Handy Sewing "Wallet"

Going through old magazines, I came across instructions for making a handy sewing "wallet" - perfect for taking on trips or just storing a few sewing supplies in.

It reminded me of the felt needle case I made years ago in a high school home economics class...

We had to practice several embroidery stitches when decorating it.

I still use it all the time.

Another handmade sewing wallet that  has proven useful is this one that I was given by an elderly neighbor in Kelowna when I was 18 and heading off to university.














I was impressed by the detail she put into it - the green cord trim that decorates the edges.

Such a thoughtful gift!

Making Strawberry Jam

Some years Terry and I pick or buy strawberries from a local farmer and make easy strawberry jam. The years we don't do it, when winter comes, we always wonder Why?! What kept us from it?!

Last year about this time, we were in Toronto where I took a religious icon painting course I had seen offered there. It was an interesting experience...

After the course was over, I did go strawberry picking with my granddaughter and her parents.

I don't remember if made jam once I got back home...

Should we pick our own berries? It wouldn't be that hard, Terry and I wondered this year...

In the end, we took the easier route and bought them at a nearby strawberry stand.

I used the Certo recipe for cooked jam - but once the jars had cooled on the table overnight, I moved them to the freezer. That way I didn't have to worry about sterilizing the jars.

I made two batches - and now I'm wondering whether I should make more... It really isn't that hard - and it tastes so much better than store-bought jam.

Good Words to Remember

On a recent day trip to Almonte, Terry and I noticed this gentle reminder:

Accept what is
Let go of what was
Have faith in what will be

Words to remember, especially now...

Diet Changes to Promote Weight Loss

Yesterday I mentioned an Oxford University Diet Study that listed 53 changes one can make to promote weight loss. Some of these relate to diet; others to exercise...

The article is found in the Times of London online newspaper. Another article on the study can be found here...

I  made a list of these 19 food-related changes that will result in weight loss, according to the study... And one only needs to choose a few to see an impact...

Another important point! You do have to get on the scale every day and track your weight, presumable to see what is working!

1. Eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.
2. Snack only on vegetables.
3. Eat food that has less than 3g of fat per 100g.
4. Eat food that has less than 5g of carb per 100 g.
5. Replace rice, potatoes and pasta with veggies.
6. Half the plate, in your main meal, should be vegetables.
7. NO fatty processed meat
8. NO snacks between meals
9. NO cakes, cookies, sweets, even as part of a meal
10. NO desserts or appetizers 
11. NO fried food
12. NO white carbs (pasta, potatoes, white bread)
13. YES - eat dairy and fruit
14. YES - eat fruit and vegetables to replace unhealthy snacks
15. YES - eat 6-8 nuts a day
16. YES - eat meal replacements (shakes and bars)
17. YES - skip a meal a day
18. YES - eat no more than 3 meals a day
19. YES - eat nothing after 8 pm

I think that the beauty of this list is that one chooses 1-8 items to focus on at a time. And even one change will (according to the study) make a difference.

I plan is to aim small and choose only one item to focus on for a while...

Food Journey: Fifteen Years of Watching What I Eat

I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic in 2005 - and that (as they say) changed everything. Before then, I went on my merry way eating whatever I felt like, whenever I felt like it... My weight would fluctuate a bit, often seasonally. In summer, if I walked more, I often lost weight... (if it was hot I ate lots of salads). But sometimes exercise, like working in the garden made me gain weight... Why? I discovered that outdoor physical labor gave me an appetite... To my surprise, June was a prime weight-gain month for me...

Since 2005 I have tracked my weight - and my daily early morning blood sugar readings, to see if there was a correlation between the two... And to make sure the readings weren't getting too high. I also often kept track of what I ate, trying to make sense of  changes... I managed to avoid medication for my type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise until 2017, when I developed endometrial cancer and my readings jumped...

I could go on and on... Over the years, by trial and error (and reading books) I have learned a lot... The prime revelation for me was that carbs (like bread) made me gain weight...

The book, Why We Get Fat, was my travel reading on a trip to the Maritimes a few years ago... and my food choices changed chapter by chapter as we travelled!

