Share Your Cup #225

I attended a funeral this week for a young woman who passed away way too soon at 43.  She had cystic fibrosis which affected her health but her spirit was strong and feisty.  She lived life to the fullest.

Her favorite color was purple so they were placed on tables for the luncheon following the service. 

I was on the prepping, serving and clean up crew for the funeral in service to my friends who lost their precious daughter. 

My niece was up for a visit this passed weekend.  We had a good visit with time spent with my other sister, we hit a craft sale, the ReUse Centre then worked on Christmas Card projects she had on the go.

For supper I suggested the pomegranates I had purchased earlier in the week.  Typically, they are very hard to eat without a complete mess.  With an internet search we found a video which showed how to de-seed the fruit in a few seconds.  It worked really well.

Basic Steps
1. Cut the rind of the pomegranate around the middle.
2. Tear the 2 halves apart.
3. Spread the edges away from the center.
4. Turn the half over in your hand over a bowl.
5. Whack the outside of the fruit with a spoon, rotating it as you go and the seeds will fall out through your hand into the bowl. Check this video out!

I finished this book this week.  I see that it is the 3rd book in the series.  I will have to scout out the first 2 books.

It was a very good read about Mary Catherine and Marcus.  It involves a couple of trips to Africa, a young girl making some bad choices followed by a sacrificial decision and a couple of weddings.

I would recommend this one.




I am linking up with Share Your Cup #225 hosted by Jan at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Share Your Cup #220

I was prepping breakfast this morning and as I put the bran muffins and banana on my plate I saw a snowman.  I quickly checked for a carrot nose and his face appeared.  I just had to take it's picture.

It put a smile on your face I hope it does the same for you!

I used to have a really practical Tupperware dispenser for my hair gel.  It was translucent so I could see how much I had left, it had a white pump lid which meant easy to get a dollop of gel.  The lid split and my gel started thickening up in the container which made it harder to get it through the pump.  What to do?  I check with a rep who informed me that piece was not longer available and all I could get was a credit but that was not going to solve my problem. I purchased this pearl shell pump a while back.  It fit into the bathroom decor well enough.  But now the gel is thickening again.  I expect the seal on the lid is just not tight enough and now where near as air tight as the Tupperware one was.  On the hunt again for a dispenser.  This clear flat bottom bottle used to hold some sort of body care product.  I removed its labels, cleaned up the glue with Goo Gone and I will give this one a run for a while.  I like the ability to see what I have left which the clam pump did not give me.

I picked up this book after ordering it two weeks ago. I'm using it for the Be Present for Christmas class I am teaching.  I have borrowed a copy from the library but now I have my very own.  This book was written with a focus on families during the Advent season.

We had a great time at Welcome to my Kitchen this week.  Our host provided a wonderful apple mango crisp, some yogurt, fresh fruit, a bit of cheese and crackers.  Tea and coffee were in good supply.

We had good fellowship.






Sharing with Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson and Sharing Your Cup.

Mosaic Monday #12

This was snack for today.  The last of the apples from Mom's trees and a couple of chocolate cookies.  Served on a white IKEA ARV salad plate.

The tea cup is by English Bone Chia by Ridgeway Potteries - pattern is Royal Vale.

The tea is Earl Grey Bold with a bit of honey and cream.

Driving on Saturday was unsure because of a heavy snowfall on Friday, the second in a week.  This brings winter early in our corner of the world. I decided to brave the roads because we need to just do it.  My sister and I attended this craft sale on Saturday.

There was fused glass artist, quite a few sewing projects featuring very similar items, baking is always a hit, a few up-cyclers, several vendors selling home wood decor with sayings, quite a few jewelery vendors and metal home decor.  I did stop at the hand dyed wool vendor and the chocolate booth.

This was a great read.  Alma & Nathaniel, Irina & Seth and Ichimei the mysterious gardener.  My aunt lent me the book which I would highly recommend. 

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday.

Share Your Cup #112

These are crystal tree ornaments for our Christmas Craft sale in November.

They are octagon chandelier crystals connected with brass wires and measure about 3 inches. I have added some gold organza ribbon hangers to make them easier to hang on the tree.

They will make any tree sparkle and shine during the Christmas season.

