In My World

I am so glad I finally read Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne portrays Hester as a woman who is strong, faithful and true. When a moment of indiscretion is made public by the birth of her daughter, Pearl, she is sentenced, first to the pillory and then, to wear the letter A on her chest. Even in her shame and sorrow she remains remains strong and penitent. While she could have just sewn on a little A on her dress, she chose to embroider an extravagant A which she wore every day even after it was no longer required by the law. I found myself really believing the characters even when I felt some of them were less than likable. I though Hester's long-lost husband was an evil person who played with the minds and emotions of Hester and the minister. I thought the minister was weak and shameful. He could have saved Hester but insteadd he let her live in shame and sorrow for many years, never admitting his part. It is nice to read a classic novel where the woman is the strong characte...

Quotes are a great way to express what you’re feeling, but without the work of coming up with just the right words. In fact, pages made to showcase a favourite quote are the ones I like doing best. Let me share a few examples:

I would love to see what you would do with this sketch?

4 chicken thighs, bone-in, with skin  1/2 tsp peppercorns, coarsely ground 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, coarsely ground 1 tbsp gingerroot, finely chopped 1-1/2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp paprika 1-1/2 tbsp canola oil salt to taste 1/2 lime, quartered The chicken must be marinated at least 6 hours before cooking.  The chicken may be cooked, using either an outdoor grill or by broiling in the oven.  (We used the grill) Score the chicken pieces deeply using a knife to allow the marinade to penetrate, then arrange the pieces in a shallow bowl. Grind the peppercorns and caraway seeds using a mortar and pestle or using a pepper mill or place the spices in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin.  Finely chop the ginger and garlic, then add them to the mixture.  Add the sugar, paprika and oil, then grind into a paste. Spread the mixture over the chicken pieces, making sure to coat them well.  Cover the bowl with a pla...

Six Words! Describe your life or current situation in exactly six words. This shit is getting too real!

A few months back I posted the instructions for a 3 cardstock mini album at  https://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.com/2019/09/how-to-three-cardstock-mini-album.html  . I finally had time to finish that little project off using photos from a fall road trip Hal and I took through Elgin County.

Remember the good ol' days when ground meat was cheap?? From the "Ground Beef Mini-Session" from Frozen Assets Lite and Easy by Deborah Taylor-Hough:  Meatballs and Sauce Serves 6 1 cup dry bread crumbs 3/4 cup skim milk 2 pounds extra lean ground beef 1-1/2 cup grated zucchini 3/4 cup apple juice (or white wine) 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese 3 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp oregano 32-0z. canned crushed tomatoes 1 cup water. Mix bread crumbs and milk. Let stand 5 minutes. Add beef, zucchini, 2 tbsp apple juice, cheese, tomato paste and 1 tsp oregano. Mix well. Form into 36 equal meatballs. Spray large skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat. Add meatballs, cook over medium-high heat, turning as needed, until browned on all sides (about 10 minutes). Remove meatballs from skillet; set aside. In same skillet, cook remaining apple juice over medium-high heat, scraping brown bits from bottom of skillet. Add tomatoes, remaining oregano and water. Reduce heat to low; ...

An excellent read and I think Eva Tihanyi so I'll leave her to it . . .  Sylvia Mulholland's Woman's Work will likely strike a chord with any woman who has juggled family, career, and home ownership and wondered in the process whether a course in time management might be not only helpful but essential. Mulholland, a Toronto lawyer and frequent contributor on women's topics to The Globe & Mail's Facts & Arguments page, knows of what she speaks. The novel is in many respects unapologetically autobiographical. Claire, the novel's protagonist, is a lawyer too. Her husband, like Mulholland's, is a plastic surgeon who used to play semi-pro hockey in Sweden. Fortunately, in this particular novel, the personal experience is put to good use. The plot is rather simple. Claire is thirty-nine and married to Ben, who is seven years younger. After giving birth to her son Harry, she returns to work but not without trepidation. Ben has insisted on hiring...

