Wk 3 - The 52 Week Project

Ok so I'm a wee bit late, three days to be exact, but I have been a little pre-occupied.  You see I have been painting and sticking and all sorts and having a ball!  So much so that the days passed and suddenly 'oh my goodness I forgot!'  I wracked my brain, what can I post for the 52 week project?  I mean I have been curling, but I don't take my camera, I've been skiing but again, no camera!  Then this afternoon I was putting up my finished canvas in the lounge and Lovely Man caught me on camera.  As the painting has been an all consuming passion this last week it seemed fitting to record it for my Week Three of the 52 Week Project.  

This is the first canvas I have ever painted that is bigger than A4 which at first was a bit daunting!  However, I had an absolute ball.  I loved working on a bigger piece, in fact next time I go to Thunder Bay I am going to buy an even bigger one!  I am just loving doing this online art course with Tam, and I can't wait for next weeks tutorial!  In the meantime I need to work on the course journal which I am not so good at!

Manitouwadge Echo ~ News and Views from In and Around Manitouwadge:

Manitouwadge Echo ~ News and Views from In and Around Manitouwadge:

52 Weeks Project 2011 - Wk 2

Well I think the high light of the week has to be x country skiing!  We have been no less than 4 times this week!  This picture was the top spot, the season kick off with roasted wieners and roasted marshmallows cooked on stick over a fire pit dug in the ice by the lake!  Cool eh?!

Sunday Evening Threesome

Hey there that got your attention eh? This is a short post. A fly=by!  I really don't know what's to do with me tonight.  I feel restless and I seem to have the attention span of a goldfish with ADHD!  Add to that my fingers keep typing letters in the wrong order.  Does anyone else suffer with that?  It seems to be happening more and more.  I have been typing for years and know exactly where the keys are without looking.  My brain spells the word but my fingers type the letters in the wrong order! However I will post my treasured three things everyday, even if you can't read them!!!

I am thankful today for:

1. That old fashioned piece of technology - The Telephone!  Sunday is the day I usually manage to catch up with my mum, my best friend, my brother, my boy.
2. Slow cooked lamb in red wine - an absolute treasure since lamb is so difficult to get here!
3. My own personal superhero who sits beside me on the couch.  Thermal Man!  Yes Lovely Man has decided to re-invent himself.  As he says Kylie did so why can't he?

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Thank you

Ok I'm here!  I'm thankful for that!  Number one ha!  Seriously though here's my list of three for today

1. For the snow and the sunshine again today
2. For the fun we had at the x country ski club season kick off.  Roasted Wieners and marshmallows
3. for the hot croissant and fresh coffee this morning, with homemade raspberry jam
4. for the hour or two in the studio this morning, painting
   

Until tomorrow....

Trail to Gog Lake

Trail to Gog Lake
Originally uploaded by Rona Gregory

My first submission to the "52 weeks 2011" project. This was taken on a walk earlier this week. The trail goes from our back yard, up the mountain to a lake. We didn't get to the lake but I am just SO in love with this place and the snow.

52 Weeks 2011

Did You Notice?

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.  Who fell at the first hurdle then?  Who?  Me, that's who!  On Sunday I gushingly posted my intention to post at least three things I am thankful for that day, EVERY night for the WHOLE month of January.  Well today my good friend Lorrie invited us all to join her on a 52 week project, check out the link for details, and this prompted me to click onto my own blog to check for comments etc. and to see what I posted last.  That's when I remembered!  On Sunday I had set my own project, invited all you good souls to join in and then forgot all about it!  Would you swallow it if I said I was thankful for being uber busy for the last four nights and therefore not able to get on my laptop?  No?  Thought not :(

So anyhow what am I thankful for today?  Well first of all I am thankful for new shoes!  Every girl likes new shoes doesn't she?  Actually, to be more precise they are new slippers but new shoes sorta sounded better!  My Studio is in the basement and it has a concrete floor which is great when you're playing with paints and wood and stuff but not so great for your tootsies when it's cold.  So Lovely Man bought me these...

They are very toastie warm and comfy!

Ok number two.  I am thankful for the Canadian postie for delivering my art stuff today.

3.  The nice people in town who stop me to tell me they love reading my column, that means so much to me to be able to give people something they enjoy.  It also does amazing things for the confidence, not only to carry on with the column but to get on and write that book I keep wittering on about!

4.  Our lovely little house here in Manitouwadge which could so easily have been a disaster given that we bought it 'unseen' (we chose it on the internet!).

5.  My guardian angel who, I'm sure, has watched over us for the last few years smoothing the way with this whole immigration thing.

6.  For my wonderful partner, AKA Lovely Man, who always makes me laugh, panders to my every whim and most of all loves me just as I am.

7.  for my Mum who continues to encourage me in everything I do - love you Mum, miss you too.

8.  for my huge network of friends, old and new, here in blogland and in 'the real world' !

9.  The snow.  I know I go on about it but I really do love it!

Ok, so I got nine!  Am I forgiven?  Ha ha! 

New Listing on Etsy!

Check out my new listing on Etsy.  So L.O.V.E. this fabric!  Was tempted to keep this one but I really have no need for a purse in the bush so here it is!

Thankful For Simple Pleasures

I've got that New year feeling!  You know, the one that feels all happy and optimistic, the feeling that this year is going to be a good year.  All the little 'hiccups' of 2010 are going to sort themselves out.  There have been times when I thought I had lost my faith, times when it felt just too difficult to remain positive in the face of all the little things that seemed to go wrong one after another.  This blog was always intended to share life's pleasures and I have always tried to steer well clear of anything negative or sad here even though sometimes that was hard, sometimes I just felt like saying this is crap and I need a hug!  A friend of mine recently told me that she started to keep a little book in which she wrote down all the things she was grateful for that day, every night.  This, she said, kept her on track and positive and she firmly believes that this is what turned her life around.  Mindfulness and positive thinking. 

So anyhow I really want to get back to the essence of Life's Simple Pleasures and to that end here's what I intend to do: from today I am going to post at least three things that I am grateful for each day, every night for the whole month of January, just to see how it feels!  If you would like to join in simply do a daily post on your blog or, if you prefer, add them to the comments on here!  So here goes:

1. Last night there was a snow storm and we woke up to lots of lovely fresh white snow!
2. We took the trail to Gog Lake.
3. The sun shone and the sky was bright blue
4. The air was crisp and clean and sparkled like glitter
5. My son was on facebook and he looks and sounds so happy.  That makes me just SO happy too!
6. Living with Lovely Man, without him I just wouldn't be where I am today.
7. Receiving an e-mail from the Editor of The Echo saying my new column is "Great"!

 Wow!  It was hard to stop at three!!!!