Fort Edmonton Park!! We haven't been so good at getting out of the house by noon... leisurely mornings on vacation are pretty darned good. So we made our choice to go to Fort Edmonton Park.
Train was about 20 minutes to wait at the gate and a helpful young lady at the gate told us that the 4D movie was starting in about 15 minutes and was about a 3 minute walk. So, walk we did! I have to say, the 4D movie was stellar!! Connor loved it. It could have had more content but all in all, very well done.
Then we checked out the streets en route to the Fort... talking to the interactive guides as we came to them. Connor chased chickens in a pursuit of petting the lovely Rhode Island Reds they had meandering around. We stopped in at the hotel for snacks / baked goods and a bevy at the half way point. Tried Pumpkin Pie Fudge, Connor and I enjoyed it, Tim did not.
We saw Turkeys hanging out under a wagon, pigs in their pen... period costumes and lots of neat old stuff. Bought some colour changing nuggets for our gas fireplace for this winter at the "hardware store". Made it to the Fort, did our thing there then went to catch the train.
We caught the train back to the main gate, but then walked over to the fair grounds in search of the good old fashioned candy and toys... after they had been found, we were invited to see a puppet show. It was "little Red Cap" and the interpreter/actors/puppeteers were really funny and good.
After that, we had exhausted our Fort Edmonton visit and decided to go get some deliciousness at the Italian Centre Shop. Many shopping bags later, we were ready to head home to the puppies to have Italian Sandwiches for supper and another nice, quiet evening at home.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Staycation 2012 Day 2 - August 12
Today was a VERY exciting day!! I worked on laundry, puttered around the house, worked on cleaning the en suite bathroom while Tim went and flew his model airplane... see, exciting stuff. Good to decompress though. Didn't get everything done I wanted to but hey, I'm on vacation!!!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Staycation 2012 - Day 1, August 11
Yay! Vacation Time!! Since we sold our trailer earlier this summer, this years plan is a Staycation and take in some of the local goodness within an hour or so of home.
After a late start, we decided that today was a good day to stop in a Jumbo Dim Sum for lunch and to take in the Telus World of Science (TWOS).
After to checking out the perpetual motion machine outside, we went in and Tim realized he left his glasses in the car... so as we were waiting for him, I calculated what it would cost to enter and review the membership benefits. Connor has attended summer camp at TWOS before, and with the Star Wars exhibit coming this fall, it made sense to buy an annual membership for the whole family.
We made it through the Human exhibit first, there is a section in there that is extraordinarily gross... but there is a multi-axis machine and Connor had to check it out. He thought it was fantastic and wants one in the back yard. Go figure.
Connor got to test out a Segway, he did really well at it! Funniest part is the gentleman told him to "lean forward to go forward" so he bent at the waist. It was so funny! We thought we could see "Experience the Aurora" and although we rushed up to the theater, we arrived too late to see it... with our membership, we can always catch it next time. We meandered back downstairs and as Connor and I checked out some of the interactive physics exhibits, Tim managed to find some gentlemen that were from the U of A with an exhibit on the unmanned GPS guided radio control planes (leave it to him to find his hobby and people to talk about it with where ever we go) and proceeded through the rest of the first floor...
The next area we visited was the Crime Scene Investigation exhibit, and I must say, as a fan of the mystery genre, I enjoyed it a lot! You view the scene, go through some stations and then go to "court" on the computer inputting your evidence and if it contributed to the guilt of the suspect. So very fun!
They announced "Tales of the Maya Skies" was starting soon, so we scampered upstairs to view at the Star Theatre. We were early this time so were the first in the theatre. It was a very interesting movie.
When it was done, we came down to the second floor and viewed the "Robots" exhibit. It was okay but could have been a bit better. Of the characters from the movie, we missed Aunt Fannie and Piper. The interactive "build a robot" stations were cool for the kids, and the domino stations were also good but with the movie references, so much more could have been done. I suppose funding comes in to play with what they could present but it was less than what I expected. I hope "Star Wars" is much much better considering all the build up.
By the time this was done, I was getting dehydrated so we went back to the main floor to get drinks. Once sitting down, we were feeling pretty done for the day so decided to check out the gift shop and go home.
Once back at the ranch, we released the hounds, fed and watered them then watched "Predator" at Connor's request. Kidlet loves him some classic Schwartzeneggar!
Day 1 of vacation -- DONE!
After a late start, we decided that today was a good day to stop in a Jumbo Dim Sum for lunch and to take in the Telus World of Science (TWOS).
After to checking out the perpetual motion machine outside, we went in and Tim realized he left his glasses in the car... so as we were waiting for him, I calculated what it would cost to enter and review the membership benefits. Connor has attended summer camp at TWOS before, and with the Star Wars exhibit coming this fall, it made sense to buy an annual membership for the whole family.
We made it through the Human exhibit first, there is a section in there that is extraordinarily gross... but there is a multi-axis machine and Connor had to check it out. He thought it was fantastic and wants one in the back yard. Go figure.
