From the category archives:

Family

Muffin Recipe – Grammie’s Low Fat Cranberry Bran Banana muffins

A few months before my grandmother passed away I spent an evening with her and did some baking. Together we created this muffin recipe that I originally scribbled in a Moleskine journal. I’ve since formulated it into a proper recipe. Get your mixing bowls ready!

You’ll need two mixing bowls; one for the liquids and [...]

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Missy Two Shoes can haz Christmas

It’s so funny how cats can and do create little nests for themselves anywhere and everywhere. And come Christmas time when the boxes and bags of decorations come out they will indeed find happiness within the gold, red and green decorations.

Oddly enough she let me tie a bow around her neck and didn’t even try [...]

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Employee of the Month – my Mom

UPDATE – Mom just frantically phoned and informed me that it is not employee of the month but a monthly “Choosing your Attitude” and that there are three people per month chosen for this because of their great attitude. I still like to think of it as employee of the month though!
Well, I need to [...]

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We Series – because it’s all about family!

Aren’t they pretty? I completed this series of illustrations late last year. They are available in both 5×7 inch (12,7cm by 17,7cm) and 8.5×11 inch (21,5cm by 27,8cm) sets.
The set is comprised of We Flourish, We Grow and We Reproduce.
I ponder life often during this time of year as the trees and flowers are all [...]

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Loaded Christmas Cactus!

Have you ever seen so many buds on a Christmas Cactus?
My mom gave me this cactus when I moved into my house a few months ago. She has three or four of them growing in her house. I sat the cactus in the sun room and forgot about it. I really did forget about it. [...]

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Welcome to the Kitchen and Bathroom

In the kitchen we cut both the upper and lower cupboards to fit the new fridge in place. Doing this decreased my counter space considerably as the opposite side of the kitchen houses a vintage Youngstown Kitchen by Mullino double sink.

Underneath the sink and inside the bottom cupboards there was a piece of vinyl [...]

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Yes, that’s me wearing the industrial strength breathing mask sanding hardwood floors

The dust doth fly when sanding old varnish off of hardwood floors.
I began writing this post on June 22, 2009…
Now that the wall painting is complete we began sanding the hardwood floors on the second floor of the house. I used the edger at 5 minute intervals. Every muscle in my body was hurting [...]

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And the paper fell to the floor in wet sticky clumps then we painted the walls

After a week of wetting, scraping and peeling wallpaper off the four upstairs bedrooms, bathroom and sitting room the antique plaster walls were revealed. And to our surprise, namely my Dad who is a mason by trade, the plaster underneath was in excellent condition only needing minor touch-ups to fill in cracks and holes.
In two [...]

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RIP Cat McGandy – June 1991 to December 2008

Cat McGandy AKA Aloka became ill last week. We thought she would pull through by the weekend. Last night she took a turn for the worse and passed away earlier today.
My friends gave her to me as High School graduation gift in June of 1991. She was the runt of a litter of kitties from [...]

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Maybe keeping it straight isn’t how it is to be?

Mispec beach is located moments outside the city line on the Bay of Fundy. It is a frightfully cold salt water haven where pale ghostly Saint Johner’s go to swim, lay on the sand and sweat. As the end of summer approaches I thought I’d never make it to the beach as the fog and [...]

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About Wearing Industrial Breathing Masks or the Fine Line Between Hammer and Pen.

Often, I’ve thought that it you devoted your life to doing the things you love then the money would follow. Last month I wrote a test. The test was three weeks in duration. The final grade was fantastic.
Come the middle of June I’ll begin testing again. This time however there is no fail safe… nothing [...]

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At 09:10 Eastern Standard Time my Grandmother, Edith Keary, Died

Up until last Friday she had been living on her own. I miss her to pieces right now. We often joked about life, about love and about religion. She had a beautiful aura surrounding her everyday.
Oh, she could make me smile.
This is she and I in the photographs. They were taken by my mother in [...]

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Merry Christmas – hohoho

Merry Christmas Friends!
This is an old old oldy of mine from 1994. It is a print from a zink carving.
Ho ho ho!
xoxo
Jessica

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Darren from Deezone is arriving today

Darren is arriving today. He began his journey in Vancouver and is slowly making his way across the country. Well, to the Maritimes that is. His first stop was Toronto, then Moncton and downwards to Saint John (me) and onwards up to Fredericton.
I can’t wait to see him. We attended the New Brunswick College of [...]

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Little Brian died today

The phone just rang. I answered. It was an acquaintance of my Dad’s. He says to me “Little Brian died.” I said I’d let my Dad know. Then I asked who Little Brian was. “Is he the Brian with the beard who worked with my Dad sometimes at the building? The man replied “yes”. I [...]

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The economics of happy

First, smile, then roll up your sleeves and begin painting one wall at a time.
Over the last few days I have cleaned, painted, washed, scrubbed until sparkling and sweated it out with my Dad over town in the vacant two bedroom apartment that came up for rent this month. The apartment is beneath my maternal [...]

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The Secret to Distilling Fog

Fog surrounds every fiber of Saint John this night. The city is quiet. Only the street lights are visible a block away. I look out the deck doors to the trees illuminated by one particular street light; they say nothing yet tell me so much.
I was born and raised here. My mind was elsewhere. It [...]

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lou says – 02.08.52

lou says: (02:08:52)
good morning
lou says: (02:08:59)
are you there??
EastVanEsica says: (02:14:42)
Hi I’m here now
EastVanEsica says: (02:14:54)
was in the washroom
lou says: (02:15:09)
ah i was just sending you an email its not finished but i’ll send it anyway
EastVanEsica says: (02:15:16)
sold the apple tree and concord grapevine
EastVanEsica says: (02:15:18)

lou says: (02:15:21)
good
EastVanEsica says: (02:15:23)
ok
EastVanEsica says: (02:15:35)
made 200 today
EastVanEsica [...]

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Losing cats on airplanes and selling it off

I arrived with two suitcases and two carry-ons four years ago. Now, I have a fully furnished two bedroom apartment with mature potted greenery growing outside on the deck.
Going
going
gone.
I need to purchase a large cat pet carrier for Missy as she will be traveling in the airplane’s baggage compartment. The last time she flew in [...]

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The Aftermath

What is the most cost efficient way to move you, your cat and years worth of art and supplies 2628 miles or 4230 kilometers over land?
I am moving.
This will be a cross continent haul.
Coming to Theaters this June!

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