Thursday Art Date: Leaps and Bounds and Paint Party Friday AND GREAT NEWS!!

Hello Friends! 😊😊

Welcome to Thursday's Art Date, today our theme is Leaps and Bounds. Bugs Bunny and I brainstormed our idea for my drawing this week. We were out of ideas until we bumped into February 29th, and boy does that fella have issues....with a good expensive course of therapy, he'll be just fine. 😉

Do you know anyone who was born on February 29th? I kind of wish I was, I like the idea of being able to say I'm just 13 years old lol! Actually I did have my birthday last week and Alex made it very special. He got me a set of pastel pencils that I've been wanting for months.

He also designed a very sweet card including my birthday dinner menu and a sweet message! I'm a lucky gal! 😊 Oh and by the way, I've been celebrating my "39th" birthday for 14 years now!

He made me a delicious Swiss cheese fondue and baked the bread...it's shaped like a heart!!!

And to my surprise, he'd already cut up the bread on the inside. He just lifted the crusty part off and we were ready to dunk into the cheesy goodness! 😊

After our fondue, he made a cold Irish Coffee cocktail with a chocolate ice cream Sundae. I love Kit Kat chocolate bars, so he loaded it with those and he made a layer of whipped cream spiked with Benedictine Liqueur! Benedictine is an herbal digestif. The whole meal was delicious and so thoughtful! 👏👏👏

This is my Ostrich that I did for a charcoal class. I wanted to draw one in action, leaping and bounding, but I decided to focus on his head! I'm trying really hard to draw fur and feathers! (All of my charcoals are black and white, I don't know why my camera decides sometimes to give it a sepia tone!)

Here's my Humpback Whale leaping through the air into the sea. I really enjoyed drawing this one!

Drum Roll Please.....🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

WE BOUGHT OUR HOME!!! Okay, to be official, our down payment has been transferred and now we are just waiting on the bank to finalize the verification and send it to our lawyer for closing! (this may go to end of March)

We found a really nice little house in Southern New Brunswick (we are in Quebec). It's one hour from the ocean and one hour from the Fundy Bay and the Hopewell Rocks. (I did it Louise!!! Near the Fundy Bay!!) 💘 It doesn't have the land we want, it's only one acre, but it's a quiet property surrounded by 3-season cottages on a private road. No neighbours year-round! It's zoned "Unzoned and Agricultural" so we can have our chickens and goats and as many dogs as we want! We have river access for kayaking and fishing, the property below us is vacant, back in 2012 the cottage burned down (you can see the burned house in this old satellite image). In the future we will contact the owners of the land and try to buy it to add to our acreage. The area is filled with wildlife...oh Friends...I'm so dog-gone happy and grateful! I'm leaping for joy! (I think I cried for 2 straight hours after getting the news lol) Stay tuned for more updates!!! 😊😊😊

On that note, that's all for now folks! But please check out the link widget below to see more Leaps and Bounds artwork! 

I'm also linking up with Paint Party Friday tomorrow!

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I visited Buffalo Land Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island in 2010 - this intimidating buffalo was really giving me the eye! I wonder if he saw me as friend or foe?

March 5th: Next Thursday's theme is What Do You See? Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! 🎨🎨

Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes. 

Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! The link gadget expires Sunday at noon (EST).

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Thursday Art Date: Wisdom of the Ages and Paint Party Friday!

"The Stinker"

Hello Friends! 😊😊

Welcome to Thursday's Art Date, today our theme is Wisdom of the Ages. Here is Bugs Bunny posing for my drawing of  Rodin's "The Thinker".

This sculpture has been around for well over 100 years so he must be pretty wise by now with all of that thinking he's been doing!!

According to the Smithsonian, sharks have been on this earth for over 400 million years. Talk about Wisdom of the Ages!! They have continued to exist in our oceans for eons despite how the world has evolved around them...instinctual wisdom! 😊 I created this fella in one of my mixed media courses with a watercolour under-painting on blue toned paper, then charcoals and pastels for shading and details. I've never mixed all these things up before but it was fun seeing it come together!

💋 Thank you so much Friends for all of your lovely comments lately! I'm in the thick of the house hunting process...something may be on the horizon very very soon! I should have some news for you all next Thursday but it's looking like we may have found our home!! Wish me lots of luck!!! Thanks for popping in! Please check out the link widget below to see more Wisdom of the Ages artwork! 

I'm also linking up with Paint Party Friday tomorrow!

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A brown squirrel leaping from a tree branch!

February 27th: Next Thursday's theme is Leaps and Bounds. Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! 🎨

Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes. 

Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! The link gadget expires Sunday at noon (EST).

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Thursday Art Date: ❤️ Love ❤️ and Paint Party Friday!

Hello Friends! 😊

Welcome to Thursday's Art Date, today our theme is Love ❤️.

Here is Bugs Bunny posing for my drawing of "The Birth of Venus" (by Sandro Botticelli). The Roman Goddess Venus is a symbol of love and beauty.

There is a lot of love in the air! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, do you celebrate? We'll be having a romantic fondue dinner! Interesting too, tomorrow is Friday. In French, Friday is Vendredi. The word Vendredi is derived from the Latin: Veneris Dies, which translates into The Day of Venus.

