smile:)

Just a midweek smile! It's contagious:)

Mr and Mrs Andrew Lyman, Polish tobacco farmers near Windsor Locks, Connecticut
1940 Sept. Taken by Jack Delano... Delano explains that he made the couple laugh by telling Mr. Lyman that his pants were falling down. "The thought of such a catastrophe," Delano writes, "apparently made them break up."

Don't forget to pop in here! For $10 donation you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine for the holidays and be entered in a big prize draw to help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:)

December Views

Flower Whisperer

I rescued this amaryllis the other day along with a few others. It was hard not to buy the entire floor display. You see they had all started to grow and most were straining at the lids of the boxes trying to burst free. All white and pale and desperate. Reaching for a bit of light and trying to escape.
They are favourites of mine and I always buy one or two each winter because they have such gorgeous blooms and grow so astoundingly quickly! If you sit quietly and watch I swear you can see them lengthen. Like Christmas cactus which also blooms this time of year, it is wonderful to have flowers in December and January.
I might go rescue some more!

Oh and don't forget to pop in HERE! For $10 you can purchase part of a digital mammogram machine for the holidays and be entered in a draw worth $several $100 and help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry!

December Views

brought to you by HalifaxChicks

Last night we had a fund raising event for our HalifaxChicks BustaMove team. It was a great success! Our first December mixer! Once a month a group of women whose only commonality is that they live in Halifax, are"chicks" and Twitter, get together for a meal or drink. I have met some great gals through this and in fact these gatherings is the reason our small BustaMove team was created.
Last night we had an event where the "dudes" were allowed to come for a fee of $10 and a chance to win a bounty of international beer. We also had a "Cool Off" a competition via questions asked by judges, to determine who was coolest, @MrWordsworth(Mark Campbell) or @TheCoolestCool(Ross Simmonds). The two contenders are seen above battling it out for the title.
I think the question here was what was the greatest remake ever made and answers are "The Land That Time Forgot 2" and "Gremlins 2, The New Batch"' These guys are reeaallly cool:)
At the end of the evening......a tie was declared and everyone went home happy.

I think Mark Archibald was the happiest....he won the beer :)


Also... over on the right hand side you will see a cookbook that was put together by one of our team members as another venue for raising money for healthy breasts! Full of our combined recipes. $20 plus shipping.

One more thing! The BIG Draw is now full of prizes and ready for a happy $10 dollar donation to possibly take it all home. You must be able to come to Halifax to pick it up.

December Views

Start of another week:)

Don't you just love reflections! Makes for interesting pictures. A mingling of subjects that often creates something quite different from what you see at first glance.

Monday! Back again. Cold outside today, finally. I'll have to scrape off the car. Not done that since last winter:)

Our prize list for the BustaMove Big Draw is slowly growing:) Make a donation and be entered:) We have not really publicized it yet. Waiting until this week. Be the first to enter:)

December Views

les livres

One of my favourite haunts! Libraries and bookstores fill me with intense calm and excitement at the same time. When I was a little girl we would make the trip to the library once a week and I would load up on Dr. Seuss, Curious George and Babar books. My brothers and I would plonk ourselves on the floor and get lost in the possibilities of choice. So hard to decide which books to bring home. I still tend to get carried away and bring home too many books.
This is the Keshen Goodman Library. I've never thought to bring my camera there before.

and.......as I write this it is snowing! Sideways backwards and upside down. The wind is blowing it everywhere. My daughter has to go to work at 1pm. I think it will terrible out there by then:( I am thinking the bus would be a better choice than driving. Those first few winter drives are always nerve wracking. No salt on the roads yet, lots of slippy sliding.
The wee reindeer in this picture is a fellow I fell in love with. Covered in birch bark and sparkly salt crystals, I spied him in a window display.

Ooh and my latest discovery this weekend was born out of a desperate desire to recreate this! I had bought a box as a splurge and loved it! So, when it was finished I decided to try my own version. It worked! 2 bags of any decaffe tea, 2 bags of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea which I adore and always have), 5 green cardamon pods about 4 cups of water and simmer till dark and inky. House smells wonderful. Add honey and serve half milk and half chai mixture. Yum.
Also... today is the 92 Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion. You can see some rare film footage here.

December Views

hill with a view

The famous view from Citadel Hill of the Old Town Clock. Built in 1803 it has been keeping time for 206 years! Off in the distance is Georges Island and behind that a glimpse of McNab's island sitting at the mouth of the harbour.

Soon that green hill will be covered with snow. We are expecting a storm tonight! Rain then snow ending at noon. Winter arrives with a bang when it does come:) I've got some books and chai tea at the ready to keep me cozy.

Here's a sneak peek of a draw we are having on December 30th. Really only applicable to locals but you can pop over and have a look. HalifaxChicks Prize Draw for BustaMove

December Views

December 4

I can't believe it is December 4th already. I think it is because of the weird warm weather. It feels like September. There are even flowers still blooming in people's gardens. This is the season of snow and cold, not mild and wet. In some ways I am relieved because the winters can be long and harsh and towards the end, I go a bit nutty but.....still.....it makes me uneasy that the seasons are becoming so unpredictable.

Oh and remember, those wee baby animal and parent paintings I did? I have them available as prints in my Etsy shop now.

Ending on a silly note, "Yep , I'll have another martini please" TGIF


December Views

Splash of colour

Fuller Terrace, a pretty wee street in the North end. Love all the different hues. When I was in Alberta last year I was struck at the lack of colour in the new subdivisions, all the houses seemed to be taupe, beige, grey, white. I think with the harsh winters in Canada we need to see colour to brighten up the day:)

Here is a quote I read recently that resonates with me.
"The easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want"
Don't you think that is true? Something to think about today:)

December Views

Zumbaa!

After yesterday's gloomy picture I thought I would post some colour! I had to use up some of my veggies on the weekend and found a soup recipe that used leeks, red cabbage and tomato. It was quite good. I love the internet for that sort of thing. Type in ingredients and voila!

Last night's Zumba class was REALLY fun. I was surprised at how quickly the hour sped by. I think what really made it for me was the sheer number of participants. About 200! The music is Latin, Bollywood, Arabic, and pumping good! You cannot help wanting to move:) It is held in the field house at Dalplex and there is plenty of room. A bit disconcerting at times to feel the floor moving up and down, but I'm sure it is safe. There was a great mix of people and all ages:) Zumbaa!

Got a lot of calendars mailed out yesterday. More to do today. If you want one, last chance to email me and let me know. Another busy day here. Hope yours is great.



December Views

December 1st!

A view over the Halifax Commons. Looks like these folk are walking along the edge of the world.......... I'm participating in December Views this month, hosted by Darlene at HippyUrbanGirl and you can too if you want :)

My calendars have arrived and I will be packaging and shipping out today! They are not the perfect quality I had hoped for but this was a last minute project and I am pleased that I have them to offer to you! Duffett cats to brighten your wall all year:)

December is here! We had an amazingly sunny and mild November, just some rain these last few days. I read somewhere yesterday that Toronto had the first snow free month in 162 years!

Hope you have a great day. I am going to a Zumba class at Dal with my daughter tonight:) It is the last night that her fave instructor is teaching before heading off to New Zealand . She has been trying to get me to attend for awhile and tonight is it! Rhumba zumba!