Fancy Soda Pop

June Adelaide, Cutie Patootie

2012-01-21T18:02:00.000-06:00

June is getting quite good at pulling herself up slightly and sitting on her own. She was very proud of herself sitting in the chair and with the beautiful light coming through the window in her nursery, I couldn't help but snap a few photos. Wait, she's up from her nap, be back in a minute...

Ok, back. Let me share a few photos with you:

Baprons!

2011-11-17T00:27:00.001-06:00

What is a bapron you ask? It's a nerdy-named baby apron. I found a great tutorial here at Craftiness is Not Optional (great blog for anyone wanting to make pretty things for little girls) for these great bib meets apron that covers more of June's wardrobe than a regular bib. Why do I need a bapron? It's because my little June is now trying rice cereal! So far, so good. She's not eating too much yet, but she's looking stylish doing it!

I loved the variation (found here), which suggested using laminated cotton for the baprons. If you're not familiar with laminated cotton, it is a 100% cotton that has a vinyl layer on the printed or "right" side. You can buy it already laminated in 44" width by the meter or you can buy the iron-on vinyl from a fabric store and laminate your own cotton! The only disadvantage to doing it yourself is that the iron-on only come in about 24" widths. I've made 3 so far, one with an Amy Butler print and 2 with a Kaffe Fassett print. The bias tape is bought, not made for a quicker process (and because it's not worth burning my fingers for a bapron) I picked up some iron-on vinyl today in a matte finish today, so I hope to be whipping up a few more in a couple of days.

For anyone who is thinking of tackling these (really it is a simple project-it only takes about an hour), I have a few tips. When using bias tape, make sure to put the narrower half on the front. This way you don't have to worry as much about making sure you catch the bias tape on the back. Also, for sewing laminated cottons, sew with the cotton side down against the feed dogs of your machine, not the vinyl side. The vinyl side will stick if it's down. I find that using small metal paper clips works better for holding the bias tape around the edge of the laminated cotton than pins. Pin holes in laminated cotton will not self-heal as they would in regular cotton. Just make sure you don't sew over the paperclips, or they'll be an unwelcome part of your bapron.
I enjoy making things for June, but sometimes they end up more expensive than a store-bought version. In this case each bapron only costs approximately $3.75 in materials! Cute and cost-conscious? Yes, please!

The Old Port in Montreal

2011-11-14T01:25:00.001-06:00

More images from our trip to Montreal. What a great time. I'll admit, I look a little crazy in our family picture. It was windy!

The old port is down by the water. We took a walk around, did a bit of shopping and had lunch. A long discussion with our waiter to determine what "poireau"is en anglais. It turns out it is leek. So I had some cream of leek soup. We stopped by the biosphere but decided not to tour it as we had to catch our plane in a few hours and June was sleeping. It looks like a really interesting place to take kids though.

Instead of going into the biosphere, we did a drive-by of the Olympic Stadium!

Old Quebec City Images

2011-11-13T23:24:00.001-06:00

Here are some more images of our wonderful first trip as a family of three. Who knew that a vacation could be wonderful when it involves soaking poopy clothes in the tub? Here are some streets images from our lovely walks through Old Quebec City

Some things are the same on vacation

Street Performers

Sleepy Baby

The Chute Montmorency (Montmorency Falls) just outside of Quebec City)

C'est la Vie

2011-09-25T23:33:00.001-05:00

(June and I in Old Quebec City Enjoying Crepes)Bonjour mes amis! We have arrived in Quebec after our first successful flight with Baby June. She ate, slept, cooed, squealed, and ate again. We couldn't have asked for a better traveller! Thursday morning, Derek had a business meeting so while he went for lunch, June and I were off to find a cafe for lunch. We found a cafe and had a turkey and brie sandwich, pasta salad and a bowl full of cafe au lait...the most delicious cafe au lait I have had. No sugar required. Now that I think of it, maybe it was so delicious because usually when I go to order a latte, I ask for multiple modifiers. Non-fat! Decaf! Half sweet! When I ordered in this cafe with my broken french, the fact that the waitress understood "cafe au lait" was good enough for me.

Now that I have June with me when I go out, I find that I have more people stopping to talk to me (or June). Usually, this is fine, except when people come up and start talking to June in french and then ask me a question about her, which I am unable to answer. I end up smiling and apologizing for my lack of comprehension.