"Lost Love" (charcoal)

I decided to do something different for the Love theme with my charcoals. I wanted to challenge myself because I'm really not comfortable with drawing figures, especially hands. But I'm super happy how this turned out, despite the sadness of it!

I've been adding some more recipes to my new Recipe Page (click on the links for the recipes!):

Gina's Pizza and Mushroom Burgers

Greek Veggie Pita Pockets and Greek Potatoes

I'm loving that daylight is coming earlier and earlier! Walking the dogs yesterday morning at 6:30am, I saw the sun rising on one side of the road...

...and the moon setting on the other side of the road. How fabulous! 😊

That's all for now folks! Please check out the link widget below to see more Love artwork! 

I'm also linking up with Paint Party Friday tomorrow!

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My Rhino is done! I'm very happy with it! The Rhinoceros symbolizes wisdom and offers you this advice: “Only when you are truly comfortable in your own skin can you begin to access the ancient wisdom within you”

February 20th: Next Thursday's theme is Wisdom of the Ages. Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! 🎨

Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes. 

Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! The link gadget expires Sunday at noon (EST).

⚡⚡⚡⚡  Be forewarned ⚡⚡⚡⚡ If you include a link that doesn't follow the art date theme, it will be removed! Thanks for your understanding and for respecting my fellow artists who put their minds, hearts and souls into creating art for the themes!

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Sewn Pencil Case

Hi Everyone 🌞

It's a very cold Sunday morning and I'm hibernating today. So are the pets! I don't know how Oscar can sleep with his face all squished into the pillow like that!

The amount of art supplies I've accumulated is enormous! I've run out of spots to put things. I have yogurt containers filled with pencils, brushes, supplies...pads of paper stacked up...it was getting out of hand! Alex offered to buy me a pencil case for my coloured pencils but I decided to make one with supplies I had at home instead.

This is leftover fabric I had from when I made my pj's at Christmas. One hour of sewing and I have a 46 pencil case that didn't cost me a penny. I love it! 

I took this photo a few days ago when we had milder weather. I love the patterns and shapes of the ice in the river. Today it's covered with snow. I can't wait until spring!!

I made a Feta and a Cheddar last week. We're going to try the Feta tomorrow, I'm excited, it's the first time I made Feta!! I got this book as a gift and I'm so grateful. I've been wanting it for a long time. It's a very in-depth explanation of the entire home cheese making process with oodles of recipes!

Sorry I don't have foodie photos and recipes to share, we've been eating from the freezer again! But Valentine's is coming up and I have a nice fondue planned with cupcakes for dessert! I'm also hoping to find time to make some homemade pasta. We had a conference call with our New Brunswick real estate agent yesterday and he's raring to go to help us find our home. He even has a good contact in Nova Scotia if we find a place there. I'm putting the house hunting into overdrive this week! We have four months until the end of our lease, it's not that long!!

See you all on Thursday for our art date! The theme is Love. 💘💘💘

Thursday Art Date: Dining; and Paint Party Friday!

Hello Friends! 😊😊

Welcome to Thursday's Art Date, today our theme is Dining. Wile E. Coyote won't let tough times get him down! He's fine dining whether he catches that Road Runner or not! 😃

Dining by candlelight is very romantic! 😊 I took a class using pastel pencils and I love how this turned out! I didn't have the right paper though, so it's still a little too grainy for my liking.

The winter mornings are beautiful! Even though I have a full plate, sometimes I feel lonely in the winter. It's an odd feeling because I can barely find time to do everything I want/need to do...I think it has to do with a little cabin fever and maybe some Seasonal Affective Disorder - I get that every winter. The house hunting is tiring and currently unsatisfying. It's all the same stuff as last year...I'm hoping for that diamond in the rough to just pop up one day soon!

I also took a class using tinted charcoal pencils on a tan toned piece of sketch paper. My little bunny is dining on a flower. He's pretty content, but I'm not gaga over the tinted charcoal! I have a really tough time identifying values (lights and darks) in colour. I find it easier in black and white (it's much more obvious); but I won't give up! I need to step out of my comfort zone to try new things and learn more about art!!

Rhino Update: We're not quite done!! Next Wednesday night will be the final lesson. This class has taught me patience, which I think we all need to learn at some point in our lives! I've been working with 2 or 3 pencils, very slowly, building layers...and I really do love this wrinkly fella. I have a lot of detail work to finish on his back and side and then I need to "push the values"...which means apply light and dark for highlights and shading. He's been pretty patient considering his temperament, I just have to feed him grass and apples and he's agreed to keep modeling for me! 😁

That's all for now folks, thanks for popping in!  But please check out the link widget below to see more Dining artwork! 

I'm also linking up with Paint Party Friday tomorrow!

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You know what's a nice feeling? Looking over and seeing my loving hound dog Jack's face! I love the way he looks at me! 💕🐶💕 I feel his love!

February 13th: Next Thursday's theme is Love. Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! 🎨

Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes. 

Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! The link gadget expires Sunday at noon (EST).

