Sylvia's Simple Shots

On the 3rd Sunday of Advent we light the JOY candle.

We have anticipated much and the end is near.  We are so filled with joy for the coming of the one who is Emmanuel - God with us.

I found this video this week and thought of my sister who does slow stitching regularly.

Stitch Meditation Scrolls by K3N presents several scrolls of a variety of sizes.

My sister and had a bit of a conversation about the concept.

Once Upon a Day by Lisa Tucker is a book I finished reading this week. 

Very bizarre story line where a man isolates his children from the time they are around 4 until they leave in their twenties.  No TV, no internet, limited amount of books, no socialization with others.  Groceries are regularly delivered to the large beautiful house. Father goes to town occasionally, the doctor comes when absolutely necessary, and that is how life is.  Dorothea and Jimmy know no better. Father says this is for their protection.

Jimmy just walks away one day believing that there is more than Father says out there.  He writes but then Father gets really sick and refuses hospital. Dorothea decides she must find Jimmy before their father dies. 

We do see the world according to their mother Lucy who has no idea where they are.  Has searched for years to find them to no avail.  Tragedy was part of her life and she found her husband's "protection" suffocating. She exerted control on her life with very sad results and the loss of her children. 

Eventually, the father facilitates the reunion of the children with their mother and all three come to the father's rescue.  The father gets the medical care he needs.  Is there hope for this family?

My friend, her partner and I attended this Christmas concert this week.  Her and I had attended 2 or 3 before the pandemic and it was now being held again.

It is just as one would expect from a Christmas concert, the children choirs, the adult choirs, several soloists, and beautiful music.

It was held in the community center which was quite full. In years past, it was held in the church which burned down a while ago.  It is being rebuilt and should be open for Christmas 2025!

It was nice to attend with friends.

After my discussion about slow stitch scrolls with my sister earlier this week and had the thought maybe I could make one.

I had filled the page in my organizer about the upcoming shows for 2024 and one is a 3D show.  It has\d been discussed at the reception of the Value of Color show. I called the gallery and got clarification about the brief and it should be a recycled/reused project.  It should be 3D but could be 2D with texture.

I checked out the spool bin and found a large spool that would do nicely.  I ripped a piece of cotton 3 inches wide which had been tie-dyed and added green color with permanent acrylic liquid ink.  It looks quite like a garden now.

I went to the ReUse center and brought home bits and bobs that may contribute to the end product.  Still mulling over the options in my mind. Check back later.

I did pick up my items from the gallery on the last day of the Christmas Store.  I was disappointed that some items did not sell at all.  No photo cards, linen coasters, or count down calendars sold.

The One of a Kind oil diffusers did not sell as well as last year.

My Tree Scent Ornaments did well again this year and I did sell some Sticky Note Holders.

There will have to be a total rethink about it for next year.  

Will I put anything into the store next year? 

If I do, what new and wonderful thing will I create?

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The second Sunday of Advent and lighting the PEACE candle.

The second Advent candle reminds us of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem before Mary gave birth to Jesus. 

This second candle recalls that after all of the division, destruction, and dispersion of the kingdom in the Old Testament, there might finally be peace on Earth – Jesus is coming, and so is his Kingdom of Peace. 

So fitting for our world today.

On Sunday I attended the Steve Bell concert with my sister and brother-in-law.  They have seen him 2 times before and this was my first time.

The Alliance Church was about 80% full. His concert in Calgary was a sell out.

The music was good, the company was great and it was a wonderful evening.  Driving home late at night was made better by the fact that there was no snow or ice and the temperature hovered just about 0C.

We had supper at Swiss Chalet before the concert which is the first time in nearly 4 years that I have eaten there.  The food was delicious as always.

I bought this book a couple of months ago for .50 cents.  It was after I had started with my Inktober challenge and I recognized that I needed to improve my drawing so I could do better ink and watercolor pieces.

I read the first 5 chapters.  That is the basics, now I will have to read and to exercises so that is no longer bed time reading.

I will have to get a sketch book and work on this.

When I was at the reception for the Christmas Store there was a table which had not been filled when I visited earlier with my friend.

The pieces were glass which is my weakness. There were small glass pieces made by Joe DeWitte.  There was a gorgeous acorn but it was less versatile than this small golden yellow flower.  Check out those tiny perfect water drops in the center of the flower. 

