Salad Dressing

I'm not much of a make things up cook. I basically follow a recipe and I've always admired people who can just whip things up. Especially those that can make salad dressing. So when my friend Janice made this during our girl's cottage retreat, I made her write it out for me. What I like best about it is that it uses a very few ingredients which I always have on hand. So in case I lose my copy of her recipe, I thought I would record it here on the blog.

Jannie's Salad Dressing
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Optional: oregano
Put everything in a jar and shake it up. Can store in the
fridge for a few days also.

It doesn't get any easier then that. And doesn't that salad look appealing?

You Pick Challenge

Entering Week 6 of Shelter at Home and it's getting a little hard to come up with new material. One thing that seems to be easy though, is finding craft time. Sometimes when we do the Challenges it's hard to focus so I suggested that we each make the other person create from something WE chose for them! We did our first one last week and it worked really well.

For Keri, I chose the MFT Mailbox stamp and die set...

And she made this cutey card...

For me, she chose the MFT Gullfriends set. I wasn't too sure when I first saw it, then I remembered an old Echo Park paper called Splash with a wave paper and knew it would be perfect. And I wanted to do a peek a boo type card.  Here's what I came up with...

And the inside...

I have so many great friends helping me through this isolation. Not sure who I should send it to..
This is the stamp set in case you are interested...

Don't worry, we are still going to do our Monthly swap. I had to put the cards away for awhile and focus on getting some chores and Spring cleaning done.
PS. It's quite remarkable how we quite often chose the same company without knowing what the other person has selected.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

I was lucky enough to be gifted several meals over the Easter weekend and my good friend Keri, gave me this idea for leftovers awhile ago. I love making it in the individual loaf pans. They freeze well and you can just pull one or two out of the freezer for a quick meal.

Start by dumping all your leftover chopped up turkey, gravy, vegetables into a bowl. Mix and portion into loaf pans.

Top with a layer of stuffing...

Top with a layer of mashed potatoes....

Finally some grated cheddar cheese...

I don't have a photo of a baked one because by this stage, I had eaten turkey 4 days in a row but I assure you they are really good.
Bake for about half hour or longer if frozen. Just need to be heated through.

April Swap Card

Hello from Week 5 of Quarantine. This month we had a special guest swapper and in keeping with the new regimen, we did a virtual swap.
Both Keri and I chose Lawn Fawn, its funny how that works out. We both followed examples from the Internet very closely. We don't claim to do original work all the time. But that's ok.
Here's my card..

Even with a plan to follow, there were so many steps in this card. Lots of ink colours and die cutting. But I love it.

This is such a cute set, I need to use that avacado.

This release from Lawn Fawn was just adorable. A lot of really cute expressions and those Mice! Keri is really loving the Distress Oxides and her blending brushes. Here's another one she did....

And the inside sentiment...

Such a cute detail. This is the stamp set...

And Guest Swapper Nicole used a Sugar Pea set for her card.The little typewriter had lots of die cut pieces. I love the font for the sentiment inside the card....

Here's the set that she used....

Stay tuned for next month's swap. At least there seems to be a lot of time to craft these days.

Jane's Doodles Challenge #7 Rainbow

We could all use some rainbow around here so in an effort to participate in a few more challenges, I decided to make a card for Jane's Doodles Challenge #7. It's been so long since I linked up to a blog, I hope I remember how to do it.

I cut around the kitty by hand and put a purple mouse inside the card. There is stitching around the rainbow and below the mice. I coloured the images with Copics. Not bad for my first foray back into Challenges in awhile. Plus, Jane has some really cute free digital images you can download as well.

Plus, I think it's really cool that they are crafting in Croatia. Really a worldwide hobby.

April Goals

I'm going to start off today's post with 3 things I'm grateful for. Believe me, I had a hard time stating just 3 because there are so many more I could list as we end Week 3 of Social Distancing in Ontario.

1. I'm grateful I'm a Canadian! Despite political differences, I feel our Country is being led by capable Politicians who are doing their best to support all of the different scenarios that are changing hour by hour. For the most part, people are abiding by the directives and treating one another with kindness and respect just what we are known for.

2. I'm grateful I live in a large home with a backyard. I have lots to keep me busy. I don't have to worry about running into people in corridors and elevators. I feel for all the people in more difficult circumstances.

3. I'm grateful I have long hair. While I am desperately in need of a trim, I can get by with a ponytail and feel for those people that rely on regular visits to a salon.

Now onto the Goals.. First a brief revisit of last month...

1. Go the the gym once a week. ( I started off well for the first 2 weeks of March, meeting my goal with 2 Aquasize classes then of course, the gyms closed) I have no excuse not to do some workouts in my basement to DVD's etc but I can't seem to find the time.

2. Do 5 Donation requests for Looonies for Lindor fundraiser. I did get started on this and now it has all come to a screeching halt. I am continuing to prep for the Event as is my team and we will see how it all plays out down the road.

3.Find a Retail store to carry my card line Paws for Thought. I DID find a great little store, love the owner Danielle, it's called Artisanal Design. She's on Instagram and is very entertaining. Of course, then the bottom fell out for small business and she has been forced to close so I haven't moved forward. I DID make an Instagram account and you can find me there. Pawsforthoughtkw. Maybe down the road I will devote more energy to this.


APRIL GOALS

1.  Continue making Thinking of You cards. I have been sending quite a few cards. I think everyone needs some cheering up right now.

2. Finish making my blankets. I have 4 to go. I really enjoy this activity so I should be able to complete this no problem.

3.  Continue purging old photos. I have 8 photo boxes of photos. These are just my own personal ones. Remember when we used to develop rolls of film?  And then the digital age arrived and we did doubles and more of every picture. I'm having a hard time getting rid of any family pictures despite having 25 plus scrapbooks. My ultimate goal this month is to maybe get a start on my Mom's side of the family Heritage album. I recently found this photo of me and my Dad and I had never seen it before.

A Walk around Kitchener's Civic District

I'm happy that we can still get out and walk around. I've never taken the time to explore the Civic District in Kitchener so when a family member suggested we meet in that area, I thought it was high time to take a look around. There are many beautiful old houses and some interesting history too...

Green Gables used to be a tea room and I think Bed and Breakfast. It looks abandoned now. The Christmas tree is laying on the front lawn.

Lots of high rises next to the historic homes.

My favourite part is the covered breezeway? Love this one.

Beautiful churches.

The stonework says Zion Bible School. Sadly this congregation dwindled to nothing and the Church had to close its doors.

The Waterloo County Gaol.  The story goes that when they were updating the area they found the bodies of 3 prisoners who died in the jail buried in the Courtyard. Built in 1852, this is the oldest surviving Government building in Kitchener. Very interesting. 

Entrance to the walled garden. I thought it was the exercise yard but apparently that is still visible around the back.

Fantastic updated Public Library

The Firefighters Memorial.
It's really interesting what you can see when you slow down and take the time to stroll about.