Uniquely U

Adding a shelf to my little laundry room has been on my to-do list for years. Finally, we decided to do it. Bought a pine shelf from Home Depot over the weekend, 1"x12"x6' for $20. I cut it to length, sanded it, smoothed the edges, wiped on poly to protect it.  Next, installing 2 brackets on the wall. First try failed miserably, 2 out of the 3 screws didn't hit the stud behind the drywall. After removing the outlet cover, it was so obvious. OK, we must be hungry, no brain power left after a  day's work. Let's refuel first. Both brackets went onto the wall perfectly after a couple slices of bread. I can't wait to put on my shelf. There we go, here comes my long waited shelf!  My favorite part is looking at the before/after pictures. What a little change we made to tidy up this space! Why did we waited for so long ... ...

两年来全家第一次出游，找个度假屋当据点，每天冲出去玩玩，回来烧烧饭，各就各位休息。 Day 1:  Hébergement JFL 度假屋 Day 2: Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area Day3:  Canyon Saint Anne Day 4: Quebec City Harbour Day 5:  Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Day 6:  Hiking at Mont-St-Anne Day 7:  Island of Orleans

This simple floating deck is for Grandma.  It replaces her 20-year-old wooden stairs. Grandma and grandpa did the demolition themselves! we start building like Bob does ... Look at these little soldiers! Aren't they cute? Here we made it! The brown deck boards warn grandma, "watch out for the step!" Her eye sight wasn't that good, this design turns out nicely for her.   Grandma cannot wait to plant some little flowers. We are looking for a place to put down our next floating deck. LOL :)

Turkey drumsticks on sale, first time buying it. Never cooked it before.  I remember the ones sold at Universal Studios, big, smoky, so tasty ... First, we need smoked salt! Found this one on amazon.ca. Roll up the skin on each drumstick.  Dissolve 50g brown sugar and 50g smoked salt in hot water. (NOTE: This is for 9 turkey drumsticks. Adjust the amount of salt based on the size and number of drumsticks. It is better to add less than more.) Add cold water to bring it to room temperature or lower.  Add some Bay leaves and whole black peppercorns.  Submerge all drumsticks in the water, add more water to cover them all.  Cover and store in the fridge for 12 hours. Mix dry rice with a little cooking oil and spread it evenly in the pan.  Roll down the skins on each drumstick, and lay then flat on a baking rack.  Use convection roast mood, 425F for 90 minutes, turn halfway. Cover with foil during the last 20 mins depending on the color.

  This delicious bread recipe is from a retired cook  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vgaq6nDWJ4 I found it easy to follow and hard to fail.  Bread Flour 500g Sugar 1/4 cup Milk Powder 2 Tbsp Active Yeast 1 tsp Egg 2 35% cream 50g Milk ~180g (warm)       Butter 30g Salt 1/4 tsp Let rest for 20 mins. Divide into 12 pieces, roll into balls, roll out to an oval shape, then curl up inwards. Let it rise to 60% full of the pan. Brush with egg wash, and optionally sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 355F, in the lower rack, for 20 mins.  Check the color during the last 5 mins. Cover with a foil if it gets too dark.     Enjoy it warm or cool!  

Amaryllis Minerva -- 孤挺花 Dec. 5, 2020 I bought the kit from Loblaws for $10. Planted it in the pot as instructed, leaving 1/3 out of the "soil". The "soil" is a kind of fiber, wet completely and got rid of the excess water. Water a little bit once a week until it flowers, then water every other day. Keep it in a sunny and warm place. Dec. 12, 2020 Dec. 30, 2020 It grows to a whopping 50 cm tall! Jan. 2, 2021 Jan. 3, 2021 Jan. 4, 2021 Son took over a bee's job to pollinate with a toothbrush, hoping for the seeds ... ;) Jan. 6, 2021 Jan. 16, 2021 Talking care of the bulb for grandma ... October 22, 2021 Wake her up from hibernation                   Roots look very healthy ✊ Add more soil, add water. With some su