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!

Happy birthday, Young Man!

MDK calls this choco cupcake "heaven-on-earth"

I made the birthday cupcake. This was MDK's special request for his birthday. And from his Popz, eggs benedict for breakfast. Very simple requests from this young man who means the world to us, really.

So yeah, MDK turns a year older today. And hopefully wiser as well ;). Afterall, he has, according to him (MDK), the best role model.

He has been a very good kid. And a constant source of joy for MDH and me. He's growing up to be like his Popz - loving, caring, considerate, and insightful. I couldn't ask for more, really, and I continue to pray that he'll grow up to be the man God wants him to be.

Lord, I pray that You would pour out Your Spirit upon our son this day and all the days of his life. May he never stray from what You have called him to be and do, or try something he is not. Deliver him from any plan to rob him of life, to steal away his uniqueness and giftedness.

May he not compromise the path You have prepared for him to walk, or destroy the person You created him to be. May he not be a follower of anyone but you, but may he be a leader of people into Your kingdom. Help him to grow in his understanding of his authority in You, while retaining a humble and submissive spirit. May the fruit of the Spirit which is love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control grow in him everyday.

May he find his identity in You and view himself as Your instrument. Give him a vision for his life and a sense of purpose of what You've called him to do. Amen.

Meet Molly

I really thought I was over her. I waited another month just to be sure that she's the one for this year. (She's been in my mind the past 3 years, believe it or not.)

And because I didn't want her to be "the one that got away," I decided not to wait for another year.

After a thousand and one visits to this  site and this site, I took the plunge.

She's mine now. I know it's going to be a long purse love-affair for Molly and me.

A Mum's Love

When the rain is blowin' in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love.
...
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawlin' down the avenue
No, there's nothin' that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love.

~  Bob Dylan, 'Make You Feel My Love'

Picture taken inside the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC

If I had Bob Dylan's genius, this would have been the same song I will compose for this young man (MDK). Well, I'd probably change a line or two but not the message in each and every line. But a genius I am not so here I am, sharing a playlist (To Make You Feel My Love* ) of the song instead, sung by different singers (Jeremy Irons' cover included). Bob Dylan's rendition of his song is my favourite in the list of course. I am biased, I know.

* A new window will be opened when the link is clicked.


I have slowly become a Bob Dylan fan when MDK started listening to his songs. (MDK is a huge Bob Dylan fan btw.) As I discover his many compositions, I've grown to admire his poetry. I had very limited exposure to his songs until I slowly noticed that MDK started playing songs that have very eloquent messages. They happen to be mostly Bob Dylan's. I still haven't listened to most of his songs so my exposure to his songs is still very limited. However, my Bob Dylan playlist in Grooveshark is growing.

Some nights, MDK and MDH play music together, and among their favourites are Bob Dylan's (Queen Jane, A Hard Rains A Gonna Fall are some of them). It's always a delight, as mom and wife, to listen and watch them play together. A mini-performance of this song by "my boys" (MDK and MDH) would have been my special request for Mother's day but we will be out of town. There will be no breakfast in bed for me as well as we will be away from home so I'll just settle for the all-time best gift: a-hug-and-a-kiss.


This was intended to be an advanced Mother's day greeting to all the Moms who visit this site and not just a rah-rah post for Bob Dylan hahaha. So let me end my post with a prayer on behalf of all the  mothers (and fathers) out there and an ardent wish that you'll have a very meaningful celebration on this special day.

Lord, we submit ourselves to You. Help us to walk in righteousness and integrity before You. Teach us Your ways and enable us do what is pleasing in Your sight. May the beauty of Your Spirit be so evident in us that we will be godly role models. Give us the communication, teaching and nurturing skills that we must have. Make us the parents You want us to be. Amen.

My Time-out Corner

This is another corner in the house I can call my own.

If you've visited this site before, you'd probably noticed that I have quite a few corners in this house and each has a name. I have my FB corner, happy wall, etc etc. This one, I call it my time-out corner. And it's also my last-stop corner before I go to bed.

And because I'm a big fan of whites and greys, it has go to be a white dressing table of course. I've embellished the top by using some left-over drapery fabric from our previous home.

It turned out to be just the right fabric colour as it goes well with the furniture pieces and the wall paint we have in the room.


 It didn't take very long to put them all together. It was the search for the "perfect" mirror that took  forever. I scoured the whole of Ottawa and took a hundred trips to HomeSense before I found the one hahaha.

The room, overall, is still not fully done but it's getting there.

Re-arranging

Little did I know, we'd spend the next years together re-arranging things like priorities, expectations, etc, etc. It's never ending but I'm loving every moment of it. I have the most patient, persistent, kind, hard-working buddy.

*************

Above is our latest project. It's not fully done, but I'm happy the way it's turning out.

Paint is Stonington Grey by Benjamin Moore. Art works on the wall are mine. They're pics of our orchids in the bathroom. I told MDH, I'm getting a lot of mileage from these flowers. The blooms started showing up early October and they're still blooming up to now. They've gone through 3 seasons.

It took us 2 days to prep and paint the room. And some Advil of course.

Thanks, MDH!