To Old Quebec City we went, walking down the picturesque streets, along the narrow sidewalks. We stopped at a cafe with June for a crepe coffee break, and continue on discovering this city that feels very Eurpoean. It's quite amazing that this, the oldest city in North America and the only walled city north of Mexico has been so well preserved. There are souvenir shops, bars, cafes, clothing stores, and bakeries...ahhh, the bakeries. I saw a cute bakery, Paillard, and stopped in to see what kind of pastries they had. The inside was beautiful. To the right, a gelati counter featuring flavors such as maple, fraises lavande (Lavender Strawberry), poire gingembre (Ginger Pear), to the left a pastry counter with cookies, brownies, tarts, pastries, croissants touted as "voted best in Quebec City", and macarons. The back featured a sandwich counter and lovely long tables for patrons to sit and enjoy their food. So back to the macarons. I have looked high and low in Winnipeg to find French Macarons. Not the coconut and chocolate cookies we are used to, but the meringue cookies with a flavoured filling. I picked out a few to buy. Who could resist with flavours such as Apricot Black Tea, Almond, Banana Chocolate, and Passion Fruit. Add in classic vanilla and chocolate, and I was set. The crispy exterior, the slightly gooey interior, the flavors....oh sorry, I was just taking a moment to dream about them! We went down to the water and saw the beautiful Chateau Frontenac, now owned by the Fairmont.

(French Macarons from Paillard)Our second day in downtown Quebec led us back to Paillard for lunch, where we tried sandwiches, some gelati, and picked up some of those croissants for later. Derek has a thing for croissants. They were indeed delicieux! The service was very friendly including a waiter escorting me to the 2nd floor bathroom after June's diaper exploded while I was nursing her. We then wandered around, catching a pair of street performers and more of the scenery.Our last foray into Old Quebec took us to Aux Anciens Canadiens, a French Canadian Restuarant that Derek found in order to satisfy my desire for tourtiere, or Quebec meat pie. The place, we discovered after after the fact, is actually a very well known restaurant. We enjoyed French Pea Soup, Tourtiere with a delicious chutney, finished off with Maple Pie and Maple Creme Brulee. The place was an old stone building with exposed stone in the interior, that is a part of the city's history. Even the waitresses were wearing traditional clothing. We then went near the Promenade to an alley with artists selling their art. I picked up a screenprint over line drawing of a horse and carriage, and a bronze plate stamped print of the restaurant where we had just eaten.We the drove to Chute Montmorency (Montmorency Falls) just outside of Quebec City. The falls are 1.5 times higher than Niagara Falls, although not nearly as wide.We then drove to Montreal. After a quick prayer at the beginning of our journey, June slept the entire way! We went to our hotel and then walked through downtown Montreal to Dunn's. Montreal smoke meat sandwiches and poutine awaited us there, followed by more walking to only minutely justify all the food we had eaten. We stopped of at Paris Crepe and enjoyed a Strawberry Banana Crepe as we walked the rest of the way to our hotel, checking out the plethora of shopping options on the way. So let's see... toutiere, french pea soup, maple pie, creme brulee, Montreal smoked meat sandwich, poutine, crepes...is there any french food we missed?

Baby, Baby, Baby, oh!

2011-08-04T00:28:00.004-05:00

Introducing the newest member of our family: June Adelaide

She was born 2 weeks earlier than we were expecting her on May 19th. At 6lb 4 oz, she was nice and tiny. We are so excited to be parents. When people tell you that it changed your perspective and that you can't explain how much you love your children, it's true. I think it makes me look at people differently, knowing that everyone was a baby at some point, and that everyone deserves to be loved.

Here are a couple of shots of our precious little girl, right after she was born.

Blowin' in the Wind

2011-08-04T00:17:00.002-05:00

Hello all....my has time passed since I last posted and how much has changed! I'll get to updating my blog with the happenings of the last 3 months, but for now I'll show you one of the most recent updates around here.

Before Christmas, my parents asked me what I would like for Christmas. With the impending arrival of Baby E, I thought of a clothesline. A fully installed clothesline. I received the supplies under the Christmas tree and this past Monday, my parents came over and my Dad slaved in the 30 degree (plus humidity) heat installing my clothesline that measures over 70 feet long! I've hung a few loads out on it already. There's nothing like the smell of laundry that's been dried on a line.

