Hello Friends!
Happy Sunday! :)
I hope all is well with you. I'm totally bouncing back from the house-hunting disappointment! I've planted lots of seeds and they are sitting in my office window, soaking up the sun. :) My garden won't be quite as big as last year's. We got rid of the tires in anticipation of moving, so I won't be doing my "tater tires" this year!
But I do have lots of lettuces, herbs, tomatoes, beans, pumpkins and flower seeds in the pots. My Butter Crunch lettuce is already sprouting up!! :) This will be the summer of RELAXATION. Tell me what you're up to with your gardens! It always inspires me! :)
The snow has nearly almost melted, but with the last week of heavy rain and the snow melt, the river down the road has overflowed its banks...the forecast looks dry and sunny for a few days so let's hope it recedes!
With all of the house-hunting hub-bub...I didn't post a photo of my Easter cake!!! It's really the only baking I did in the last few months, it's a Carrot Cake decorated with chocolate bunnies and M&M's on a bed of shredded carrots. :)
But I do have lots of lettuces, herbs, tomatoes, beans, pumpkins and flower seeds in the pots. My Butter Crunch lettuce is already sprouting up!! :) This will be the summer of RELAXATION. Tell me what you're up to with your gardens! It always inspires me! :)
The snow has nearly almost melted, but with the last week of heavy rain and the snow melt, the river down the road has overflowed its banks...the forecast looks dry and sunny for a few days so let's hope it recedes!
With all of the house-hunting hub-bub...I didn't post a photo of my Easter cake!!! It's really the only baking I did in the last few months, it's a Carrot Cake decorated with chocolate bunnies and M&M's on a bed of shredded carrots. :)
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| Painting on the porch today! |
Let's talk about art! As many of you know, I used to participate in the weekly Scribble Picnic. Well, it has dissolved unfortunately. I've really missed it though, so I made the decision to start my own weekly art "date". I'm calling it the Thursday Art Date With Rain. What do you think? Anyone want to join in? Every Thursday I'll publish a post with a link gadget so that anyone who wants to participate can add their post link to share their wonderful creations. I found it always very motivating and I loved seeing other people's interpretations. I met lots of nice friends through the picnic too! :)
I created a page here: Thursday Art Date With Rain. This page explains things a little bit; I also posted prompts/themes/ideas for the weekly art date...I've gone all the way up to the end of September in case you want to take a look in advance to come up with ideas!
On my right side bar, there will be a link to the prompts.
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| Summer Bird (watercolour) |
On my right side bar, there will be a link to the prompts.
Each prompt/theme/idea has a link to a separate page that will give you some inspiration and ideas for the piece. For example, this week's prompt (May 16th) is Drips Drops and Splatter. If you click on the link, it'll bring you to a page with some ideas and inspiration. Even if I'm the only one who posts my art, that's okay, I won't give it up! :)
The following subject makes me happy...I have my cooking MOJO back my friends! It's been a year and a half since I've found cooking and baking to be a CHORE and a RESPONSIBILITY rather than fun and a creative outlet. I could cry with joy that I'm feeling back to my old self again. It's been a very difficult year and a half...but lessons have been learned, pain has been processed and hurt has been (and is still in the process of being) healed. Life is wonderful. :)
Spinach Ricotta Lasagna Roll-Ups : It smelled so good I forgot to take a photo of our plates, but trust me, ooh lala, very yummy!!!
Ricotta and Strawberry Toast with Strawberry Sundaes...decadent...a dash of Fragoli Strawberry Liqueur in the sundaes was the perfect touch! When strawberries are in season, take advantage!!!
And some smoked meat sandwiches. This is toasted Rye bread smothered with yella and Dijon mustard with (pre-bought) smoked meat and Swiss cheese melted on top. With sauerkraut, fries and a Dill pickle...it's an awesome deli-style dinner!
I even made some Quick Mozzarella this morning for tonight's dinner. I'm feeling good again! :)
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| Linguine Carbonara (minus the bacon because I ran out!) |
Open-Faced Garden Veggie Sandwiches: This was SO good with zucchini, tomato, onions and eggplant. I'm not usually a fan of eggplant, but the flavours mixed together made me a big fan. Oh my gosh...the "Muncho" chips...we wanted chips with our sandwiches, but these were like eating pure salt!!