⚡⚡⚡⚡  Be forewarned ⚡⚡⚡⚡ If you include a link that doesn't follow the art date theme, it will be removed! Thanks for your understanding and for respecting my fellow artists who put their minds, hearts and souls into creating art for the themes!

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Frozen Eyelashes...Cheddar Taste Test

-25 Celsius. This is after being outside for about 10 minutes. Notice the frozen droplet hanging over my right eye. Jack Frost is creeping into my knitted hat too. We're in a deep freeze again!

My four Camemberts are starting to mould beautifully! I can't wait to eat these! They have another month or so to go!

Here's a video of the six pets tasting the 3-month old Cheddar I made in October. I think they all liked it! :) (I reviewed my Cheddar on Rainy Day Cheese Making if you're interested!)

See you all on Thursday for our art date! The theme is Dining.

Thursday Art Date: Glow; and Paint Party Friday!

Hello Friends! 😊😊

Welcome to Thursday's Art Date, today our theme is Glow. I thought I'd do my take on the 1982 horror film poster Poltergeist. The glow of the television set is pulling Bugs Bunny into the ghostly abyss! Did anyone see that movie? At the time it was pretty scary, though now I find it kind of goofy, like a lot of those 80's horror films!

"They're here, Doc!" 😁

I challenged myself this week to do a negative image drawing. I was helping Alex with a photo shoot a few years ago and I really liked the glow of the light hitting the side of my face in the photo; so I tried to draw that minimally with white charcoal on black paper. I like how it turned out!

Besides the art classes and house hunting, I've been busy in the kitchen! I am obsessed with a You Tube channel I found the other day called Buon-A-Petitti. The channel is hosted by an 85-year old Italian lady who cooks authentic Italian dishes. The videos are so down to earth and last night I made her pizzas with her pizza sauce. Mamma Mia! These were some of the best pizzas I've ever made!!!

It's been a lovely winter week here in the mountains! The weather is just around freezing, which makes it very tolerable. Here's a photo of the river where I walk the dogs each day - it's so beautiful!

Thanks so much for popping in! That's all for now folks! But please check out the link widget below to see more Glow artwork! 

I'm also linking up with Paint Party Friday tomorrow!

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Black squirrel fine dining on a peanut!

February 6th: Next Thursday's theme is Dining. Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! 🎨

Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes. 

Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! The link gadget expires Sunday at noon (EST).

⚡⚡⚡⚡  Be forewarned ⚡⚡⚡⚡ If you include a link that doesn't follow the art date theme, it will be removed! Thanks for your understanding and for respecting my fellow artists who put their minds, hearts and souls into creating art for the themes!

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Sunday Food and Pets Post - Snuggly Pets

Winter Sunrise

Hello my Friends! 😊

I hope you're all doing well and enjoying life! I love that the days are a little longer so that I can take the dogs out much earlier and see the sun rise! I took the above photo yesterday morning.

This is how my world looked this morning, we got two feet of snow overnight. Let the shoveling begin, bah! 😟

With that snowfall, the path to the woods is officially inaccessible.

Charlie, Marlene and Jack

So it's back-road walking until April. That arctic cold snap is gone and we are now having a nice "warm" spell. I'm very pleased because that means I can take all three dogs out each day for a walk! Usually I only take Charlie because it's too cold for Marlene and Jack. I hate to admit it but those two are getting on in age and they really suffer when it's very cold out.

Oscar, Dana and Leo

The cats are very happy to be snuggling by the heater on the couch in the living room!

We've mostly been eating leftovers and food from the freezer. Alex is vegetarian for the most part, but I often enjoy a simple dinner of baked fish and veggies.

Simple comforting meals are great for winter, like stir fries.

Soups and Homemade Bread are a staple in this house during the cold months! I made some Leek and Potato Soup for Alex and an Apple Pumpkin Soup for me! I always make double or even triple batches of soup so that we can put the leftovers in the freezer and have them for future meals.

I started four more Camemberts over the weekend, two are at the brining stage and two are air drying. These will be ready in March. 

Oscar and Jack, cuddling in Jack's bed

Big Boss Leo - How is he comfortable??

I know that some of my friends visit my blog only on Sundays. I posted the following message on my Thursday post, so I'm going to repeat it today if you don't mind:

On a personal note, I wanted to let you all know that the next few months will be jam-packed for me. I am taking even more art classes, I'm working on a project for a home business, and in a few weeks the house hunting begins! We'll be traveling from here in Quebec to visit homes in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. And if all goes well, we'll be moving in May. I may not post every Sunday but I will definitely be keeping up with the art date on Thursdays. I am so happy that so many people are joining in! It's very motivating and so much fun to see your art, so thank you!!! 💕

On that note, I'll wish you all a nice end to the weekend! Alex and I can't wait to get out of this area, all we can hear are the ROARS of snowmobile engines...day and night, it's horrible. When we moved to this village in 2015, you could hear a pin drop - but since a new mayor was elected he turned the village into a tourist area. I'm sure some people are okay with that, but we definitely are not!

I'll see you all on Thursday for our art date, the theme is Glow! 🌞🌞🌞