Thanks Dad!

Carseat and Cover

2011-04-30T20:25:00.003-05:00

We picked up the carseat for our little one today! It's one of the last things on our to-do list before little Baby E arrives. My sister Heather delivered a beautiful gift to us last weekend in the form of a carseat cover blanket. With 2 loops to hold the cover on the handle, baby is covered without the blanket being on it's face, but still being able to check on the baby. The grey, yellow and white of the carseat cover match perfectly with the nursery and the black and silver carseat. I love the fabrics she chose, I can't resist a polka dot!

Nursery

2011-04-23T01:38:00.004-05:00

The nursery is almost done. Here are a few pics to show the progress.

We decided to use as much furniture that we could that we already had. Without a closet, we needed some serious storage. A wardrobe and dresser that I already had worked in place of a closet and change table. The chair was our splurge for the room. We thankfully got it on sale on boxing day. It's a rocker/recliner and is very comfy. The crib was a bit of a journey to get. I had seen it on a number of blogs and really loved the spun spindles. I also knew I wanted a white crib as I didn't want to try and match with the existing furniture that we were using. I couldn't find it in Canada or from any of the larger American retailers, so we ordered it through Amazon...twice. Thankfully it worked out on the second try and I think it just works so well in the room. (Thanks Susan!)

The curtains I made after ordering some fabric online that I had also seen on a blog. The crib skirt, change pad cover, diaper pail liner, and boppy cushion cover I also made, while my mom made all the crib sheets (Thanks Mom). I loved to see where I could save and also liked that I could really get what I was looking for without having to shop for hours, break the bank, or scour websites. All that we need is the mobile I'm working on and some artwork for the walls...oh, and it's tiny new resident (in about 6 weeks)!

Ok, onto the pics:

Tantalizing Textiles for Tot

2011-01-06T21:48:00.002-06:00

Derek and I went to Minneapolis this past weekend. We took out our perfectly good entertainment unit, because our new TV didn't fit. It seems as though we are gluttons for punishment in the renos department as our kitchen and laundry room are still not totally complete. As my mom would say "You did this to yourself"

The highlight of the trip for me (shopping-wise) was a visit to Treadle Yard Goods. They were having a 20-50% off sale, plus I had a 20% off coupon that could be added to any previous discount. I found the exact Joel Dewberry fabric that I had been hoping to make the nursery bedding out of on sale!!! I also picked up a bit of the new Amy Butler Soul Blossoms fabric that just came out last week at 20% off!!! So fabulous, no?

p.s. the above pics are a mix of the fabrics I'll be using for the nursery

Rocking

2010-12-28T22:46:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure how to title this one. It started out with me listening to Derek playing worship music downstairs (I was upstairs). So I thought to myself, "Self, you should go take pics of your hottie husband playing his guitar". So I ventured downstairs with my camera, trying to be inconspicuous. He saw me, but ignored my poking around with my camera. he didn't even ask questions when I hauled in a lamp and plugged it in for more light ('cause the room is just poorly lit for photography) or when his awkward, pregnant wife was getting all sorts of angles (huffing and puffing all the way). So I took a bunch of pics and laughed at the fact that he moved just as I was focussing. Here are a few shots I got

Oh, and what's this last one, you may ask? No, it's not the worst picture ever. I got an email about our baby today. At 18 weeks, he/she can hear noises, including my heartbeat. Derek handed me the headphones, and I thought to myself, " Self, the baby could probably hear trough the headphones" so I put those headphones up to my belly so this is actually a pic of our baby's first experience hearing his/her daddy rocking the guitar.

Le chocolat

2010-12-28T22:28:00.004-06:00

Derek went to montreal a few weeks ago for a business trip. I have always wanted to go to Montreal and Quebec City. When I was very young (like very young) I apparently went to Quebec. As a kid, when my Dad would go on business trips to Queec, I would beg to go. I begged Derek to take me. I didn't go.