I still have to decide how I will display and use it but it means I can have flowers on my table all year long.

Totally happy!

I decided to revisit Greenland Garden Center this week. What a difference 5 weeks makes.  The shoppe was so empty compared to when I last visited.  They have moved a huge amount of inventory in that time.

I was truly amazed.

There was still a nice collection of Christmas decor to make a few shots possible.

The fresh flowers and plants were really nice.  Check out that Christmas cactus.

On Saturday I went to my aunt's house to make our traditional meat pies called tourtieres.

The meat is a mix of beef and pork with potatoes and onions then slowly cooked with wonderful spices.

She made a double batch of pastry dough and we made 8 small pies. The bit larger ones are for her and the 4 smaller ones for me. They turned out really great.  She froze enough meat to make a large pie when she is ready to host her family.  

We had omelette for lunch with no alcohol white wine and had a great visit.  It was a great day.

I attended the Women's Christmas event at church this week.  It was a small group with a wide age range.

It was a last minute thing.  I just got the details a couple of days earlier. 

There were a few ladies I had visits with which was wonderful.  There was snack food and games.  Minute to win it games went on for a long time and there was drama between a few of the participants which showed some immaturity. Disappointing.

There were wonderful door prizes. I chose this jam set with beautiful small jars, a plate and spoon.  Fig, apricot, orange, raspberry and black cherry are a few of the flavors.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

It's the first Sunday of Advent.  I placed my advent wreath on the pine secretary this year as furniture shifted when the sofa was removed from the living room.

I added pine cones in the cylinders this year with a small bird perching on a branch in the front.

The first candle is lit which is the candle of HOPE. 

The first candle harkens us back to Isaiah’s foretelling of the birth of Christ and all of the promises God gave us in the Old Testament that would be fulfilled by the birth of Jesus.

I had police cars all over the block this evening.  I was not able to discover till Monday what had happened.  There were many crusiers and officers on the main road which had been closed to traffic. 

Turns out that police were called when a man armed with a knife was approaching people on the street. A confrontation occurred and a police officer discharged his weapon, killing the man. An ASIRT investigation continued into the early morning hours. A TV crew from one of the local news station was on the scene for a while. 

That is totally scary!

We had a bit of snow fall overnight.  There has been very little snow fall this fall.

With the temperature hovering near freezing it disappeared by weeks end.

The Paris Bookseller by Kerry Maher is the book I finished this week.  It is a novel based on a real woman named Sylvia Beach from the USA. When a young woman opens her shop - Shakespeare and Company in 1919 on a quiet Paris street in 1919, she has no idea that she and her book store will change the course of literature itself. 

Her bookstore becomes the hub for English book readers and writers.  Famous writers spend time in her little shop and she becomes friends with many.  James Joyce, the Irish writer is one of these.  When his book Ulysses is banned she takes a great risk and publishes it under the the auspices of Shakespeare and Company.  

She was very loyal to Joyce and went over and beyond to get his book published but the writer was not appreciative. He could not pay his rent, had marital strife, and health issues which consumed him.  Eventually, he did repay the debts owed and the money due her from books sales with a short thank you note. It was a very interesting book.

It was the time of year again to deal with a low pressure tire warning on the car.

It was much less stressful this year knowing what I had learned last year.  I headed off to the service station, put my money in the machine and topped all the tires to 35 psi.

At least it was not -20C like last year.

All is well!

I discovered these cookies this week. I do love ginger and they deliver a great taste.  I am not a fan of a gingersnap and after talking to my sister it was suggested that there may not be any molasses in these.  I believe that is the difference.

It makes a nice end to a meal and they can be in the house and I will not eat the whole box in a sitting.  That is what I need,

Loving them.

They were on sale as well so that is a bonus.

We had our opening of the Christmas Store on Saturday.

We had good attendance.  I met and spoke to quite a few folks from our group. 

I believe several folks left with bags in hand so that is a good thing.

I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate which was very good along with some beautiful short bread cookies.  There was a nice variety of flavors of hot chocolate and tea and some other holiday goodies.

It was a very good time.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

It is that time of year!

December 1st. 

The star wreath went up on the front door.  This is the same one as last year.

