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May Day
Chelsey
Hey it's May, my very favorite month of the year for so many reasons including my niece Chelsey's birthday, which is today ~ Happy Sweet 16 Chels!
On a more serious note...
Mallard Ducks ~ photo courtesy of Mike McDonald
I've been in a bit of a funk the last couple of days. I'm trying to shake the sadness from hearing the devastating news that 500 ducks perished Monday in this province when they landed in a tailings pond. What is a tailings pond? It's a manmade lake filled with toxic waste left from the extraction of oil. We here in Alberta have a lot of them & the big oil companies that create them are supposed to be responsible for keeping wildlife out. In this case, Syncrude failed to deploy cannons in time to scare off the ducks & they also failed to report the incident before a tipster called the Fish & Wildlife office about it.
I guess the news really hits close to my heart because I have such a passion for birds. The picture of 500+ lifeless waterfowl covered in oil is very hard for this sensitive soul to imagine. Such a massive waste of innocent life, life that was on the verge of proliferating too. Can you fathom a quieted sky; gone the wonderment & grace of flight, gone the miraculous V-formation migrations, gone the wild & riotous honks & quacks? As we strip this province for our backward energy demands we destroy our precious wetlands. The ramifications of our irresponsibility will forever affect us.
At least the oil company fat cats, the greedy politicians & the trades people working to make a fast buck are sitting pretty today, but this can't last forever, we're going to have to find a more sustainable way of living on this earth.
The provincial government approved a $25 million propaganda campaign to promote the oil sand extractions as "environmentally friendly", if you would like to disagree with Mr. Ed Stelmach's delusional claims, feel free to fire off a letter. Let's not make this loss of life be in vain, we have a right to express our concerns.
It's payday & Chris suggested we donate some money to Ducks Unlimited Canada (this one, Ducks Unlimited, is for American donations). So I'm off to do that. |
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Friday ~ May 2nd
"Bubbles" by Judy Hamilton
My mom has 2 paintings in the Masterpieces in Miniature show this month. The show is in Sherwood Park & the opening is this Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a bunch of amazing miniature art pieces to check out, however I think Bubbles is the best one, just look at her eyelashes! And a really cool thing, a portion of the proceeds from all the sales goes to the Arts in Medicine Program at the Cross Cancer Institute. Here's the link to the art show with all the information.
I finally downloaded my photos from Grandpa's birthday party. I won't bore you with a ton of family pictures though. How about just a couple, like this one of Grandpa & me:
And Grandpa & Mom:
And a photo of my uncles because they are so darn *cute*:
Left to Right: Uncle Bill, Uncle Doug & Uncle Bob
And something fun for Friday ~
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Monday ~ May 5th
Would any of you out there be interested in heart pendants? I'm kind of in the mood to make some hearts but are they in or out? Some feedback would be appreciated.
I've got lots on the go today. It's only 9 a.m. and I'm already running behind so I better scram. Have a great Monday! |
Wednesday ~ May 7th
Weigh In Wednesday
I've been for my weigh in & I'm another 2 pounds down! That's a loss of 10.6 pounds since I started exactly a month ago.
So far, so good. I'm finding the Core program really easy & enjoyable. For instance, today I had for lunch: salmon, half of a baked potato with black bean salsa & a fresh salad with sugar snap peas, yellow peppers & cherry tomatoes. It was delicious, nutritious & left me completely satisfied. I don't know what's going on but I think by eliminating processed food & refined sugars from my diet, I can actually taste real food. I can't believe how full of flavor corn, tomatoes, cauliflower, grapefruit, bell peppers, peas, squash, grapes, mangoes...etc. are & so colorful. Every time I plate my meals, it's a feast for the eyes as well. And the amount of energy I have now compared to a month ago has changed incredible. I've been enjoying hour long walks & going to the gym & cleaning the house & I can't wait until my next yoga class, not my next meal. Good things are happening, hope I can keep it up, this is the dreaded 10 pound mark ~ a serious roadblock in the past.
* I almost forgot, I heard Lyle Lovett's song, "If I Had a Boat" (thanks Cindy for the reference) on the radio this morning & really enjoyed the lyrics ~
"If I had a boat
It was really sweet, like what a kid might dream about before going to sleep at night, but I imagine it would have to be a pretty big boat or a rather small pony like one of these little cuties:
Shetland Ponies ~ photo courtesy of Tronda |
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Thursday ~ May 8th
Savoy Beads
I made this set of beads after being inspired by the striped pattern of an ottoman (below) that I spotted on a design blog a while back.