Spinach Ricotta Lasagna Roll-Ups : It smelled so good I forgot to take a photo of our plates, but trust me, ooh lala, very yummy!!!
Ricotta and Strawberry Toast with Strawberry Sundaes...decadent...a dash of Fragoli Strawberry Liqueur in the sundaes was the perfect touch! When strawberries are in season, take advantage!!!
And some smoked meat sandwiches. This is toasted Rye bread smothered with yella and Dijon mustard with (pre-bought) smoked meat and Swiss cheese melted on top. With sauerkraut, fries and a Dill pickle...it's an awesome deli-style dinner!
I even made some Quick Mozzarella this morning for tonight's dinner. I'm feeling good again! :)
I am IN for Thurs art Rain!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderfully upbeat post, Rain! You are amazing, girlie. You've been through so much laced with a big bunch of disappointment and yet you have survived (very nicely!) and have chosen to be happy rather than defeated, dour and down. And it is a choice, isn't it? But to make the positive, healthy choice, you have to be strong. And you are.
ReplyDeleteThe idea for your creative Thursdays sounds so tempting to me . . . but I'd have to do it with handwork or possibly food and I can't put any pressure on myself right now when I'm trying so desperately to lessen the pressure! Still . . . ;o}
Oh my gosh do you ever have your mojo back! I knew it would find you again,,, such an amazing cook you are and your painting is beautiful, I will love to join your art prompt , sounds like lots of fun and keeps us motivated !,
ReplyDeletei am so happy to hear you being back to your old self! it will be a good relaxing summer for you with no pressure! bummer about the tater tires. did you manage to eat all of those potatoes you grew?
ReplyDeleteYour Easter cake is the cutest darn thing I've seen!
ReplyDeleteI would never have guessed that you had a time where you did not enjoy cooking , because you're meals always look amazing and artistic . I love the photo of your window filled with plants, they look so pretty . Your Thursday art project sounds great if I felt better I would join you , but instead I'll just check in and enjoy seeing what you and others are doing . Thank you for the sweet comments you've left on my blog they touched my heart .
ReplyDeleteConnie
I am so sorry about the house disappointment. The right place will come along when you least expect it. You do a wonderful job with your artwork, Rain, and your food looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have had a wonderful Sunday- xo Diana
OMG that easter cake is the cutest !!! All the food looks delicious like always. I am glad you hot your mojo back 😊
ReplyDeleteI have some tomatoe plants growing in the window. My potatoes are in the ground ... as u know ...
I need to buy all my seeds yet...carrots beets turnip. The rest like cuces and such will come from the nursery. I dont have good windows tonstart in the house. I have a greenhouse frame and one day when my critters anad little people dont take up all my time ... I will put it up 😊 happy growing season sis ❤
Good for you Rain! And as usual, your photos are a real treat for the eyes. I tried planting a half-dozen potatoes in large pots. 5-gallon buckets would have been better, but I didn't have many. So far so good!
ReplyDeleteHi Christine! I'm so happy about that! I knew you'd join in :)
ReplyDeleteHi Mama Pea :) Yes, it's a choice...but I think we can only see that choice after we have a little pity party or two! At least it works that way with me. :) Thank you. xx No pressure...if you feel pressure to meet a deadline, even an art date, don't do it! That was a problem for me in the last six months or so. Even though I was loving to paint and create, I felt like my art contributions each Wednesday were pressure on me and I didn't particularly enjoy them...though I had pressure from other sources so it made things worse. I'm a creature of habit though, I love routine and this creates it for me! But...check out the weekly themes, if you come across anything you're doing in your daily life that may go along with it, please join in!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie :) My mojo was just hiding under the surface...lol. I'm so happy to hear you'll be joining in! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce :) I know...total bummer about the tater tires, but you know, I just don't feel like heading out in search of more tires, cleaning them, filling them...blah...I'll do a few in bins and bags! We ate all of the ones from last year by January, but then the leftover ones grew eyes, so I canned them. Problem is, they got SO STARCHY in the pressure canning process I find them icky to eat. When we get our home, we definitely need a proper root cellar to make sure we can keep them at least until the spring.
