Another puzzle

We have been working on puzzles the whole time.  They just sit on the living room tables and wait for us to come by and do a few more pieces. Sometimes it goes well and we find a few in a row and other times it takes longer to get a few pieces placed.  It burns a bit of time before or after a meal and can be taken up and left at any time!!  This one we made with her last year and it was fun to do it again!!

Therese

Hot Dogs over the fire

 It was a beautiful evening and we decided to have hot dogs over the fire!!  Brian built a fire early so we would have the embers to cook our hot dogs!!  It was our first fire of the year and we are grateful that we live where we can have a backyard fire in our fire pit!!

Therese

Circus act with Safire

We stopped by the LMC to check out the Lunch Box Theatre with Safire. They had pizza for lunch but we passed having just had lunch at the BBQ.  She did a circus act with juggling, hoola hoops and breathing fire.  It was very well done and the hoola hoops had LED lights in them which displayed different images - like stars, etc.  and changed as the act went on.  The breathing fire was pretty cool as well.  She took time after the show to talk to the kids.

Therese

Sunny FM BBQ

 We headed out on Thursday for the free Sunny FM BBQ lunch!!  It was pretty hot out but fortunately the line was very short so we were soon eating our lunch.   There were no spaces at the tables in the shade so we sat in the sun.  There was a live band.  We did not sit around too much because of the heat freeing our seats to be used by others who were coming from the lunch line!!

Therese

Glasses and tie dye fabric

 We picked up a couple sets of sunglasses at the Canada Day celebrations for the kids.  They were exactly the same so I suggested that Mina add some decoration to hers so they would be identifiable.  She added rhinestones and ribbon bows to the front and larger rhinestones to the side which glammed them up very nicely!!  Well done!!
The tie dyes were eventually dry so she washed them out in the sink until the water ran clear.  It took a good while for that to happen and she had done quite a bit of wringing to get there.

They turned out perfect and after another overnight of drying they were ready to be made into projects!!

Therese

Lava Lamp

 Mina wanted to make a lava lamp using oil, salt and coloured water.  We did a bit of research on the internet, identified and gather our supplies and got started.  She added blue ink from her tie dye kit to colour her water and then we added oil to the jar.  The next step was to add salt and watch as the oil submerged by the salt rose to the surface. It was pretty cool!!!  The little balls would form and rise.  We used a flashlight to better illuminate them.  Finally, we ended up in the basement in a darkened room to get some better photos of the action.

 She took several videos with her digital camera.  We transferred the lava lamp to a jar that sealed much better so she could take it home.  Not sure how many times you could add salt and still get some action.

Therese

Puzzle #2

So this evening after supper we managed to finish off the other puzzle in the set - The Boardwalk.  It has the same rounded corners and some different shaped pieces as well.  Some are the same as the other one - some are not!! Again, in the same hand drawn arty style!!


Therese

Tie dye project

Mina brought along a tie dye project and so we decided to work on that after swimming today.  It was messy and we were grateful for the plastic cover and the gloves which helped keep the fingers and counter clean.  By the end, it was the elbows that got the worst of it but a few days of living will wear that off!!  The fabric will require at least 24 hours to dry so the big reveal will likely be some time tomorrow depending on how the drying goes.  So more on this one later.

Therese

A&W for supper

What is the consequence of a blown oven element??  Supper out because I was not able to prepare what I had planned in time so off we went to A&W!!  Burgers and fries with fresh vegetables on the side and ice cream on a stick for dessert!!

Therese

Oven element has a major malfunction

When we got home from the skate park we assemble the ingredients we had prepared earlier for making crustless quiches for lunch.  After more than 40 minutes in the oven they were not cooked!!  Frustrated and hungry they were extracted from the barely warm oven.  We put six in the toaster oven and the other six in the microwave and we were ready to eat in less than five minutes with the ones in the microwave and the ones in the toaster over were ready in about 20 minutes.  It was established that the oven was in needed of a check up and Brian decided to do that while we went to the pool.

As you can see there was a major malfunction with the lower element which is under the bottom of the oven but there is a diagnostic program in the stove which helped discover the problem.  Fortunately some cash and short trip to the appliance store solved the problem and Brian had it back in good working order in no time.  It is only four years old so I am surprised that it has already blown an element but that is the way it goes!!

