Karen Biko is Jazzed!!

I’m baking a cake with my mom. I have a recipe card with all the ingredients on it. I started happily adding things to the mixing bowl as they are on the card.

Mom exclaims “No, no, you have to cream the butter first, then add the sugar”. The card does not say this which I quickly point out to her. She smiles “I know how to bake I don’t need all the instructions”.

So we continue on and again I go ahead and add something in at the wrong time. “Didn’t you learn to bake a cake in Home Ec.”? She looks at me in disbelief.

Well you know, I don’t really remember, but it did occur to me that most people would ask “Didn’t your MOTHER teach you how to bake a cake”?

Way to go mom!! We had a good laugh over that.

It gives me a nice sense of accomplishment when I’m able to help out with things.

Today was a day for cleaning out the boat with Mom & Dad. I like to keep in mind that I’m a hard worker, and I’ll do anything to make things better for both my parents. So I do what I can.

Some of this includes helping my mother clean out her studio. I owe it to her after all the times that she helped me with the same thing when I was a kid.

I think I’m much nicer than she was. I’m letting her keep quite a bit. But it has more to do with the fact that we are having fun with it, regardless how lame her reasons for keeping things are.

Today I get to post from my phone while I’m in Victoria. I just love technology. Here I am sitting with my mom, we skyped with Bill, about to watch a Netflix movie, and I’m posting a message to the world from my phone.

This is all pretty cool!

Today was the final day of the open house event at Bearspaw.  I had filled many of the spaces there with my artwork.  It’s been a nice couple of weekends getting to know some fun people.  Today was a busy day with lots of people through the house.

A good day for me as I sold a little painting of mine.

Today I’m thankful for my friend Richard.

We have been friends since high school.  Growing up we had lots of fun in our school adventures.  Drama, filming, parties, driving.  He used to take me to McDonalds for lunch quite often.

Now he’s married to a wonderful woman, and three great kids.  We get together once in a while and always have a great time.  We find it amusing that we can easily spend a whole night just talking, talking, talking and never run out of topics that seem to interest us completely.

That is how we spent our Saturday evening.  Good friends, good wine, good food…who can ask for more.

Thanks Richard and Sandra…

The annual Christmas Pottery Sale is on!!  Saturday November 13th

Fairview Studios

9:00 to Noon

Canyon Meadows Community Centre

848 Cantabrian Dr. S.W.

This year there are two early bird draws (arrive early – enter early).  I tell ya, I’ve never seen that before, and I’m usually near the front of the lineup!!  Now you can win 10 minute preview shopping.  That’s about how long it takes me to find all my favorites.  If you haven’t ever been to this sale, you have to check it out.  I’ve been going for about 15 years.  Bring a box or a tote of some sort.

Today we took the girls in tow to join in the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Military Museum.  We felt that it was an important event for our children to understand the impact of what our soldiers do for us, and honor that.

I was so pleased by the huge crowd attending, and moved by the ceremony.

Thank you to all who have sacrificed and worked hard to keep us Strong and Free.

I am thrilled.  Tonight when I put on my little black dress it covered all the bruises I got when I fell this afternoon!!  W00t!

Ouch I’m sore, but I think I looked great for the event tonight!

Sometimes it’s great to get some help doing things, but sometimes it’s just better doing it yourself.  My case in point is a little project I’m helping Sidney out with.  She has to make a musical instrument for school.  The instrument has to come from another country so Sidney had chosen India.  We looked through many choices and came up with the Manjira.  These are like medium size cymbals.

I found two pot lids that I thought if we could cut they would work well.  But the cutting is the problem.  So I started out trying to use a cutting tool with the dremel.  This didn’t work so well because I couldn’t get the disks to stay on tight.

So I resorted to cutting by hand with a little saw.  I’ve had experience cutting metal with a saw (from silversmithing).  How hard could it be?  Well the aluminum lid was tough, but I got through it.  now I’m working on the stainless steel lid.  It’s much harder and slower going.

Bill offered to help.  So I excepted, because he is handy and good at many things.  After a few minutes of cutting by hand he gave up and tried a grinding bit on the dremel.  When all he did was create a big gaping hole, and broke the bit, he handed it back to me.  Even his hand cutting was crooked…I guess that’s what happens when you try to use too much muscle and go to fast.

So last night I continued slowing sawing away at that lid.  Bill offered again, but I quietly declined.  I will let him do the things he’s really good at, and smile knowing there is something I can do better…   Nah nah nah nah!

What a warm day we had today.  So I’m grateful for that.  It’s lovely to be outside when the warm wind is blowing in gently.  The sun was shining, it was just one of those days where eveything is worth smiling at.

I know, short and sweet, but some days are just like that!!