Keep on Swimming

Video by Suzzycue

Last year I was delighted to attend the Toronto Aquarium. One of the last fish tanks before leaving was this one and guess what I was thinking... Yes Dory and Nemo keep on swimming. 

I filmed this for a friend of mine that everyday reminded me, to not think, and just keep on swimming. Great advice :) Don't you think😀

DIY Tip for Stripped Screws

Photo by Suzzycue

This is a shelf in my bathroom. I love it but it was a pain to hang because I stripped the screws with my electric screwdriver. Has this ever happened to you? It happens to me a lot :(

Then a neighbor of mine, hearing the commotion, came over to help me and handed me a thick rubber band. 

I laughed and said," What do I do, with this?"

He said to put it on top of the stripped screw before I put the screwdriver to it. I gave it a try and that stripped screw turned right out. I could not believe my eyes and was so grateful for the tip , I wanted to share it with you. 

This really works and will stop a lot of aggravation when building or hanging your favorite things :)

Mushroom Poutine

Photo by Suzzycue

Yesterday I was craving a Poutine but I had not bought the poutine gravy for it at No Frills and was too tired to go to the store.

I was looking in the cupboard and saw mushroom soup in a can and thought... lots of people make gravy with that , so thought I would give it a try.

I had the wedged cut real potatoes on a flat pan mixed with olive oil, garlic and rosemary ,on the top rack, under the broiler in the oven. When they browned up, I put on pieces of mozzarella cheese and scooped the mushroom soup right out of the can to top them with.

 I put the pan again under the broiler , the cheese and mushroom soup melted all over those yummy fries. What a treat and so easy with the mushroom soup. Give this a try. Baking the fries instead of frying them and topping them with mushroom soup is a lot less calories with no loss on flavour 😋

Frugal Living Garden Art

Photo and Wood burning by Suzzycue. 

The top wooden plaque is a hand painted seagull on a slice of cypress wood ,that I bought at flea market, in Florida, for a buck. This could be easily done by tracing a bird from a picture to a piece of wood and then painting in the lines. 

I love to wood burn and my MOM bought me a wood burning set for my hobby. I liked it, but found I had to go over the lines again and again to make them stand out. 

One day while walking down by the river ,I saw a man wood burning a drawing of a house onto a flat piece of plywood, with a magnifying glass and it really intrigued me. 

SO I thought ,I would give it a try, and the Blue Heron on a piece of knotty pine above is my first attempt at it. It is harder than you think to follow the lines ,with the bright circle light from the magnifying glass, but with a little practice, I got the hang of it :) I think it turned out good.  It was a great way to sit and get a tan. A win win hobby :)

Balcony Garden Hacks

Photos by Suzzycue

My first Morning Glory has finally bloomed. I wait for these delicate beautiful flowers every year to brighten my world on my balcony. I share the seeds with friends and family in the fall. 

Their vines entangle themselves in and out of the balcony railings and I love it :) I get blue,purple, pink and a blue one with a red star in the middle. I also have a small wooden wheelbarrow with a little roof that I plant a spice garden in. I have mint,rosemary, oregano, chives,thyme,and basil. It does very well under the roof because the summer sun could burn the plants off.

The pride and joy of my balcony garden is my topsy turvy. I plant it every year with tomatoes and basil. The basil keeps the bugs off your tomato plants and it seems to work. 

Canada Day 150 Birthday Free Day

Stratford on Avon in Ontario Canada

Photo by Suzzycue

Stratford was a roar of excitement for Canada Day. (My hometown). There was free Shows and Music on the new Patio in the Town Square circling the hundred year old City Hall.

The Parade at 7pm featured many bands and floats for over an hour of fun, squirt guns and candy for the kids :) 

Then at dusk the fireworks exploded the sky for over twenty minutes. There were fireworks in  Queens Park with a huge Canadian Flag featured on the grass of the Shakespearean Theatre near the river.

Some smaller towns didn`t have fireworks but instead gave every household a Canadian Flag to fly proudly on their homes.

All in All a Great Proud Celebration of Canada`s 150 birthday :)

Camping Hacks

Photo by Suzzycue

This long weekend is Canada's 150 Birthday :) A gazebo is a nice way to stay out of the weather on this long weekend :)

We owned and operated a campground in Goderich for 21 Years. Here are a few Camping hacks that I remember !

1. A cotton ball dipped in Vaseline will ignite a fire without fumes from liquid starters.
2.  Wet your marshmallow sticks before using them for roasting hot dogs or marshmallows.
3. If you slice the ends of your hot dogs, into four sections lengthwise on the ends of  the wieners , when you cook them over the fire you will get a spider hot dog and your kids will love it :) Then pull off the legs and dip them in mustard. Yum!
4. Use a cooler with hot water in it to cook your corn. Simply shut the lid and it will cook.
5. Never put salt in the water in a pot not boiled... It will put holes in the pot.
6. Add corn starch to those shake and bake packages for a lot more crunch on your BBQ chicken. Corn starch will also stop itch from poison ivy, a good thing for the first aid box.
7. Meat tenderizer on a bee sting will immediately take the sting from the wound.
8. Vinegar mixed with water in a spray bottle will cool a sunburn on your body.
9. Dish soap and water sprayed on bees will stop them from flying. The soap makes their wings too heavy.
10. Put your dish water from your dish pan on the trees where you camp. This is an excellent fertilizer.
11. Most of all stay safe and enjoy the weekend with friends and family :) Happy Canada's Birthday everyone