I requested in lieu of a trip over to Quebec, that Derek would bring me a bit of Quebec back (ok, it was more like "If you're not going to take me, at least bring me back something good) Oh my, did he deliver! He brought me 3 items from Juliette et Chocolat, a fancy chocolat restaurant in Montreal.

The first was a beautiful box of chocolates, tied with a red ribbon.

On opening the box, there was a velum layer sealed with a brand sticker. Beneath that was a box with little windows and a perfect little chocolate in each one.

They were painted or layered or garnished. There was one with a mango bottom, one with raspberry, a chocolate truffle, a vanilla caramel chocolate with sea salt. They were delicious. Derek also brought me 2 containers of hot chocolate. One milk, one dark chocolate. They are decadent! He also brought me some maple syrup in a fun metal can.

Thanks hon!

Kitchen

2010-12-01T22:46:00.002-06:00

Here is my (mostly) finished kitchen:

(thanks for being patient Maureen)

Taylor Guitar Factory

2010-10-19T23:25:00.001-05:00

We went to the Taylor Guitar Factory for a tour to see where Derek's new baby, the baritone acoustic came from. As a non-guitar player the tour was still very interesting. Seeing the craftsmanship and care that goes into each guitar was very impressive.

(This is a pile of Koa wood from Hawaii to be cut for guitars. There was a about 10 times the amount you see here)

(Necks-the wood before cutting)

(wood cut for backs)

(fronts cut and ready for inlays around the sound hole-the inlay pieces are all selected and put in by hand)

(Guitars ready to be lacquered)

(Necks with their ebony fingerboards-this is where I put my disclaimer that I really don't know what I'm talking about so these term may be incorrect)

(Bracing under the guitar top. This provides support and creates the tone)

(A colorful array of electric guitars)

Note to self

2010-10-19T11:04:00.002-05:00

Note to self: Check the GPS settings before traveling.
Make sure your GPS is set to allow you to take major highways/routes. If not you will end up driving through the desert for 2 hours extra with miles and miles of this:

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas

2010-10-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday night. After a long flight I felt like eating, so we went for an in-n-out burger...not the best idea, but oh well. With the busyness of the days that we were there, and the fact that you can't take pictures during the shows we went to, it was the 3rd day before I remembered to start taking photos. Day 1 and 2 consisted of shopping, touring around the hotels and going to Cirque du Soleil.

Cirque du Soleil...ahhh...what amazing performances. We went to see KA on Friday night and it was really good. The stage rotated side to side and up and down until, at one point, the stage was fully vertical and the artists were swinging from post to post that were sticking out of the stage. Day 2 saw us at 'O'. This is by far the best cirque du soleil show we have seen. With a stage that moves up and down, divers, water, acrobats, and clowns, it was truly amazing and I would recommend it as a 'must see' when in Vegas.

Day 3-I finally started taking pictures. We drove down to Hoover Dam. Now, it is supposed to be a 45-minute drive, and I'm not sure if it was just the day we went, but it took us a few hours to get there. There was a line-up for miles. Once we got to Hoover Dam though, it was amazing. It had started to rain so we walked briskly, taking a few pics and then hopped back in the truck for a much shorter drive back to Las Vegas.

We had decided to stay this day as an extra day, so we went to Penn and Teller that evening. We didn't really know what to expect, but the show was really great. From guessing which joke 3 people had chosen from random joke books to sawing a lady in half, twice, it was very entertaining. Afterwards, we checked out the Freemont Street Experience. With a giant overhead video screen coordinated to music, it was a fun place to be after dark.

(excuse the look on my face, I was happy to be there, but worried about the crazy lady holding my camera)
On Monday, we packed up (after a bit of shopping), took a picture in front of the Las Vegas sign and left for San Diego.

This weekend...

2010-09-19T15:02:00.003-05:00

Derek is away for the weekend and I have a to do list that I will attempt to finish before he returns. Our countertops are coming tomorrow morning at 8:30 am (!!!) so I have to prep for that as well as a pharmacy presentation next week. I'm going to write everything down here so that I have to get it done. Will you hold me to it?

This weekend I must...

Patch the new drywall
Repair the wall for tile installation
Prime and Paint the new drywall
Remove the window trim
Wash the dishes
Clean off the countertops
Finish, fold and put away the mountain of laundry
Clean out the laundry room
Start and Finish researching for my presentation
Meet a friend for coffee (ok, so that's not really a "to do"item)

Do you find that your weekends turn into to-do lists? I hope yours is going well.

p.s. Update pics coming tomorrow after the countertop install!