ReplyDeleteThanks Debra! Fun to eat too! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Connie :) Thank you :) You know, I'm a master at hiding things from people, which I guess can be a bit of a bad thing because it's all about the people pleasing...don't want to rock the boat with anyone. But I'm so glad that difficult time is finally over, at least it feels that way! I know your difficult time seems to be over too and I'm SO happy for you and your hubs!!! If ever you have time and the motivation, please do join the art date!! :) xx
ReplyDeleteHi Diana :) Thanks! The house...wasn't meant to be this year, we learned a lot though. We need to really be dilligent when it comes to finding out all we can before we make visits. We also need to stick to our buyer's agent to protect our interests. But we'll be in a better position next spring financially, more wiggle room so a little less stress!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sis :) I love that I got my mojo back hee hee...all I can think of is Austin Powers now...I hope you can get your greenhouse up and running. That's one thing I really really want so that I can extend the growing season, but that'll be for the future. I hope your taters produce a lot for you. I'm heading to the nursery when it opens next week too, just to check things out. I want to try to get some strawberry plants, everything else is seeded.
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh :) I think your taters will grow in large pots! Last year, besides the tires, we had two big black garbage bins, those worked well too. I showed Alex the photos of your now/then, especially the cypress trees, we both love those, how quick and thick they grow! But can't seem to find them here in Canada, except on special order. We'll have to see if they actually grow in this zone or not.
ReplyDeleteTerrific little Carrot Cake! That's one of my favorite cakes! I would join in the painting, but my stick figures would become dementedly challenging ...lol... I am really happy for you to be shed of those pressures and worry. I saw your post about the cypress, and wanted to add that we wanted to plant some on our farm. The cost was outrageous to purchase them in pots, but it wasn't bad to purchase seeds. We bought way more than we needed, but I figured we may have some loss when we plant them in the ground, so we should be good. I have everything in the ground at the garden, except my second corn crop, and some shuckie beans. Those will be planted the third week of June. We were lucky to get several loads of old horse poop from the neighbors, and the garden is really popping from that.
ReplyDeleteAs always, the food looks great. I haven't make lasagna roll ups in a while. I should. The cheese looks great.
ReplyDeleteHi Dino :) I would LOVE to see your stick figures ;) When did you plant those cypress seeds? I'm curious to know how long they actually grow from seed. Here in Canada, I can't even find transplants to buy, didn't think of looking for seeds. Keep me informed of their progress won't you? Horse poop is like gold, lucky you!! One day I'd love to plant corn too, but I need to do a lot more research for our climate!
ReplyDeleteHi Kristina :) Thanks! The cheese is so good, and so easy to make. Very fresh! The lasagna too, super easy and I made my own Ricotta for that.
ReplyDeleteYay for us! You've got your mojo back!!! xo
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan!! :) xx
ReplyDeleteWonderful to know that life is wonderful and you got your cooking mojo back.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look forward to your weekly painting date here on your blog. So glad you've recovered from your disappointment and are inspiring us all this spring with your growing things and cooking things. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Hena :) It feels good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Becki :) It's hard sometimes, but it's time to get back to life! I'm really looking forward to the art date! My creative juices are flowing again. :)
ReplyDeleteRain,
ReplyDeleteWOW, you impress me all the time! You've found your creative mojo in the kitchen and at the easel once again. Hooray for you! I will check out your weekly prompt and if time permits then I'll be joining in the fun. I'm glad to see that you're kicking off an art hop. Of course, my mid-week post is a good place to share as I'm using that time slot for my 'in living color' series which is a spin-off from my A2Z theme. Okay, now let me go check out that page. Have a artastic day!
Thank you Cathy!! :) Hooray indeed! I'm back to me again, so happy about that. I'll have to check out your "in living color" series too! I hope you have some time to join in! :)
ReplyDeleteWowza! Look at all 'dat grub. Glad you have your mojo back in regards to cooking. I like your porch painting photo with your kitty keeping you company. Your Easter cake was fun to view.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see you back to your old self. Enjoy the spring.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stefanie :) All of the pets were out there with me at one point, it got REALLY crowded lol...nearly lost my easel!
