend the benefit of the doubt, but it really got out of hand with him being so vague and causes such confusion. Now his mom put her food down and we saw how serious she was, it gave us confidence about his decision too. We are really going to miss those pups...but we might still have nearly a year with them so we're making it special :) xx
ReplyDeleteHi Harry :) I do hope the friend is going to follow through, but honestly, we got the impression that if he doesn't, MOM will. She kind of hinted that she didn't want to see them jumping from home to home, so we are pretty confident now. What a drama though huh?
ReplyDeleteLOL at your political monsters! Here in Canada we're all too nice so we don't have too many of them lol...or maybe I just don't care enough! :)
Hi Rain, I remember Spencer Tracy well and I will look for that film on YouTube. It is a nice picture and very scary. So well done! It’s always fun to visit your blog and see what you’re up to. I’ve really missed you the past couple of months and hope you’ve been keeping well. What i’ve really missed is perving out on your cheese. I hope you’re still doing them.
ReplyDeleteMy whole life has changed since I became disabled. I’m really careful about what I eat nowadays and don’t have anything like I used to. Out has gone cigarettes, meat, sugar. I must be hard to live with. But, do I care? No!
Hi Terry :) Thank you! I really enjoyed this painting and I have no clue who is winning, because I'm sure the battle goes on lol :) Things have been up and down here, just mostly pet stress, but slowly it's getting easier! I hope things are good with you too. I wonder how that lawsuit went?
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely still doing the cheeses, but have to slow it down due to lack of time! We tried the Cheddars and they were good, but I still want to find a better recipe. I also realized I don't have the right equipment for hard cheeses...so I'll have to get back to that when I can get a few more things. Still though, I'm making soft cheeses and Mozzas! :)
The lawsuit is ongoing in court right now. Who will win is the question. I haven’t got the foggiest is the answer. The judge will make a ruling. God knows what the decision will be. I’ve learnt to accept the decisions they come up with. All I know is that i’ve been very unlucky up till now and I don’t see it changing any time soon..
ReplyDeleteI already have the Hot Chocolate drawing done....I am ahead of the game this time! Thanks for introducing me to Scribble Picnic...found it through your blog. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Terry, I do hope that the courts will do the right thing...you are entitled to your rights!
ReplyDeleteHi Pam! You're welcome! :) It's fun isn't it? And oh am I envious, I have NO CLUE what I'll paint or draw for the next one!! :)
ReplyDeleteCool drawing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Guillaume :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your sweet comments about my pine tree cards. I started working out again today and had to take two IB because I know the soreness will make me cry later. But I'm glad to get back to my weights as I feel they'll help when I have to put weight on my hands during yoga. I hope to get my yoga socks today!
ReplyDeleteI plan to watch The Outsiders this weekend and have the teen watch with me since she read the book. It'll be fun!
You're welcome Stefanie :) Your cards are so lovely, you really have a knack for that art! Oh no...I'm still sore from the week of yoga in December! A hot bath helps too. Cool! You'll have to tell me what you think of the movie! :)
ReplyDelete