I love Christmas movies. I watch quite a few every December.  But because it is Christmas I didn't have time to review many of them. The Night Before the Night Before Christmas  is a great Hallmark movie.  Just the right amount of silly drama and goodwill to all men . . . and women and kids and elves and Santa Claus'. Santa Claus leaves the North Pole one day early and crash lands in the Fox family's back yard.  An important piece of equipment is broken on his sleigh and his bag of toys is missing, but Santa doesn't care because he's too busy trying to remember who he is.  Santa is taken in by the Fox family but only the young son believes he really is Santa.  Of course, by the end of the movie the whole family has learned that family is more important than anything else and they are able to help Santa regain his memory, find his bag of toys, repair his sleigh and send him off just in time to start delivering Christmas presents on Christmas Eve...

I am a huge fan of Nina Ribena.  Enjoy this video and then head over to youtube to find more . . . 

I love this recipe: 1 c. chicken broth 3/4 c. couscous 1/2 c. Italian salad dressing 2 c. shredded fresh spinach 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 of 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts Spinach leaves In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to boiling; stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; add salad dressing. Cover and chill for 2 to 4 hours or until completely chilled. Before serving, toss couscous mixture with shredded spinach, tomatoes and water chestnuts. Serve on spinach leaves. Makes 8 servings. http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1843,155162-246194,00.html

What characters would you most like to play if you were in theatre? Could I be a favourite Broadway actor?  Because I would definitely pick Carol Channing, particularly as Dolly in Hello Dolly, every time.   

I found this interesting article online and decided to share it with you.  I am already starting to notice some of the trends they are talking about.  You will have to use Google translate to read the article. Following a calendar – coming back to celebrating important events The world gains momentum and it doesn’t want to stop. We are in a hurry every day, we don’t want to spoil any minute because there is so much to do! Luckily the society is more and more aware of the gist of rest, interpersonal relations and celebrating the important moments. Scrapbooking trends for 2020 are clearly showing the increase of interest to handmade keepsakes connected to a certain celebration. The society will branch off from sending drive-by wishes in phone messages or emails. Face to face meetings, personalized keepsakes and sentimental gifts will become the most important. This year, people who go into scrapbooking will not complain about the lack of clients on birthday cards and projec...

1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey breast 1 large onion, chopped 1 large carrot, peeled, halved and sliced 2 large stalks celery with leaves, thinly sliced 2 cans (1 pound each) unsalted tomatoes, crushed  tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tap crushed fresh garlic 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 3 cups beef broth 1 can (1 pound) navy or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 6 ounces elbow macaroni or ziti pasta Place the ground meat in a 4-quart pot and brown over medium heat, stirring constantly to crumble, until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain off any excess fat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, tomatoes, seasonings and beef broth to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the beans and pasta to the pot, cover and simmer for 7 to 9 minutes or just until the pasta is al dente.  Be careful not to overcook as the pasta will continue to soften ...

So how did you make out with Challenge #9? I didn't realize how far I was behind in organizing sketches and technique ideas.  I'm still working on that challenge. Are you ready for  Challenge #10 ~ The Final Challenge ? THE FINAL CHALLENGE!!! Many of us have fallen victim to the lure of scrapbook swaps among local and online groups. All the hours, material, creativity, and postage costs make these items difficult to purge. But let's face it . . . not everything is YOUR style, you are NEVER going to use some of it. It's time to make  S.P.A.C.E. SORT:  Keep only what you love.  If the colour or style does not make you smile, it must go.  Keep only what is significant to you - don't keep the soccer page swap items if your kids are into hockey and dance.  Sort into: KEEP, TRASH, SELL, DONATE PURGE:  Pack up the DONATE pile and give it to a beginner scrapbooker who might appreciate these items.  Throw out the TRASH...

This movie stars two people I really enjoy watching -- Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler.  Simply put, they are very funny together.  This movie has absolutely no redeeming values and yet I smiled and chuckled all the way through it.  If you are looking for something simple and funny and romantic -- the perfect chick flick --  this is the movie for you.   My biggest giggle of the movie was the kid with the controller.  That's all I'm going to say . . .