I could probably write a book on this journey of watching what I eat! But I won't! Not here, anyway...

All this, an introduction to an interesting University of Oxford diet study I recently read about online... The study lists 53 steps that will help one lose weight... The interesting thing is that, whatever step or steps a person chooses to follow will result in some weight loss.

The steps themselves come from various sources. I recognize them from diet books I've read over the years: Volumetrics, Intermittent Fasting, Low Carb Eating, even low fat diets (which I thought were no longer in vogue)...










.

Studies on "glycemic index" (G. I) are reflected in the list.

The study recommends choosing 8 steps to follow for a few weeks or months (until boredom sets in, which it inevitably will!) But even following one step will have an impact... That's what I find so interesting... Mix it up, make one to eight changes, try new things... Whatever you do, if you persist for a few weeks or months, weight loss will result... Probably less with one change than with eight - but maybe not! I remember when Terry lost 10 pounds by simply giving up his evening snacks of chips and cola...

Not fair! I said... It's so easy for you! 

For me, giving up chips and soft drinks wouldn't change a thing... Those weren't my weakness... Mine always involve chocolate!

Tomorrow I'll list the 19 food changes suggested by the article, published in the Times of London.  Another article on the study can be found here...

Unfortunately, I put the Times article down, intending to look at it again the following day. But by then, I was told I'd have to subscribe to the online paper...

Tomorrow: 19 changes...

Photos Bring Back Long Forgotten Memories!

I've been sorting through old photos - and which bring back so many memories!

Here's one of Terry and our daughter, who was a year old at the time.

We were having dinner with an old friend, George - whom we still see from time to time.

Another, taken a few years later. Our daughter is now five... Here she is napping with her three-year-old brother.

I probably took the picture to capture the beauty of a rare peaceful moment during those busy childhood years! 

Fancy Doughnut!

Young people are more health-conscious than I was in my 20's. So I'm surprised that fancy doughnuts are also popular these days.

My son drove across the river to Gatineau, Quebec for this one - a half hour drive. His favorite Ottawa doughnut store only fills pre-orders made online. (And they were sold out for several weeks.)

To impulsively buy a dozen doughnuts, he had to drive over to Quebec!

Pandemic Comfort Project

A lot of people took to baking bread during the early weeks of the COVID pandemic. In fact, at one point, flour was difficult to find... I'd probably have joined that group if there had been more people to eat the bread at our house! Instead, every week or two, Terry and I drove to a bakery.

For comfort, I turned to knitting and crochet. Digging through unfinished projects, I came across this afghan with bright pink stripes. It reminded me of a beach towel. Working on it in the evenings cheered me up!

Is it big enough? I asked Terry yesterday. If it is, I'm ready to move on!

(I wonder if pandemic bread makers have also stopped baking!)

Graduation Memory

This year, many Canadian students will not be celebrating their high school graduation in the usual way... For them - but maybe more so for their parents and grandparents - this will be a tremendous loss.

My mother - who had to struggle so hard to graduate from high school, then teachers' college and university - valued education more than many who didn't have to struggle as hard for their education. She made a point of attending the graduation ceremonies of as many of her grandchildren as possible.

Among her photos, I found this one - taken in June 1998 - at my daughter's high school graduation...

At the time, she lived in Kelowna, BC - so it was a special effort for her to be here for "grad."

Father's Day Vintage Car Shows

Today is Father's Day in Canada...

For some reason, Ottawa and Toronto usually host car shows on Father's Day. I'm not sure they will this year...

But we happened to come across this one on Bloor Street in Toronto last year...

They shut down a busy main street for several blocks to make this event happen.

This is a beautiful convertible from my youth! My mother's younger brothers liked fancy cars.

For me, a car is a vehicle to get me from one place to another - without any problems - so I would never buy a vintage car, which would be more likely to break down.

I was surprised to see this old Honda Civic, much like the one I owned when I was single and living in Montreal.

Mine was yellow, too.

One of my cousins and his wife in western Canada have a vintage convertible given to them by his wife's father...