I asked Chris what came to mind when he looked at the beads & he said they reminded him of a bar we used to go to called Savoy. Actually, Chris & I began our relationship in that bar back in 2000 when his friends & my friends, all interconnected, would meet there every Friday after work for drinks. Those were very good times & I think the name suits the beads perfectly.
I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet? I wouldn't mind exploring this style with some other colors as well. It's quite time consuming because there are lots of different colors to pull & you have to have a pretty steady hand, but in the end, I like the effect. What do you think? As for the hearts, looks like people still dig 'em, so I will be making some in the near future as well.
* Sometimes it's not the lack of ideas but the abundance that slows you down ~ I need some serious focus * |
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Saturday ~ May 10th
Photo courtesy of National Geographic
Happy Mother's Day (weekend) to all you wonderful moms out there! |
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Tuesday ~ May 13th
Above photos left to right: Leah, me, Wes & Chris; Pat & Chris; the campfire; Sunshine, Jonny, Ruby & Ella riding the jeep.
Every year, Pat & Ken (Chris' parents) host an egg hunt usually around Easter, but this year we had so much snow late in the season, they were unable to do it until this past weekend. They invite family & friends over for the event (there were 23 of us this year) & we each get a colored ribbon & have to find bags full of chocolate & toys hidden in trees around their acreage that have the matching colored ribbon on them. Afterwards, we have a wiener roast & relax around the fire while the kids, all hyped up on chocolate, run around playing with their toys. This is definitely one of our very favorite events of the year, & this year was no different ~ thanks so much Pat & Ken.
My mom was away for Mother's Day so we'll be celebrating later this week with a game of golf & lunch. Hope all you moms out there were spoiled over the weekend.
It's going to be a beautiful, warm week & I've already been to 2 greenhouses, poking around for garden treasures. I bought a cool lantern that looks old & exotic. It can be hung up or can just rest on a table. I think once our pergola is up in the backyard, I'm going to hang it for some groovy nighttime lighting.
And yesterday I bought 2 very large burning bushes & 3 rose bushes, which I've never really considered for the yard before. I think they'll be quite wonderful though, they bloom through the entire season & I went with pinks & purples to contrast against our grey house. It's garden time!
Oh, & thanks for your input on the Savoy beads ~ a resounding yes so I will definitely keep experimenting with the stripes. |
Wednesday ~ May 14th
1:35 p.m.
I'm back. I'm also 3.6 pounds down from last week ~ yippee! That makes my total weight loss after 5 weeks 14.2 pounds. Things went reasonably well last week, although again, it wasn't anywhere near perfect, but I think this way of eating is really beneficial to my health so I'll stick with it. Good news is I surpassed the weight roadblock that's been a problem for the last couple of years & I really do feel different inside. It's like my body has switched into a higher gear. Thanks to all of you out there sending wonderful, supportive emails, it's appreciated!
9:50 a.m.
I have some errands to run & then it's Weigh In Wednesday. Be back in a few hours with the results. |
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Thursday ~ May 15th
Canada Goose
Since I bought my Canon Rebel XTi, I really haven't been overly impressed with the photos I've taken. In fact, when it comes to the beads, I'm still resorting to my old FujiPix camera. I know the major problem is that I need to invest in a good lens, but there's also the problem of not knowing how to work the camera properly. I can set it on auto, or switch it to landscape or portrait... but there are a lot more little buttons on it getting rather dusty from lack of use. So tonight, I start a 6 week photography class ~ wish me luck.
Hey cool, a Nancy Cartwright interview:
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Tuesday ~ May 20th
I like to call this a "Heat Sandwich". Maggie is resting on top of the hot tub while the sun beats down on her ~ heat from each side, not to mention the warm blanket of fur she's already wrapped in. I really don't know how a kitty could stand it, but she was very content.
It's been a busy stretch of time. Got my first game of golf in this year, went to a super fun wedding anniversary out of town & we camped there too, did a ton of gardening & picked up our pots from the greenhouse. Here's the results:
April 26th, we left our pots at the greenhouse where they kept them warm & watered...
May 16th, we picked them up. Not a huge difference but they are bigger.
Chris & I also brought in a full truckload of chicken manure for our beds & we'll be getting a couple more loads before we're done. Our poor neighbors must be wondering about the smell, but it will do wonders for our plants so it's worth it in the end. We also picked up a banana plant for the front yard, just for fun. I checked on it this morning & it broke due to the crazy wind blowing all night & into today, bummer. It's definitely back to the greenhouse for me.