Things, they are a-changin'

2010-09-16T00:13:00.005-05:00

Oh, the delight of change! I love it that I am finally starting to get a glimpse of the finished kitchen! In an attempt to avoid frustration and anxiety about the fact that our kitchen is in total disarray and that all of the timelines have flown out the window, I haven't been getting to excited about renos lately, but I may have reached a turning point.

We ordered our countertop just over 2 weeks ago. Our trusty cabinet-maker, Clint was here last Tuesday to bring us the new lower cabinets and upper cabinets that I changed at the last minute-perhaps a bit crazy but a MUCH better use of space than the desk area that served only as a clutter catcher. After the delivery of the new white cabinet boxes, Derek commented that the cream interiors of our existing cabinets didn't look so nice and that we should paint the interiors white. I picked up a can of melamine paint and spent 2 evenings getting a bit high and stinking up the house, but the interiors look sooo much fresher!

Today our electrician, Brian, came to move electrical service around, wire for the oven, and run wire for new lights over the island. There is drywall dust all over the place and more holes in my walls, but it's progress! Friday, Clint will come to install lower cabinets and do some other picture-worthy stuff. Have you noticed how sometimes a tradesperson will come, work all day, and then there is nothing really picture worthy? It's all the prep that takes the time but results in a better finished kitchen. Our countertops are being installed on Monday morning, bright and early, so there is the potential that we will be done everything in 3 weeks!!!

Here are a few pics that I snapped tonight. Even though we have officially passed the 6 month mark (we started the reno craziness March 11), I have a feeling that it will feel like a drop in the bucket of time and I won't believe (or remember) all the work that has been done.

Mallory & Mat's Wedding

2010-08-16T23:20:00.006-05:00

Here's a few pics from my cousin Mallory's wedding to her new hubby, Mat. Congrats!!

Pinwheel Quilt-Part 4

2010-08-15T22:41:00.000-05:00

From each colored square and white square I get this

Stacks of sewn squares

Stacks of squares cut to triangles

Four pile, four colors

This is a total of 320 triangles, all of which need to be pressed open (fun times!) So I know that it will take a few hours, but then I look at my one pinwheel that I completed, and it seems more do-able

Pinwheel Quilt-Part 3

2010-08-14T22:36:00.000-05:00

Before you think I'm totally crazy, I don't go through all of the steps one at a time...I create a mini assembly line

To save time, I laid out the white squares, and topped them with the red squares, face down

I pin them...

Mark the line...

Pinwheel Quilt-Part 2

2010-08-13T22:27:00.004-05:00

stacks of squares, 320 squares total (only took 2 hours!)

Mark a line down the centre of the wrong side of each colored square, diagonally. Sew each color square to a white square with the right sides together, using the line to make 2 lines, each with a 1/4 inch seam allowance

Cut down the centre of each square

Press open, towards the colored triangle

Result: one-quarter of a pinwheel. Now, I just have to do this 160 more times!

Note: time to sew, cut, and press four colors: 8 hours!

Pinwheel Quilt-Part 1

2010-08-12T22:12:00.004-05:00

I thought for fun, I would document the makings of a pinwheel quilt. I found some fun polka-dotted fabric and a classic quilt that I was inspired by.

I started with a good hot iron to iron my pre-washed fabric to make it easier to cut

I started with a polka dot print in 4 colors: red, navy, yellow and teal (1/2 meter of each) and 1.5 m of plain white

I cut 4 inch squares out of each. First, cut 4" strips, then cut the strips into squares.

I cut 40 squares from each color and 160 white squares.

The colors are cut and stacked (note to self: use pre-cuts next time)

The Kitchen - Thursday, August 12 - 10:00 pm

2010-08-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

Q: Is that a new island?
A: Why, yes it is!

p.s. the sink is also useable again!

For Posterity's Sake

2010-08-12T20:55:00.001-05:00

A few wrongly dated posts will catch me up on the happenings of July and give you an update on the renos!

The Kitchen - Tuesday, August 12 - 1:00 am

2010-08-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

So the cabinets have been moved around and the floors are in! Only 5 weeks left (fingers crossed!)