That wonderful carved pine cone was done by an artist at the Allied Arts Council.  I purchased it last year at the Christmas Store.

I had a bit of a visit with my neighbour and he was waiting a bit to put up his Christmas decor.  It was a busy day with stuff going on at the building along with my prep for my family get together.

Another tradition for me is to put on one of my many yule log videos in the DVD and enjoy the crackling fire with Christmas carols being sung.

I always do this while I am making my Caramel Popcorn gifts.

It was 4 batches this year to make enough for family and friends.

I have been making this every year since about 1980.

About 43 years that is.  Amazing how that happens.  

There were years when I sold it to coworkers and I did 12 or 14 batches.

The cost of ingredients keeps going up so it is a precious commodity.

I had several folks ask if I was making it again this year!  It was a resounding YES!  They were happy.

Not all things stay the same.  The Glad Storage bags that I have used for years are not longer available.  I used the last of them last year so I had to try and source new ones.   I need food grade plastic so that was a bit harder to find.  I bought these at Michaels but they are pretty short but did okay in the pinch that was this year.

I met my aunt at the Allied Arts Christmas Store that opened this week.  She had been not feeling well and was on the upside and want to get out.

We had 16 tables I believed filled with wonderful art.  It was fun to look through the fiber art, the watercolor, the jewelery, and much more.

I bought this little composite stone bird.  It is made by Lisa Douziech.  It is so metallic and sparkly.  Beautiful color and shine on the resin.

@lisadouziech

We went over the Perks around the corner for coffee and a visit.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath is a sequel to the book a read recently.  This is again by Garth Nix.  

The story continues with Susan and Merlin and the rest of the magical entourage.  This one starts with a sorcerous map which Merlin gets sucked into and has to be rescued.  Susan has discovered her magical heritage and her powers with stone came in handy during this rescue.

An Ancient Sovereign is running amock in the underworld and needs to be stopped to ensure the safety of human and magical folk alike.

Another great book.

Some of my family got together again this week for a Christmas lunch.  It was organized by one of my sisters and hosted by another.

Tourtiere was on the menu with a great salad.  Then strawberry bavarian for dessert.  I bought caramel popcorn, another brought a cheese ball, there was nibbles and goodies to munch on all afternoon.

This is my sisters tree which rotates and sparkles like crazy!  It was December 2nd and I am glad she made the effort to have it up for your time together as family.

Check out the bling on her tree!  It was wonderful.  With Mom and Dad both gone now we have to navigate what family gatherings will look like going forward.  With our get together in October and this lunch it is looking good!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I am always on the look out for small nativity sets that I can photograph for Christmas cards. 

I found this one at a thrift store a few weeks back.   They are snow people. 

My new ceramic tree has come in handy again. That was a good purchase.

The NOEL came from the ReUse Center.  The tiny lights also came from the thrift store.  They use AA batteries which I always have on hand.

I plan on applying a wash to these ceramic figures to give them more definition.  This was a very quick set up. I will have to take a few shots on the nativity while it is white because I will not be able to reverse the process.

Here's the box for the nativity.  I expect it is discount store purchase which did not cost a lot to buy new.

As you can see it has more characters which includes the 3 wisemen, a couple of animals so there is plenty of potential there.

The construction in my area just continues.  I am not sure who will occupy these tall apartment buildings when they are done.

The very tall building they built several years ago which limits the sun that hits my window is about half full.

This project started late summer so I heard through my open windows for all the fall.  At least we have very good windows and now that they are closed I don't hear it any more.

I finished this book this week. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix.  When I looked it up online it is designated as a teen novel.  I really enjoyed the book.

The main character is Susan Arkshaw who is a twenty something looking for her father.  She has the summer to look before she started class at university in the fall in London.  She finds herself a job and a place to stay. Her Mom is keeping the details of his identity to herself so she turns to the man who has been a family friend for years.  He always sent gifts at Christmas and her birthday - Frank Thringley. When she is at his house things get really weird. He is dispatched by Merlin a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones).  With the right-handed bookseller they form an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world - in addition to running several bookshops.

Her life is turned upside down that summer as the magical beings help her make sense of who she is and the powers that are just being awakened in her which leads to the identify of her father.