The photography class last Thursday was fun. At the start of the class, the instructor gave us a theme & we had to go out & walk around taking photos with that theme in mind. Before the next class, we have to submit one of the photos. Last week the theme was "Urban Experience". I've narrowed all my photos down to 3 that I'm trying to choose from, here they are below:
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
* I would love to hear which one you like the best, you can email me your thoughts here. * |
Wednesday ~ May 21st
1:21 p.m.
I'll make this brief as I'm off to the greenhouse in a minute, but I just got back from Weigh In Wednesday & I'm down another 1.2 pounds, awesome! I was actually really nervous about this weigh in because of the long weekend & the celebrations & a couple of "not-so-Core" dinners... etc., but I guess it worked out in the end, phew. Total to date ~ 15.4 pounds down in 7 weeks.
Hey, I might have a couple auctions up tomorrow, wouldn't that be a nice change.
Thanks for the comments on the "Urban" photos below. I'm going to go with Photo 3. If you're wondering what's so urban about it, our little towns here don't have streets that go up that high, that's an urban thing. There was traffic below the signs, wish I would have got right down on the ground to capture the vehicles too, oh well... |
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Thursday ~ May 22nd
New Auctions up on eBay! Click on photos to view:
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Tuesday ~ May 27th
Last Thursday while driving home from my photography class, I spotted 2 geese with their goslings by the river valley. I told my mom about it so we decided to go out the next morning to the park to investigate. Sure enough, there were 3 couples with their wee ones. We got some really nice close ups despite being chased several times by angry parents. We weren't trying to disrespect their space, it was just that as we stood taking photos the goslings would start to waddle our way. I don't think they were really paying attention, but the adult geese were ~ oh the dangers of photography.
Check out the 'tocks on these little guys! If you stare hard enough it looks like they're wiggling.
I've been working in the yard a lot, we added a layer of compost to all our gardens & we're going back for more so that I can spread a thin layer on our lawn too. I've finished all my pots & fertilized them & I've weeded out near the bird feeder (any suggestions on how to tame all the wild grass that grows there?). Today I'm off to the greenhouse again to grab a few more shrubs & maybe pick out a couple more trees & I'm sure there will be some perennials that need to come home with me too.
I haven't been making beads, it's just too darn nice out, but I'll make up for it later. |
Wednesday ~ May 28th
10:28 a.m.
It's Weigh In Wednesday. I'll be back in a couple of hours with the results...
In the meantime, did you see this guy dance yet? He's made of rubber, I swear!
1:20 p.m.
Back from the weigh in & another 1.8 pounds down!
I want to share an awesome recipe for all you French fry addicts out there *cough, mom, cough*:
Sweet Potato Fries
Seriously, these will knock your socks off if you haven't tried them already. |
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Thursday ~ May 29th
Toot, Toot!
Hey, my beads are in the Bead Review 2008 book! I just got my copies on Tuesday. I tried to scan it but my scanner won't pick up the second page of words so I'll just show you which set it is & what Larry Brickman wrote about them:
This beautiful set of beads exhibits multiple dot/eye design work with various levels of texture (silver, dichro, dots, etc.). The colors feel warm and comforting to me, with a "Victorian" sensibility. Individual beads contain so much attention to detail and are so well made, they could easily stand alone as focals! - Larry
Yeah Larry, thank you! Also, I'm featured on The Beading Gem's Journal, you can read the article here. Thanks Pearl! What a wonderful community of glass & jewelry artists, so supportive & appreciative of other people's work. I feel very grateful to be among them.
Off to my last yoga class this morning. I don't know if I'll sign up for some summer classes or do a couple of drop-ins ~ they have a few classes going at Solis, but with the nice weather & the golf course a'calling, I think I just might go back in September. And tonight I have my photography class. I didn't share any photos from last week's theme because they just weren't that good. I'm hoping for better results this week...
Wow, my neighbor's cat just chased my cat into the house after she let out the most horrific "Halloween" shriek. Nu came running in looking like a big puffed up black marshmallow so I went to chase the other cat & yelled so loud that I now have a throbbing headache from it ~ crazy. |
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Friday ~ May 30th
Photo courtesy of NASA
A ghostly unicorn in the sky, this stunning picture is of a gas & dust pillar in the Trifid Nebula, punctuated by a smaller pillar pointing up and an unusual jet pointing to the left. The pink dots are newly formed low-mass stars.
From one extreme to the other, check out these little works of art, sand under a microscope, here.
What a gloriously complex & beautiful universe this is; I am in awe by it all. |