Connor got to test out a Segway, he did really well at it! Funniest part is the gentleman told him to "lean forward to go forward" so he bent at the waist. It was so funny! We thought we could see "Experience the Aurora" and although we rushed up to the theater, we arrived too late to see it... with our membership, we can always catch it next time. We meandered back downstairs and as Connor and I checked out some of the interactive physics exhibits, Tim managed to find some gentlemen that were from the U of A with an exhibit on the unmanned GPS guided radio control planes (leave it to him to find his hobby and people to talk about it with where ever we go) and proceeded through the rest of the first floor...
The next area we visited was the Crime Scene Investigation exhibit, and I must say, as a fan of the mystery genre, I enjoyed it a lot! You view the scene, go through some stations and then go to "court" on the computer inputting your evidence and if it contributed to the guilt of the suspect. So very fun!
They announced "Tales of the Maya Skies" was starting soon, so we scampered upstairs to view at the Star Theatre. We were early this time so were the first in the theatre. It was a very interesting movie.
When it was done, we came down to the second floor and viewed the "Robots" exhibit. It was okay but could have been a bit better. Of the characters from the movie, we missed Aunt Fannie and Piper. The interactive "build a robot" stations were cool for the kids, and the domino stations were also good but with the movie references, so much more could have been done. I suppose funding comes in to play with what they could present but it was less than what I expected. I hope "Star Wars" is much much better considering all the build up.
By the time this was done, I was getting dehydrated so we went back to the main floor to get drinks. Once sitting down, we were feeling pretty done for the day so decided to check out the gift shop and go home.
Once back at the ranch, we released the hounds, fed and watered them then watched "Predator" at Connor's request. Kidlet loves him some classic Schwartzeneggar!
Day 1 of vacation -- DONE!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Two days and six hours later
I ran out of stripper last night and was only halfway done stripping the
second window so I packed the works up because my hubby wasn't parking
in the garage and that makes him cranky... so today I set up my work
station in front of the car and I have sufficient room to move so he is
happy as am I...
I am getting excited!! The window that is bowed out that needs the cames repaired... I soaked the hardware from the latch in stripper after removing it and worked on stripping the bottom edge cleanly without the hardware on... happy with the results thus far.
I bought a small brush set when I picked up another 500 mL container of stripper at Home Hardware, package said that the stainless steel brush was for removing paint... uh ya and wood!! Learned that one pretty quick, not too much damage done... there was a nylon brush as well and it is doing well at removing paint from the nooks and crannies. I did use the stainless brush though on these metal pieces and I think it did beautifully. If you look at the pictures below, you can see how, on window two, it is still on there pretty thick after about 3 rounds of stripping chemical. I've exposed the screws and cleared out the channel for the screwdriver so I will attempt removal tomorrow.
So, I need to do some research... both for my own interest (is the hardware brass or copper) and if I can get the Workmate to work as a clamp so I can put the windows upright to do the one end piece that has black tarry paint on it without making such a mess. It's making me crazy!! It's lots of fun though. Well, best get to the laptop and get researching now! Later!
I am getting excited!! The window that is bowed out that needs the cames repaired... I soaked the hardware from the latch in stripper after removing it and worked on stripping the bottom edge cleanly without the hardware on... happy with the results thus far.
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| Is it me or does this look like copper?? |
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| another view.... I'm going to research this! |
I bought a small brush set when I picked up another 500 mL container of stripper at Home Hardware, package said that the stainless steel brush was for removing paint... uh ya and wood!! Learned that one pretty quick, not too much damage done... there was a nylon brush as well and it is doing well at removing paint from the nooks and crannies. I did use the stainless brush though on these metal pieces and I think it did beautifully. If you look at the pictures below, you can see how, on window two, it is still on there pretty thick after about 3 rounds of stripping chemical. I've exposed the screws and cleared out the channel for the screwdriver so I will attempt removal tomorrow.
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| window 2 side 2 after 3 layers of stripper, still lots of layers of paint to go except on the bottom pane. That came off second go round... |
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| look at the pretty colour underneath (ugh!) |
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| Sorry again for the poor photo, camera not a fan of these windows or something!!! You can just barely see the screw heads exposed on the hardware. This is what the hardware above had looked like when I started working on the project after supper. Yay me! |
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
My latest project
Snow is gone, been working in the garden... preparing for the lazy hazy days of summer... NOT! More like "what do I want to do now?"
I found some old leaded bevel glass windows for sale on Kijiji and since I love the rainbows they throw off, I bought them!! They are old and beaten up, seen better days but I am confident that I can bring them back to their previous glory... here are the pictures of my 2 hours spent doing one side of a window this evening. Well worth it!! Once I have the other side stripped down, I will clean up the glass and take it in to have the lead caning repaired. Stay tuned for more progress reports!
Products used: disposable paint brushes, scraper, small putty knife, paint stripper, safety glasses, floor covering (plastic recommended, I have a large old coroplast poster I used for this), nitrile gloves.
In the words of Porky Pig: "Be-de be-de be-de, That's all folks!!" Stay tuned for more elbow grease and tales of my adventures in to antique restoration.