The Kitchen - Monday, August 9 - 11:00 pm

2010-08-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Kitchen - Monday, August 9 - 9:30 am

2010-08-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

In July we...

2010-07-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

...saw Bon Jovi at the stadium from the press box (press box=farther away but free food and drinks!!)
...went to Cirque du Soleil - Allegria (so super fantastic)
...went to the lake (unfortunately only once)
...finally sprayed the driveway for weeds
...got some nice (non rainy) weather

Farmer's Market Dinner

2010-06-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is the product of a successful trip to the farmer's market. Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and asparagus went well with the amazing pasta. The pasta is made by a family company that raises it's own eggs for use in it's pasta. This was wild garlic fettucine that I topped with a goat cheese cream sauce and cracked pepper. I waited until Derek had eaten it before I told him what was in it. Do you ever have a hard sell with new ingredients like goat cheese? He liked it, by the way.

(I have to stop writing about food. I'm getting hungry)

Who Doesn't Love a good Polka Dot?

2010-06-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Check out these fun white sheets with black polka dots I found at HomeSense! It was perfect timing for a new set as I put my heel through our fitted sheet earlier this week!

Fabric Stash!

2010-06-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

The quilting shop that I have bought the majority of my fabric for my quilting is closing at the end of this week. It suddenly dawned on me that I won't have a resource that is easy to go to in order to get modern, designer quilting cotton, so I dropped in to pick up a little more for my stash. Don't you love the colors? Now to decide on a pattern!

House Updates-Part 3

2010-06-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Oh my, so if you are contemplating a reno and those who have done it already tell you that things will take longer and cost more than you are expecting...I will join in that chorus and agree! Besides our appliance being late, difficulty sourcing cabinet finishes, and out of square doors and windows, everything is going well. Our original deadline of mid-July seems a pipe dream at this point but end of August is not too far and seeming more realistic. Here are some updated pictures of the progress. the tile at the front door, back entrance and laundry room is complete, which has been very nice.

The front rug with the new tile!

The pillow covers are done for the living room:

The Office/Sewing Room:

Laundry Room with new Tile!

The front door looked a bit dingy with the new tile and trim:

But no worries. There's nothing a quick coat, or 2, or 3 can't fix!

The only completed room on the entire main floor!

Back entrance with new tile:

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

2010-06-22T23:53:00.004-05:00

Despite the recent take-over of our yard by the evil mosquitoes, I have been out enjoying the plants as they bloom. I love the peonies. Two of four bushes bloomed this year. When I start to see the blooms get fatter and fatter I can't help but check them everyday waiting for them to bloom. There is an anticipation I feel when i look at them as if somehow if I stare hard enough, I can force them to open. I took a few shots after the rain (and when isn't it after the rain right now?) Enjoy!

Pots of Pansies in front of the Front Door:

My new lilac topiary tree:

Ok, this is a bit self-indulgent, Diego is so cute, isn't he? ;)

Is this still considered soon??

2010-05-20T08:00:00.003-05:00

I promised pics soon on April 8. I don't think this is considered soon. Oh well, these pics were taken soon after the promise, so I'll post them and then have to take some more (no promises this time on how soon they will appear!)

Quilt for Baby Ava

2010-05-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

My cousin Stacey had a baby in March. This is the first baby for the girls cousins on my Mom's side. There are a whopping 8 girls on that side (and one boy).

I wanted to make her a quilt for her new daughter. I had seen a pattern on a blog that was similar to this one. Stacey had already made bedding and curtains in yellows, greens, and blues, so I thought I'd add some pink and purple to the mix. This was a really fun quilt to work on and it came together pretty quickly. I backed it with a fun patterned flannel and finished the binding on a perfect Sunday afternoon on the deck.

Congrats to Stacey and Keith, and welcome to baby Ava!

Happy 30th Derek!!

2010-05-18T23:01:00.002-05:00

This is the story of the surprise party that wouldn't be.

I was torn about how to celebrate Derek's milestone birthday. While in renos, I knew that a full-out invite-everyone-you-know shindig was not in the cards. Derek suggested a July fete after completing the renos was what he would prefer, but a friend suggested that I couldn't let his birthday pass without a little party, which confirmed what I was already thinking.