Therese

Skate park

 We started the morning at the skate park.  Mina took her scooter and did the rounds.  It was not very busy and most of the kids were smaller than she was.  You can see that she challenged herself to get into the pit and see if she could get herself out.  It took a few trys but she did finally get herself out!!  She took a few time outs to check out the play structure as well.  We picked two handfuls of carrots and some calendulas on our way home.

Therese

A bouncy egg experiment!!

This project started with a raw egg and a half jar of vinegar on Monday night in the hopes of creating a bouncy egg.  Well, you can see that the experiment went very well and in about 36 hours the shell of the egg was completely dissolved and all that remained was an egg in a membrane.  In order to experiment further we decided to see if we could hard boiled the egg in order to reduce the mess that might occur if it was bounced a bit too hard.  For sure, it boiled up just fine and was certainly a bit more bouncy but so far not a lot of testing has taken place but the size has increased significantly which we are not sure how to attribute.  So for the moment it remains as you see it - waiting further trials.

Therese

A fun project!!

With less than a hour before bedtime Mina wanted to make a pillow case with some fabric that here grandmother sent along  for her week here.  She had decided that the first project would be a pillow case so I sent up to measure the one on her pillow and we headed downstairs to get started.  We folded the fabric appropriately to conserve fabric, trimmed the rough edge and then cut out the pillow case using the rotary cutter.  Actually, I cut it but she had been instrumental in deciding how large it should be, which direction the pattern would go, pinning the fabric prior to cutting.  She helped pick out an appropriate coloured thread and I made a bobbin and stitched the bottom and the side.  She helped a bit with ironing the 3" hem we created at the open end.  With that stitched we were done and she headed for bed a happy camper with a new pillow case.  Therese

Mina and Pepere made a puzzle

It took just over a day but the puzzle is finished.  It is a very arty puzzle with very interestingly cut pieces - some are hearts, flowers, birds, stars, etc.  This one is called Broadway and features a downtown New York scene all hand drawn with markers.  It has funky corners as well which was tricky until you discovered that they were rounded.
We made banana bread earlier in the day and it took forever to cook but eventually got there and was quite yummy.  Mina helped putting it all together.  We went swimming as well.  We took our bikes and dropped my Paula's to pick up snap peas on our way home.  Also scored some returnables for a recycle bin on our way home!!

Therese

Baby Robin

A baby robin sitting on the back step.  He was not flustered by our presences - just sat there and let us take his photo.  He is quite young and probably not out of the nest long.  We visited with him for a bit and after ascertaining that he was not hurt we decided to leave him be.  A short time later when we checked he was no longer on the step.  We hope he will learn to fly and be on his way soon!

Therese

Mina's visit - flexagon

 We went and picked up Mina for her visit at our house this summer.  We are fortunate to have some time with her as she had a week at camp already and has a week of art camp when she gets home.  Suzanne fed us a wonderful lunch.  It was great to see them all again being as there was not much time to visit at the Noel Reunion.  Mina has come prepared with all sorts of crafty stuff so she decided to tackle this flexagon design again.  She had not be successful the last time in getting all the pieces lined up but after supper she managed to get them sorted it out and you can see that it creates a variety of shapes by just pulling and pushing the folded shapes towards the middle or towards the outside.  We used brown and rainbow paper which contrasted nicely and really show up the designs.  Therese

Nankings from Alison's tree

These are the nankings I picked off of Alison's bush.  She doesn't have the inclination to make jelly with the juice so does not bother to pick them.  I will make pancake syrup later in the fall and make sure she gets a small jar.  

I got more than one of my picking buckets full from her bush which is much larger than mine.  I see hers are maybe a different variety considering the form of her bush and the ripeness of her berries - quite a bit riper than mine so maybe mine could have been left for another week or so.  

So I have two full bags of frozen nankings in the freezer for processing later in the fall.  We have munched on quite a few as well.  

Therese

Nankings have been picked

Picked my nankings on Sunday!!  They were looking beautiful!!

 I got about 3/4 of my picking bucket which is maybe three cups or so.   The bush has tripled in size this year so will need a trim before next season.  

I am very happy to be picking cherries from my own bush.  There are many around town and some a just loaded. 