I found some old leaded bevel glass windows for sale on Kijiji and since I love the rainbows they throw off, I bought them!! They are old and beaten up, seen better days but I am confident that I can bring them back to their previous glory... here are the pictures of my 2 hours spent doing one side of a window this evening. Well worth it!! Once I have the other side stripped down, I will clean up the glass and take it in to have the lead caning repaired. Stay tuned for more progress reports!
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| flaky old paint, layers and layers |
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| paint on the glass too |
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| Big ol' blob o' something on the bottom, sorry, camera would not focus! |
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| you can see that the paint was cracking before I started |
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| this is a shot of the glass that is popping out of it's canes |
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| You could tell someone painted the windows shut at some point. |
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| Stripper at work! Paint stripper people! Get your mind OUT of the gutter! |
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| Me, illustrating "Safety First!" |
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| After 2 hours, the better part of one side DONE! |
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| My garage work station using my husbands underutilized Black & Decker Workmate <3 |
In the words of Porky Pig: "Be-de be-de be-de, That's all folks!!" Stay tuned for more elbow grease and tales of my adventures in to antique restoration.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
2 Day Hummus Dip
K, I know this sounds crazy but it isn't. It is super duper easy and if you are a busy nut like myself, with the steps and having to pick up one more ingredient, it can take two days to make something. If you only have one day, then okay, you can speed it up by soaking the chickpeas in hot water for a few hours or start with chickpeas in a can... but here is what I did, with spectacular results.
Adapted from Food.com
Creamy Roasted Garlic Hummus
Ingredients:
1 c. dry chickpeas or 2 cans storebought chickpeas
1 large head of garlic
2 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 c warm water
1 fresh lemon, juice of
1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven or BBQ to 375 degrees F. Cut off the very top of the garlic clove so the tops of the cloves are exposed slightly. Set on a square of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap securely, roast for 1 hr in the oven or 1/2 hr on the BBQ (I set ours on the upper shelf, put it on while it preheats for the meat of choice that night and take it off after everything is done and it has worked just fine for me). Using the BBQ keeps the super garlic smell, although it is delightful, from permeating the entire house. This can be done the night previous to prepare the next day if you wish.
2. In a medium sized bowl, pour your chickpeas and cover with water to roughly 3 times their depth. Leave to soak overnight (get your beauty sleep and dream of the tastebud delights the next day). Rinse the soaked beans in a colander and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil on your stovetop. Reduce heat and allow to simmer roughly an hour (if you like your beans a bit el dente or super mushy, that is your call, just take a couple out to test them). Once the beans are done cooking, remove from heat and drain the excess water from them.
3. Using your fingers, squeeze the soft, roasted garlic out of each clove into your food processor. If using canned chickpeas, be sure to rinse them well before putting in the processor as well. Add the remaining ingredients in the order given and blend until completely smooth. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides to make sure it blends well.
4. Finger test: With your food processor off, open up the food processor and take a test. If the texture is too thick, add a bit more olive oil or water, a little at a time, ensuring it blends well before adding more.
5. Transfer to your serving dish, cover and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature with crudites, crackers or whatever other things you like to eat with hummus.
I hope you enjoy this tasty healthy snack with your family. Next time I might just add a bit more garlic... LOL!
Adapted from Food.com
Creamy Roasted Garlic Hummus
Ingredients:
1 c. dry chickpeas or 2 cans storebought chickpeas
1 large head of garlic
2 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 c warm water
1 fresh lemon, juice of
1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven or BBQ to 375 degrees F. Cut off the very top of the garlic clove so the tops of the cloves are exposed slightly. Set on a square of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap securely, roast for 1 hr in the oven or 1/2 hr on the BBQ (I set ours on the upper shelf, put it on while it preheats for the meat of choice that night and take it off after everything is done and it has worked just fine for me). Using the BBQ keeps the super garlic smell, although it is delightful, from permeating the entire house. This can be done the night previous to prepare the next day if you wish.
2. In a medium sized bowl, pour your chickpeas and cover with water to roughly 3 times their depth. Leave to soak overnight (get your beauty sleep and dream of the tastebud delights the next day). Rinse the soaked beans in a colander and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil on your stovetop. Reduce heat and allow to simmer roughly an hour (if you like your beans a bit el dente or super mushy, that is your call, just take a couple out to test them). Once the beans are done cooking, remove from heat and drain the excess water from them.
3. Using your fingers, squeeze the soft, roasted garlic out of each clove into your food processor. If using canned chickpeas, be sure to rinse them well before putting in the processor as well. Add the remaining ingredients in the order given and blend until completely smooth. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides to make sure it blends well.
4. Finger test: With your food processor off, open up the food processor and take a test. If the texture is too thick, add a bit more olive oil or water, a little at a time, ensuring it blends well before adding more.
5. Transfer to your serving dish, cover and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature with crudites, crackers or whatever other things you like to eat with hummus.
I hope you enjoy this tasty healthy snack with your family. Next time I might just add a bit more garlic... LOL!
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