So I thought of what would be most "him". Derek is not a fancy dinner party guy. He isn't into anything fancy for that matter. I decided to plan what Derek would like without worrying about what others might like. I cam up with golf and food. Derek had mentioned that he would like ribs for supper, so I found a favorite recipe for ribs and baked beans and then added in 3 salads, Dad's Rootbeer in bottles and desserts including cheesecake, pie and store-bought cookies (he doesn't ever eat my homemade cookies which, I have to say, is more a reflection of his taste than my baking abilities)

Anyway, it was to be a semi-surprise party. Semi-surprise because this would keep his schedule open, but allow my to do what I wanted in planning without interference and to preserve a bit of surprise. He knew that there were people coming on Saturday, but not who and/or what the plans were. One day before the party, one of his friends called his cell telling him that he wasn't going able to make it for golf!!! GRRRR...I officially uninvited that friend, and then re-invited him (note: he admitted this isn't the first surprise party he has spilled the beans on, as if this was to make me feel better...seriously?)

I think the guys had a good time as they stayed pretty late. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Warm, and barely a breeze for golf and weather that allowed for dinner on the deck. The food and the rootbeer was a hit and we celebrated Derek's entrance into the thirties with a bang!!!!

Today I...

2010-04-08T00:42:00.002-05:00

...touched up nail holes in the baseboards
...finished painting baseboards and trim (I hope)
...tidied up the kitchen
...finally cut some fabric for my next quilting project
...got ready for my seniors presentation next week

*more updated pics coming soon!

Ma Maison d'aujourd'hui...une mise a jour

2010-03-25T23:15:00.005-05:00

(My house today...an update)

So today I painted some more of the door jams...less crisis over painting the wood today. I also finished up painting all of the baseboards. Did I mention that we are replacing all of the trim and baseboards? This also means I am painting the door jams. Tuesday night I started painting. Now, we have oak trim, which is ok but I really wanted larger trim and white so that there wouldn't be quite as much wood and not be so dark. When I started painting, it looked horrible. The paint was streaky and I instantly regretted it. I asked Derek to come and look as the anxiety was growing. I could hear all of the pro-wood, painting nay-sayers coming into the house and saying "I can't believe you painted the wood" and the feeling of regret grew. Thankfully, Derek came and talked me down from the ledge (metaphorically) and I'm ok...I think.

The nice thing about all of the changes is that as things are completed, Derek and I look at each other and say "It's going to look so great when it's done". I definitely have to keep my eye on the goal as the disorganization is threatening to get to me. (I know I shouldn't complain at all about being able to renovate though)

Here is an updated look of what my house looks like this evening (at the request of my Dad):

This is what the wood looks like after 1 coat of paint (so ugly):

Front Hall-the grey is levelling compound:

Living Room:

Dining Room-storage space (can you see my new rug? I love the chevron pattern!):

Bedroom with white painted trim!:

Our Bedroom-hardwood is in, but might come out for floor re-levelling:

Kitchen:

More Kitchen:

Laundry Room-catching stuff (I'm embarrassed about this room especially)

The Office-subfloor down and ready for hardwood:

The Back Closet with Garbage Can:

The Back Entrance:

The Garage:

The kitties don't seem to be bothered by the reno:

House Renos!

2010-03-23T23:51:00.004-05:00

So...as with all renos, we started with something that actually needed doing. Our linoleum needed replacing, so we wanted to replace it with hardwood. Since we were doing that, we thought why not replace the carpet with hardwood too. Then we thought we would put tile at the entrances and the laundry room.

Realizing that doing the floors would require us to move the kitchen island, we thought that perhaps we should replace it. Then we thought, while we were doing that, we should raise the cabinets as we like my parents that are higher than standard. Since our oven is in the island we considered what we would replace it with and I said that I would eventually like to have a double oven and a flat cooktop. But if we're doing that we will need to replace the countertops. So then we might as well do a full kitchen reno as we don't like the configuration and the light fixture (nice 80's flourescent that breaks every time we replace a bulb)/ Oh, and I forgot to mention that baseboards and moldings are easier to replace and upgrade since they're already off.

Oh gosh, even with writing it down, it seems like a lot. ETA: June/July...I hope...