When Terry and I were visiting, he took the roof down and we went for a ride!

It was fun!

One of my mother's brothers, a former truck driver, rebuilt this old truck and later sold it...

We all have our hobbies... Vintage cars can be expensive to own...

I enjoy quilting and have a good sewing machine. But the cost of my machine doesn't compare to the cost of rebuilding - or maintaining - a vintage vehicle...

Blue Church Cemetery

Terry and I often drive down highway 2, which runs beside the St. Lawrence River.

One building we have often driven passed and commented on is a "Blue Church" next to the road, between Prescott and Brockville,

Last time we drove by, Terry pulled off the road for a better view...

The attached cemetery has interesting old headstones.

This online article states that, after two previous churches on this site burned down, this church was built in 1845. No one knows why the church has always been painted blue - but it must have been for a long time: The road next to it is called "Blue Church Road."

The building is, apparently, still used for small weddings.

June Visit to Brockville

Last week Terry and I drove to Brockville, about an hour south of Ottawa - on the St. Lawrence River.

The town seemed quieter than usual for this time of year...

Our favorite bakery had closed at 2 - and we arrived at 3...

What a disappointment...

So we headed for the river walk...

Terry sometimes talks about buying a condo in this tall building on the river. We visited one once, but concluded that the units are really too small for us. The view would be lovely, but I'm not ready to abandon all my hobbies! And I wouldn't have room for them all there...

My solution: Perhaps to rent a place on the river for a few weeks a year.

But we haven't done that yet... Day trips are easy - and we can always end the day sleeping in our own bed!

We noticed a few  teenage girls standing near the water - dressed up in their prom dresses - taking pictures of each other...

Had the Corona-virus pandemic cancelled their graduation festivities, including their prom?

As we walked along, we noticed things we had never noticed before - like this interesting archway... Maybe next time, we can explore it.

Also this lovely mural...

An old clock...

Ships sailing down the St. Lawrence River...

We may have missed out on the baked goods  we were looking forward to - but still had an interesting day.

Enjoying Pink and Purple Flowers - Indoors and Out

At this time of year, I enjoy my pink and purple indoor plants - mainly African Violets - while outdoors pink and purple perennials are in bloom.

Indoors I have several shades of African Violets - pink...

And purple...

In a nearby north-facing window a pale pink orchid is in bloom. The orchid reminds me of the one that bloomed continuously in my mother's nursing home room.

Outdoor purple plants include purple irises...

... Persian cornflowers...

And peonies, just starting to bloom...

This low growing plant  blooms most of the summer. I think it's a perennial geranium...

There was no planning on my part to create this period of pink and purple flowers. But I'm glad it's happened that way!

Family Birthday!

Today is our daughter's birthday...

Looking back to when she was a year old...

On that day, a few of us gathered to celebrate: friends Janet and daughter Nora, as well as our downstairs  neighbor Madame Lapine, on the right.

How quickly they grow up!

Here she is, a few summers later, at age 6, with her 4-year-old brother looking on...

Here again at 15...

Memories!

Rhubarb Season

I was pleased to see a small rhubarb patch in our side yard when we first moved into our house.

We harvested it annually over the years, but eventually the patch dwindled... then totally disappeared... I wasn't sure why. I even remember "fertilizing" it with Epsom salts - an idea I came across somewhere.

Fortunately, I have neighbors who have lots of rhubarb! Mary's grows bountifully year after year. Her secret of success may be that they move the rhubarb plant regularly... (Does rhubarb like crop rotation?)

So this year she gave me a generous supply of hers - enough to chop up and freeze some for winter!

Shopping in Ottawa's Downtown Byward Market

The day was sunny, so I was craving a little "adventure"...

We decided to drive downtown to the Byward Market.

Terry wanted some good sourdough bread... There are two bakeries there that make it.

I was hoping to find some jasmine tea in one of the small shops.

We both found what we were looking for - and were surprised to see more activity in the market than we had seen there in a while.

Stands were being set up for outdoor vendors...

Outdoor patios were being set up...

I wonder how many restaurants and cafes won't be reopening. That will really be sad...