I made sixteen which I will donate to raise funds for mission work.

This was lunch today featuring fresh garden tomatoes from my Mom's garden. 

I toasted two slices of multi-grain bread. 
I then added some old cheddar cheese and melted it under the broiler.
I sliced a nice fresh tomato which I layered onto the slices and seasoned them with salt, pepper and a bit of greek seasoning. 
The sandwich was placed on a blue glass plate which is Luminarc France - Avon Royal Sapphire glass.
I had cup of Masala Chai tea in a nice yellow mug which coordinated with the charger plate. 

I finished this book Maeve Binchy - Scarlet Feather this week.  My aunt passed it onto me recently and it was an excellent read.

I will have to check out some of the other titles by this author.  She passed away in 2012 at the age of 71 and she had written 37 titles I believe.



Tea tonight was decaf Earl Grey with a few chocolate cookies.

The tea cup is Countryside in blue by Wedgewood.  The saucer for the teacup was not included when I purchased the plates from the thrift store so I substituted a plate white saucer.   The white tea pot by Stokes is just right for evening tea.

I'm working on a macro photo for a challenge on Flickr.  We have to take a photo of an object on a mirror.  I've not done that before so I'm taking some practice to get a great shot.

Here's is a teardrop crystal from a chandelier on a mirror.  We cannot include the edges of the mirror.  I will have to search the web for samples.

Sharing with Carol at Art and Sea for Share Your Cup #112.

Share Your Cup #211

This is one of the books I read recently.  A couple who are separated in their teens but make a pact to meet in 11 years.  He has always tried to find her but she made choice she was not proud of so, took steps to make it hard to find her.  It was a very good book from this great author and it was hard to put down.

 
I added some letters to my Alphabet Photography collection.  A wonderful S and an I.

 Some colorful flowers and nature shots I took during my walks this week.

My latest offering in photo calendars.  It meant many trips to get the shots I wanted and then vetting them to get the 12 best ones.

I've been working on digital watermarks for my photos as well.  I have started participating in Flickr challenges and see some nice ones on the site.  I thought I could design one for myself from my own art.  I'm not sure it's the final ones because it's a bit on the big side.  It is my first effort and I will have to sit with them for a while then decide if any changes will be made.

You can check out my Flickr page.

Sharing with Carol at Art & Sand for Share Your Cup.

Share Your Cup #210

These are a couple of books I finished recently.

I really enjoyed Robin's book.  She comes across as a regular girl as she describes her early years.  She clearly expresses the decisions she made along the way to change how the her own family would be compared to the one she grew up in.

Karen's books was filled with hope, despair, and much of the emotions in between.  I had a hard time to put it down.

This is the sun shining on my bedroom closet doors.  It's only there for a few minutes.  I noticed it the other day and made a point of taking a photo of it this morning.

Mom had surgery this week at the age of 82.  She takes good care of herself so I am pleased to say that she came through very well.  I will with her on the weekend to support her during her recovery.  We are fortunate to be several girls and each has taken part in the process to help Mom as needed.  Picture of the building.  In the morning, a wonderful marble sculpture in the foyer and the rainbow in the sky when we departed at the end of the day.  I took the rainbow as a good sign as to Mom's future.

Sharing with Share Your Cup #210 hosted by Carol at Art & Sand.

Share Your Cup #198

We are finally getting some clouds in the sky which I hope will lead to some much needed rain.  I caught the moon just behind some clouds.  We had some rain over night.

A friend mentioned this book a few weeks ago and I asked to borrow it.  This is a good read.  Marie presents a method for tidying up through decluttering and organizing your space.  She presents a quite extreme but effective method.  I quickly was able to clear some clothes from my closet.  The question to ask is "Does this object bring me joy?"  I wholehearted support the idea to surround yourself with objects that bring you joy.  I find I have less trouble keeping on top of my kitchen now that it has many things I love.






 

These were taken during my first trip to the wetlands this year.  

Mrs. Robin came to check me out and I got a good shot. 

This is a Ruddy Duck with that distinctive blue bill.

Canada Geese were feeding.










The Red Wing Blackbird has been very difficult to photograph. This shot turned out really well especially with his wings just opening.

Submitting to Share Your Cup at Art & Sand hosted by Carol.