Therese

Free Root beer

We walked to A&W for free root beer this afternoon.  They have changed their formulation to be more natural.  We did not really notice much difference.  It was a pleasant walk and we stopped at the second hand store on the way home and I found another little food processor like we already have. Ours has been used enough that the base has a few cracks and is noticeably marked with use.
So on we go!!

Therese

Another peach day lily!

This is another peach day lily that bloomed this week.  It is just a bit smaller than the other one and does not have pink or a green throat.

So another to add to the collection!!

Therese

The steeple is getting shingled!

We visited the church site yesterday and found that they are shingling the steeple. The tower will be assembled and the steeple erected on Monday!!

Things are advancing steadily!!

Therese

Picked saskatoons at Farrants Farm

 Sylvia and I went and picked saskatoons at Farrants Farm yesterday!!  They were abundant, large and beautiful!!  The bushes vary from about 3' to 6' and were loaded with berries.  It is a very pleasant picking experience!!!!  This farm was hailed out last year so we went and picked near Stony Plain instead.  I only picked one pail ( I have some still in the freezer) and Sylvia picked two.  It was on the verge of raining as we finished off so we put our efforts together to finish up the last pail.  $10 a pail  - a very reasonable price!!  It is nice to have them so close to home.  Therese

Smoky sun

This is the sun setting over the houses across the street one night this week.  It is very subdued due to the amount of smoke in the air from the BC forest fires.

Therese

Library Book - Keeper

This is the story of a woman who ends up the caregiver as her mother in law advances into dementia.  It is a good read and is very eye opening about the process of giving care, the progress of the disease and the health care system in Scotland that they had to deal with.

Therese

Apricot pancake syrup

  I had meant to take a photo of the whole bowl full but forgot to in my haste to get this syrup made.  I had 6 pounds of apricots freshly picked from the Okanagan on Saturday  - a gift from the neighbours for watching their place and watering the plants while they were on vacation.  

 We had few fresh and this morning I noticed several with marks on them and decided that I needed to preserve them in some way.  I decided on pancake syrup so went looking for recipes. Generally they all included  apricots, sugar, lemon juice and water in varying proportions.  I chose to blend the cut up apricots with a bit of water in the blender then cooking the puree.  It only requires about 10-15 minutes of cooking and the lemon juice does help the puree to retain its lovely colour.  Mine cooked a little longer because I was looking for jars and all my canning supplies.  So in the end I have 11 little jars of beautiful apricot pancake syrup for using and giving!!!

The recipe I found on line was called HOMEMADE APRICOT SYRUP at fabulesslyfrugal.com.  

I modified it a bit.  I started with 6 pounds of fruit which gave me 12 cups + of cut up fruit.  I added 3 cups at a time into the blender and added about 1/4 cup + of water and blended until smooth which gave me about 2 cups of puree.  I added each batch to my large cast iron pot - I did this 3 more times.  The last batch was a bit bigger so I figure I had 9 cups of puree.  I added 6 tbsps of  lemon juice and 2 cups of sugar - much less than the recipe recommended.  The sugar is just for taste so you can add as much or little as you want.  I found one recipe that did not add any.  I will try it out and adjust the recipe next time.  I added the thick syrup to my sterilized jars and processed them in a water bath for 10 minutes.  They all sealed so I am good to go!!!  The first canned goods to be stored in the cold room for this year!!!

Therese

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Apricot Pancake Syrup

6 lbs of fresh ripe apricots (12 cups+ cut up)

1 cup of water

6 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 cups of white sugar

Wash apricots.  Cut them up discarding the pit.  

Add 3 cups to blender then add 1/4 cup of water.

Blend well until all is smooth.

Add to a large pot.

Add lemon juice and sugar. Heat until sugar is melted and mixture begins to boil.

Lower heat slightly and boil for 10 minutes.

Pour into sterilized jars to 1/4" of the top and put on sterilized lids until tight.  

Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  

For more detailed information on canning syrup check a reputable on line source

or a canning book.  

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Another day lily is blooming!

 Here is a photo of the unknown daylilies which I received from FreeCycle.  They are a lovely peach colour with a nice frilly edge.  Again they will work very well with the others once the perennial bed gets set up!!
You can check the others here!

Therese