I replaced the glass in my bathroom.  I bought the glass at the thrift shop for less than $2.  The one I had been using was a Mikasa which I purchased at least a year ago.  I was now finding that it's bowl was too large now it seemed for my hand. 

This is a great drinking vessel of very thin glass. Very nice quality.  I looked up the name Spielgelau - this is a water glass from the Definition series.  It is 16 ounces.  A set of 4 small ones retails for $80.00 so I guess I did alright.

I like to start my day with a large glass of water and this fits the bill.  The bowl is a better size for my hand.

Easy to clean as my hand fits into the top easily.

An excellent addition.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took this shot at the Sturgeon River a few days ago.  

Ice is forming along the edge of the river but we still do not have snow.

We have had some flurries which whitened the ground for a few days and then disappeared.  I have to say that it has made driving wonderful in November.  I am so thankful.

I took a trip to the south this week in search of C7 light bulbs for my Mom's Christmas Light Window Candelabra.  I wanted to make sure that I had replacements when one burned out.

I checked the website which indicated that they had several packages of just yellow bulbs but when I arrived and inquired I was told they don't have any - data error.  So I bought a large box to get the 5 yellow ones.

I have taken photos of these lights many times over the years that Mom had them.  She loved them and it was one of the decorations she took with for her year at the lodge. 

These were in the picture window at the house every year.  She loved them and I loved them.  I just love the halos.

It was the only thing I wanted to inherit of hers when she passed.  They bring me comfort.  It is a little thing but a big deal to me.

I will enjoy them the whole season.

This is a cobalt blue glass bottle made from recycled glass made in Spain.

I love the pattern on the bottom, the texture of the glass and the fact that it is a flat bottle so does not take a lot of space despite it's height.

It will serve as a flower vase when I want flowers on the table and I have the yellow table cloth.

I have some blue linen that I want to make a table runner - the project is on the back burner.

I have been working on Christmas stuff a lot.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton.  This is my thirteenth novel in this series.

This one was a bit slow in my reading of it.  I could be my mood.

Kinsey Millhone witnesses a shoplifting incident at a shopping mall. What are the chances.  She so rarely visits department stores so to get embroiled in a conspiracy was a surprise.  Turns out Audrey Vance, the lady Kinsey saw take lingerie from the department store turns up dead a few days later.

This story involves a highly sophisticated fencing operation of stolen goods.  It is well organized where cells don't know all the players, works like a well oiled machine until Audrey is found dead.  She had her cog in the wheel and now there is no one to prepared the stolen goods and the stuff backs in the system. Kinsey is hired by her fiance to investigate and find out why Audrey died.

The mastermind of the operation is a crime boss, financier, "private banker" Lorenzo Dante.  He inherited the family business from his father who got into from his father. They all live on a large compound that Lorenzo supports for the aging members of his family.  He also supports a brother who has not inherited the gift for the business and has been in and out prison.  The should have cut those ties but it's family.  The brother makes a decision that will cost Dante all of it.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

This week was a time to remember those who served, fought and paid a price for the freedoms I enjoy.

I have uncles and those closer than that who served to protect our country.

I am so blessed and appreciated what I have.

I have been looking for a container to hold my unPaperTowels.  These are pieces of fabric that I can use around the house that will clean up messes that I would have used a disposable paper towel.  These then can be laundered and returned to be used many other times.  Saves trees.

A Dollarama purchase with is exactly 10 inches wide and 5 inches across which is what a unPaperTowel measures folded in half.  

Perfect!

I had this book on my night stand for a while.

I bought at the Thrift Store because it was J R R Tolkien.  I read the basic story which was good but there is lots of background stuff.

This is a edit by Christopher of his fathers writings and I just did not want to read about when the stuff was written, how much was kept, how much was rewritten and changed.

I will put it with the other J R R Tolkien books and lit it sit.

I repaired some of my reusable bags this week.  These are not made to last in some cases.  This one is very good but the inside seams needed to be finished so they would stop unravelling and leaving tiny red threads every time I used

it.

The manufacturer put a seam at the top of the handles where the most strain is placed.  Of course, that is silly.

The hems were keeping the handles from falling apart completely so I wrapped a piece of poly/cotton fabric around the top of each handle and sewed them securely.