ReplyDeleteThank you Arlene :) I hope you're enjoying the spring too!
ReplyDeleteWait a minute....you have not been enjoying those meals you were turning out, well I was! I was gaining weight just looking at all you come up with and now you are doing it again! haha...Excited about the art page. Love it. As for me, garden only ever is about the plants and flowers. Last yr I tried tomatos in a pot again and they just did not do what I wanted. Course maybe more then two plants would have been better. Right now, even the flower beds are not getting the love they need. I will get back, I will find myself...SOON I HOPE.
ReplyDeleteHa ha Pam...I'm glad one of us was enjoying them! ;) I am now though. :) I'm glad you'll be joining in with your photography! I think summer will do wonders for you, garden therapy is wonderful. I had issues with my tomatoes as well last year, they got some kind of tree fungus from spores in the air...very disappointing. I'm trying to figure out how to protect them this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to plant tomatoes, cucumbers and basil this year in my tiny vegetable garden.
ReplyDeleteHi John :) That's great! I hope the rabbits stay away this year! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is UPLIFTING post dear Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletei am so happy for you that you feeling back to your normal being again and i can feel the joy and peace throughout your words and these wonderful amazing photos !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you are an outstanding lady with undefeated heart and daring soul!
your magnificent analogy about life warmed my heart and made my eyes teary
tears of gratitude that my friend is empowered and brave to accept what is before and stepping forward smoothly to achieve her goal!
my heartfelt BEST WISHES ARE WITH YOU EACH STEP DEAR FRIEND!
your garden is inspirational and so do your food ,yummy and mouth watering
speaking for your talent as ALL ROUNDER :)))
glad that you staring new art page ,wishing great success which i can see is obvious :)
your bird is just GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hugs!
Thank you Baili!!! :) I'm very relieved that the darker times are finally leaving me! I just want to be happy, carefree and comfy again. :) The art date is going to be a fun weekly project, I'm really looking forward to it! And yes, the food...it's been a while since I felt so creative in the kitchen...I see a lot of weight gain in my future lol! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou find the best smoked meat sandwiches in Montreal. Just sayin'. But this one looks delicious. And the rest looks yummy too. I think a carbonara without bacon actually sounds better in its simplicity.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and uplifting post, Rain! I'm so happy to see you bouncing back and feeling joyous. Remember that each step we take, even if we find obstacles, is a step forward. It'll all work out in the end. In the meantime, enjoy life!
ReplyDeleteYou're right Guillaume. The smoked meat I bought was from Dunn's actually, it's a restaurant in Mtl if you don't know it, they sell it here in grocery stores - delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks Martha :) The last little while of steps back have encouraged me to very strongly take more steps ahead! I intend to enjoy every moment life gives me!! :)
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see you painting and drawing again. I can only imagine how disappointed you were about the house hunting not panning out. Yet you still have a roof over your head and a lovely area to live in. (Well, there is that snow issue LOL) As for your cooking MOJO............Hooray! I for one, am super glad to see it back. I love see all the yummy things you make for you and your love. It inspires me to do better in my kitchen too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marsha :) I'm so happy to have my mojo back too :) Yeah...the snow...can you believe we still have some??? It's just not melting because of the overnight freezing temperatures! If it means a late fall, I'm okay with that! :)
ReplyDeleteThat overflowing river is something! I do hope that the water receded. I had to smile at the kitty watching you paint ~ perhaps it was that summer bird (just darling!). You cook such wonderful dishes! I haven't been feeling the cooking rush this past week or so. Perhaps now that Terry is home from house hunting I'll start feeling it again. No house yet, and I'm okay with that. We need to do some work on our current house. Have a good one!
ReplyDeleteHi Louise :) The river did recede in the last few days since we had very little rain - thankfully!! I find it hard to find my cooking mojo when I'm super busy and stressed...the house hunting was a source of great stress for me the last 6 months, now I'm glad for the break. I hope you find your dream home!! :)
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