Sunday Morning

This is what I'm working on today. It will be a busy week up ahead again as we are prepping for something we're about to embark on :) I know "embark" sounds overly dramatic. What I'm really trying to say is that after Tuesday's art class, I will have to temporarily park my art thingie-majigs for sometime. And hopefully, when I come back, I will have more to paint.

Some progress on my art endeavour -

• My benefactor a.k.a. MDH got me an easel and I'm using our kitchen as my art studio in the meantime. The plan is to have a designated area in the laundry room where I can paint. The room has a window and a sink/tub which is perfect. So the laundry room will be our next reno project I guess.
• I am enjoying my art class. Very much. There's so much to learn.
• For now, I think I have all the materials I need - detail brushes, paints, etc. I think the best material I bought is the "stay wet" palette. By using it, I get big savings on the paint and most of all, I can take my time as I don't have to worry about my paint drying quickly.
• For my class project, I picked the painting below to copy. This was published in an art magazine that our art teacher asked us to pick from. It's pretty ambitious, if you ask me. There's quite a lot of details in it. But what is that they say?  "Go big or go home." <**insert rolling eyes icon here**>

original painting by George Hallmark

Learning yet again...

So this is what I'm up to the past weeks.

acrylic painting

It is never too late to learn anything new. I'm a big believer on that. So here I am, after several attempts, I've finally enrolled in an art class. First session was last Tuesday, after office. I'm probably the only one in class with no experience in painting. It's a mixed class, most have taken art classes before. But I'm an eager learner and like MDH always says, "we're too old to be embarrassed", so try and learn I will.

MDH has been very supportive, like usual. On my first day in class, he even drove me to the venue, kept me company in the lobby while waiting for the teacher, and picked me up after hahaha. And last night, he was online shopping for an easel. He's doing this knowing that he'll never be able to recoup his investments :).

The first day in class, I learned about colours, how to mix them, and the effects of combining primary and/or complimentary colours. I also learned how to prep my canvas and which art materials to invest in. Very basic stuff but are very helpful tips especially for a trying-hard newbie like me.

As soon as we got home, I took out my art case and started my first project. Well not exactly my first because I made lame attempts before I took the class. But they don't count because they look like a kindergarten did them. No disrespect to kindergartens.

Here's my first project. Far from perfect but I do intend to get better at this.

click to view pic on a black background

And in case anyone reading this post is inclined to critique, please feel free to do so. I'm a big girl, I can handle it, and I'll be very grateful 'cause I do want to learn.

Wanna do the tango?

Today is a bit of a scorcher. And glad I have these treats waiting in the freezer. They're really good, I kid you not!

And if you wanna taste them, come on over to my place and let's do the tango :). You can also make them yourself. Here's the recipe -

Boil 1cup of water and 1 cup of sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool the syrup to room temperature.Mix the syrup with 1 cup table cream in the blender. Add mangoes. (I used 3 medium sized mangoes for this batch.) Blend all the ingredients. Pour them on the molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Enjoy and don't forget to share. They taste better when they're devoured with friends.

My love affair with white

I'm not exactly sure when I became smitten with white. I just know that my love for it grows everyday hahaha. I don't know about you, but there's just something calming in whites. I jokingly told a friend of mine that it's like a very supportive friend who doesn't mind just staying in the background and does everything it can to make the others look good. Weird analogy, I know.

Today, after brunch, I lingered on the breakfast nook and just stared at this. It's been quite a "roller-coaster" lately. Thankfully, this sight was quite cathartic for me. I'm weird that way.

Do you notice that small canvass (with splotches of orange) by the green vases btw? I painted that. I finally mustered the courage to bring out my art set and hold the paint brushes and just made a go of it. I'm loving it. But I need to enroll in an art class. I need to learn the techniques. I can't even draw a decent branch. Nevertheless, I am still loving it.

Baking is another cathartic activity for me. So when I'm not holding my paint brush and all the immediate chores are done, I bring out my mixer.

Lately, Chantilly cream is a staple in our fridge. Another white favourite hahaha. I regularly use it in most of my cakes the past months. It's quite versatile.

I made black forest for MDH's and MDK's birthdays this year. I used our all-time fave choco cake as the base. I used maraschino cherries, whipped up some Chantilly cream, put them altogether and voila -

I also use the cream for my cream rolls. I vary the fruit. I've used strawberry, a combo of pineapple and unsweetened coconut ( I call it pinacolada cream roll), and lately mangoes. They're all yumm. My friends can attest to that.

Oh Canada!

"I am young and old, rich and poor, free and enslaved, fleeing and seeking. I came from every part of the world, with family and alone, with nothing and everything. Two stories complete me – the story I came from and the story I started when I landed in Canada. These merge in the next generation into gratitude to a country which has made it possible for my children to have only one story – the Canadian story."

Eighteen years and 11 days ago was when I arrived in this beautiful country.

Between June 21st of 1994 and up to this day, so much has happened.

Sometime along those times, I have realized that Canada is now home to me.

The first month that I was here, I went to see places in Canada - the prairies, the rockies.... Banff and Lake Louise made a lasting impression on me. Majestic was what came to mind when I saw for the first time Canada's beauty.

 

We rented our first apartment in Ottawa. The first few years were not easy but we came to love this city and never left.

MDH went to grad school for his first masteral degree.

I gave birth. In between changing nappies and trying to be a supportive wife - I retrained myself, found a job with a major consulting firm, learned to cook, made new friends....

Late 90's was when I pledged allegiance to the queen :). I remember my French Canadian boss was teasing me about it. When I arrived from my oath-taking ceremony, I found a lovely card on my office desk, signed by my boss and the rest of my colleagues. I teared up when I read the card. But the one thing that stood out was what my boss said - Canada is fortunate to have me. In my heart, I feel very fortunate to have been given the chance to live and settle here. It's been a great country.

Thank you, Canada!