This will be in service for a few more years.

This bag was one I collected at the ReUse center to bring my goodies home this week.  

The handles hand become disconnected even before I got home.  I thought I will just sew them back on.  Upon further examination the handles just disintegrated as I tug on them to test the strength.

Fortunately, a few weeks back I found some webbing for $1 so I was able to give this bag new handles for a song.

This bag is made of much light material because it is meant to fold up in a small pouch.

I was fortunate to bring home some poly/cotton scraps from the ReUse Center this week and they match perfectly.

I added a bottom to the bag which had 1 hole worn into it from dragging.  The handles are a little long. 

The seams had to be reinforced on the inside to ensure they did not unravel.

I added a strip of fabric around the top edge as well where the handles are attached to the bag.  At least the handles are one piece unlike the other. 

I am so glad the fabric matched so well.  Back into the grocery bag collection.

I found this very cute ceramic tree at the arts and crafts store last week. You can see that it is meant to be an ornament but is is way too heavy for that purpose.

I thought it would work well with my small Nativity Sets.  It is a bit small for this set but will work well for the smaller one.

I have a few bottle brush trees as well that fit this purpose.

It is super cute and it was on sale 50% so I could not leave it behind.

This is a glass ornament which opens and you can put something inside.

I used to have one but it broke a couple of years ago.  I am glad I was able to replace it.

It's that time of year.

A few people I know put up their Christmas Tree the Remembrance Day weekend.

My wall Christmas Tree will not go up until after December 1st.  My crafting projects are caught up and I have Christmas cards to do so I should be ready in plenty of time.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I found a few things at the Thrift Store this week.

There Christmas section upstairs was open so I had to have a look.  I found a PartyLite bird tealight holder. I own a silver one and a ruby one so this will make three. Perfect.

The little LED Christmas tree will come in handy and all it needed was a new battery.  The string of snowflakes works.  All of this for less than $2. 

I have been looking for a swivel peeler for about 6 weeks. When I visited one of my sisters she just used the peeler to create carrot curls instead of grating it.  I thought it was a genius idea.  

My old stiff peeler did not so such a great job.  The ceramic peeler was just what I wanted and for under $1.

My sister and I decided we needed to swap things that were going in both directions. We decided to each take a bit of a drive in meet in the middle.

We had lunch at Wendy's then hit the 2 Thrift Stores in town.  I found this tea strainer brand new in the box for less than $1.  I have been looking for one since I misplaced mine. It retails for over $10 so that was a bargain.

The shape could not be better, a little teapot shape.  I have not seen one of these before.That will pair great with Lemon loose tea I found recently and really enjoy.

I also found pillowcase for cotton for the bags I am going to sew.

My trusty 2" circle punch bit the dust while I was preparing tags recently.

When Michaels had a 40% coupon in mid October I bought a new one. I do have thinlits I could cut circles with but the punch is so handy.

It really comes in handy for a lot of things.

I have decided to buy my bread at Cobs. Yes, the price is high but it is very good quality bread.  I can pay the same price at my regular grocery store and not get the same quality.

I find with this bread, I can cut the size of slice I want.  I can eat 1 slice and not feel triggered to eat 3 more slices which I found happens with the grocery store bread.

The loaves are bigger than my regular store and it is very wholesome and very good.

It is more expensive but I eat less so it works out.

This is the Country Grain Loaf.

A small little book with a great story. The Music Box by T. Davis Bunn.

Angie Picard as moved from the city to the mountain country and her home town. She is a teacher and enjoys her vocation. She has had a lot of challenges in her 31 years. She returned as a young widow.

Melissa Nealey is a newcomer and is quiet and shy and in the eight grade. She and her father Carson have moved from the city. She loves music and has a music box left to her by her mother when she passed 3 years ago.

In a crisis, Angie steps in to help Carson and Melissa through a health crisis.  She cares and loves on them and much healing takes place. 

Melissa and Angie share their love of music and life brings healing to Angie as well. 

The traveling was good to attend the reception Saturday afternoon.  I met a couple of my aunts there and shared with the other artists in attendance.

The 12x12 pieces were hung by color.  There are many wonderful works in the show.  It was a good time to connect with others in the group.

I did visit Michaels again this week with another 40% coupon for basic card making supplies.