Happy Canada Day!

Wishing all my Canadian Family, Friends, and Fellow Bloggers a Happy Canada Day!  Looks like rain is socked in here for most of the day!  Enjoy the freedom we enjoy!  Be Well! Be Safe!

I found this hand painted rock at the Heritage Hills Wetlands recently.  I know that the young people of Sherwood Park have been very creative. 

Recent Photos

Wishing all my friends and family on line in Canada a Happy Canada Day! 

I captured this flag at the Legislature Grounds yesterday.

The wind was quite brisk but it was a wonderful day with no rain for a change.

Today, it rained for a few hours in early afternoon.







This is the book on my night table this week.  The same author of Bridges of Madison Country which is one of my favorite movies.  Love the story.

I have started a couple of books in the last week which did not work out so they are off to the thrift store.  I have to remind myself that just because I start a book I don`t need to finish.

This one is going well. 

I took on this sewing piece for my niece.  I was part of a fleece project that my niece was leading where we collected fleece blankets.  The blankets were made into these ponchos by girls in her group.

I never put a poncho together so with a bit of help from my niece and ventured out.  The blanket already had the black edging so I just left it. I removed a piece of velcro and the leftovers of a bag it used to roll into. 
The hood and the pocket were cut from the tie dyed blanket.  The hood is sewn into a slit cut in the center of the blanket.  This should be a double seam.  I used a stitched zigzag to sew in the pocket.  The pocket is placed on the inside of the poncho so your arms stay warm too.

I am working on getting a salt cellar because I am tired of getting enough salt into the pasta water with a salt shaker.

I realized that the spoon needed to be plastic, ceramic or stainless steel to survive in the salt. I found a nice ceramic spoon which holds 1/2 tsp of salt.  I have put salt in this cut glass jam/condiment jar but it is not the look I am going for.

I have been looking for a few weeks and I press on to find a container that has a lid with an opening that works for the spoon I have.  Keeping in mind my blue and yellow kitchen I would like ceramic or glass.

I will post the winner here when I find it.

This works really well when making pasta because the salt should be added while the water is boiling.

The gardens and flower beds are growing really well with the rain and sun we are getting.

I love this bearded iris.

Sharing with

Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #34 on Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.


Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #198.

Share Your Cup

We celebrated Canada's 150th birthday on the weekend.

I decided to have a red and white breakfast.  I made whole wheat pancakes. I put with high bush cranberry syrup in my red and white bowl.  I had my tea in the matching mug.  Cream for my tea and pancake syrup was served in a glass creamer. I chose a white IKEA plate with a bit of butter on a small china plate.

I did collect some small flags which I placed in a small vase.  I landed a Canada 150 commemorative water bottle.

I was very good and a nice relaxing breakfast.


A visit to the Community Garden gave me a lovely deep pink rose with an ant highlighted on the left.  I love the moody photo of a light pink peony on the right.  They have been so nice this year.

I bought a coffee table photo book by a local photographer, Daryl Benson.  It had been advertised and I was intrigued.  It is a wonderful book with photos from across the country.  Really enjoyed looking at and will go back to it for inspiration.

The scrapbook store was promoting 50% sales on quite a few items so I thought it was worth a trip.  I had been making a lot tea related cards for a challenge and had hoped to land a Tim Holtz Tea Time die. No luck and I am really in stash busting mode so no other product came home with me.


 

I spent several hours walking around Beaumaris Lake and captured a lot of wild life.  There was a hare baby, Canada Geese, ducks of all kinds, a Coot, a Ring Billed Gull and Red Wing Black Bird.These photos are Ring Necked Grebe on the left and checkout the little head sticking out on her back.  The little one is hitching a ride. The right has a Double Crested Cormorant and a American White Pelican sitting on a structure in the middle of the lake.  All eyes are on me.

I have been sewing.  We have a family event coming up and there a request for donations of items as a fundraiser to support the rent of a facility.

I made a set of flat ware roll and placement combo which facilitates outdoor eating.  I added a small coordinating napkin which makes it completely zero waste.  Just wash and reuse.

I chose a bright pink and purple floral fabric a coordinating pink solid.
I cut the place mat pieces at 13Tx19.5W one from each fabric.  The pocket was cut at 8Tx19.5 W.  It was hemmed at the top and then sandwiched between the layers and a white ribbon was added on the left hand side. After stitching all the way around and it was turned inside out.  I over stitched all the way around the outside edge.  I then created slots on the right hand side one for each knife, fork and spoon.  A wider one for the napkin.  I had just enough fabric left over to make a small napkin with a floral header.  Place the flatware, the napkin and there is still pocket for anything else you might want to include. Once the complete just fold the top edge down then roll from the right hand side going toward the ribbon ties.  This will ensure your flatware stays in place.  There were some designs which did not have the flap but I thought it was critical.



Sharing with Share Your Cup #255 hosted by Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Recent Snapshots

It was glorious on my walk this morning.  The weather was great and some folks were headed back to work.

This is a nice plant taken at the Legislative Grounds this morning.   It sat in most shade from this large tree.  The blooms are darker in shade but a few are highlighted with a bit of sun.  My research leads me to believe it is Salvia Nemorosa.

The out of focus pebble concrete makes a nice neutral background.




It was Canada's 150 birthday on Saturday.  There was much to take in for the milestone celebration.  I found this small flag in the community garden on my walk that day.

This was a nice find where kids had been drawing in the parking lot with side walk chalk.  A heart, a kite and flowers were great subjects.

The peonies are fabulous this year. I have been able to get quite a few good photos for my calendar next year.

I love the large blooms. They strike me as soft and gentle.  There have been several colors.

I love this image in that it is moody with the dark background with the pale bloom in the center.  Having a bud is a bonus.

The House Sparrows were feeding at the feeder this morning.  This is the male of the species and of course would not cooperate to have his photo taken on the feeder.  Down to the ground to get the seeds which have been ejected from the feeder.

I managed to get his eye in focus but his beak is moving.  There were quite a few around the feeder this morning with interruptions as folks were headed out of the apartment building on a regular basis.

I should have been out earlier.

I just snapped this light on the back end of a car parked on the street the other day. 

I love yellow and the circle of the light sunk into the cowl for protection looked kind of cool.

This was an art piece that was installed on the weekend.  I first saw it on the weekend but decided to revisit under better weather conditions. 

To my amazement there are photos in some of the cirlces.

This is one of 5 art pieces commissioned for the Canada 150 celebration.

Transect is a glass and stainless steel structure, in the shape of a sphere, punctuated by blue circular glass panels featuring photographs of animal tracks, native plants and times in Alberta’s history.

There is a bit more information here.

Now that I know there are others I will have to direct my feet in that direction on coming mornings.

Sharing with
Through  my Lens 101 hosted by Mersad

Happy Birthday 150th Canada

Happy Canada Day

The Legislative Building was not flying one which I hoped so I could get a picture. I found a discarded Canada Flag this morning on my walk, so I decided to transform it would a filter into an artistic rendition.

Wishing all a 

Happy Canada Day 

or 

Happy 4th of July.