Moon flowers!

Back in the spring, our neighbour gave us a moon-flower seedling. Jeff planted it and babied it along and the results are gorgeous! These remarkable flowers bloom in the evening and close when the sun starts shining. Each blossom only lasts for one night. I took this photo early in the morning.

It wasn't long before it decided that it was getting too bright outside. Isn't it pretty even as it closes?

All the best,

Judy Ann

Keeping cool?

Whoa, it is hot! That's not a complaint, just a statement of fact. I heard someone say this morning that if we complain about it being really cold in the winter, it isn't fair to also complain about summer heat. One tasty way to beat the heat is to have an ice cappuccino. I've been making them daily! I start by putting ice cubes (I sometimes freeze leftover coffee in an ice cube tray just for making these tasty drinks) in the blender, then adding milk, a little water, President's Choice Caramel Latte instant drink mix and, if I'm feeling particularly decadent, a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Blend the ingredients thoroughly and drink up. You may need a spoon, at least until the ice bits melt. M-m-m!

If you then take a break with your ice cap and sit outside, very still, you'll cool off a degree or two.

Enjoy,

Judy Ann

Sneak Peek!

I was extremely excited this week to receive an advance copy of my new picture book, Reaching . It was held up in the mail for a few weeks during the recent postal disruption, so when it finally arrived, I could hardly believe my eyes! Jeff took this sweet photo this morning in the backyard with his new camera.

Reaching is a gentle rhyming story beautifully illustrated by Susan Mitchell and published by the best publisher in the world, Kids Can Press  .  It will be available in August, yay!

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann

Jamming with Mom

Mom and I spent yesterday making strawberry jam.

We filled every small jar in her cellar and even had to fill two huge jars because we ran out of little ones! (My brother-in-law, Greg, will get one of the enormous jars: he's a great fan of Mom's homemade strawberry jam.) It was wonderful working together mashing, measuring, mixing, stirring, boiling and bottling pan after pan of jam. We even got Dad in on the action, squashing strawberries. Mom has made jam so many times that it is second nature for her. I haven't made any for years, so it was great to have those skills renewed. I've decided as soon as local raspberries are available, I'll be making more jam. Right now, though, I need another slice of toast with jam.

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann

The Great Canadian Corking Contest!

On Thursday July 7, 2011 from 1030 until noon, I will be at The Little Red Mitten  in St Thomas to give a workshop on corking. Just for fun, we're dubbing the workshop The Great Canadian Corking Contest . During this first session, I'll show kids how to cork (also called spool knitting or French knitting) and they'll receive a corker, yarn and my book. We'll get together again on August 18 to see what the kids have created. We'll have fun prizes, too, for the longest, most interesting, most colourful, best creation and so on. Lots of fun! Corking is a great craft. The book I wrote on it a few years ago has been a popular bestseller. Here's a fun starter corking project:

I had better get busy making a whole new batch of fun and inspiring projects!

Happy corking,

Judy Ann

Out of touch!

It has been a strange and quiet few days around here. Our phone line was knocked out last Wednesday, so we had no phone or internet service until Sunday afternoon. And with no postal service either, we were feeling a little out of touch! All is repaired and it sounds like we'll have mail again tomorrow, so we're almost back to normal. Phew!

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann

Another wonderful day!

Father's Day was absolutely wonderful. I'm so lucky to have many amazing men in my life: My own dad, my dad-in-law, my hubby, son, son-in-law, brothers, brothers-in-law, and so many uncles, nephews, cousins and more! Goodness! My sister, Linda, hosted 25 of us for brunch and my sister-in-law, Deb, hosted 44 for supper. Great food, good conversations, perfect weather. What a lucky day!

My best,

Judy Ann