So we've been going at this for a week and a half, we are living downstairs, we have already had a few setbacks (unlevel front hall and out of stock tiles)

Here's a peak at what it started as and what is happening around here:

(before)

(before)

(My brother-in-law Scott doing the flooring in the kitchen)

(Derek and Scott removing the toilet. I had to crop the pic to avoid showing the plummer bum ;) )

(yes, that is a toilet in my kitchen)

Apple Bread Pudding

2010-03-01T19:34:00.006-06:00

I was almost prepared and on top of things...almost. I bought a loaf of bread on Thursday to make garlic bread to go along with mussels in a tomato & white wine sauce that I was planning for supper. Well, that supper didn't happen, so tonight I was prepared to make it and realized that, while my mussels went off without a hitch, my bread was stale. My large (LARGE) french loaf, which fortunately only cost me $0.98, was crusty and dry.

So what was I to do? I didn't want to waste it, so I went on allrecipes.com and found a recipe for bread pudding, which also worked well since I had hard raisins and soft apples to get ri of as well. After soaking the raisins, they were as good as new.

GRANDMA'S APPLE BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients

PUDDING
4 cups soft bread cubes
1/4 cup raisins
2 cups peeled and sliced apples
1 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup margarine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten

VANILLA SAUCE
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 7x11 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine bread, raisins, and apples.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1 3/4 cups milk, and 1/4 cup margarine. Cook and stir until margarine is melted.

Pour over bread mixture in bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs. Pour bread mixture into prepared dish, and pour egg mixture over bread.

Bake in preheated oven 40 to 50 minutes, or until center is set and apples are tender.

While pudding is baking, mix together sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 cup margarine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Serve over bread pudding.

Unplugged for a month...

2010-02-23T18:57:00.003-06:00

I unplugged from blogging for a month and from email for part of that. It was nice but since email is one of the best ways for people to contact me, I had to get around to responding to emails. I don't know what it is about this time of the year but I get the urge to unplug the phone, stay at home in sweats and read or quilt with a hot cup of tea...maybe those will be my Saturday plans.

So in the last month we went to Florida for a winter getaway, a bit cold, but still not the daily grind. We've bought hardwood flooring that we will be installing in the spring. I still need to find tiles for the front and back entrances and the power room. Any suggestions on good tile sources?

Mexican Night-Ole!

2010-01-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, so Ole is not Mexican, but we did have Mexican food last week, thanks to my brother-in-law , Adrian. He and my sister, Heather along with my cousin and her husband came over for supper. We had Carne Asada (BBQ beef tacos). The food was just as delightful as the company. Thanks Adrian!

(unfortunately I forgot to take more pics than these)

Comfort Food

2010-01-20T08:00:00.001-06:00

I've been on a big comfort food kick as of late. I'm talking about warm, cooked until soft, give me a warm tummy feeling (with a hint of nostalgia), comfort food. I think it started with the Lamb, Rosemary, and Yam pie in Australia and has continued with the cold of winter.

Last week I made individual Mac and Cheese, Green Beans with Mushrooms, and Goat Cheese, Cranberry and Pecan Salad, Hot Chocolate and Cupcakes. Oh my, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I found a very delightful little blog (by a Canadian!) called Everybody Likes Sandwiches thru a link via a link. The author had a great post about her favorite recipes of 2009 which, by the looks of it are comforting.

It looks like this comfort food trend may continue...

Blood Orange Cupcakes

2010-01-19T08:00:00.001-06:00

I am loving the citrus that is showing up in the grocery store as of late. While grocery shopping last week, I saw blood oranges. With their bright color and strong orange flavor, I knew they would be lovely paired with some chocolate cupcakes for girls night!

I made chocolate cupcakes using my favorite recipe (so light and perfect for filling). Blood oranges took the place of lemons to make a curd filling and blood orange buttercream topped it all off. While it sounds like a lot of work, it's not too bad as each step is relatively simple.

Chocolate Cake
*makes 24 cupcakes or 3-9 inch round cakes

Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
*via allrecipes

Citrus Curd
*substitute your favorite citrus fruit. Makes enough to fill 24-30 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
Zest of 3 lemons
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 cup Meyer lemon juice
5 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

Directions
Prepare and ice-water bath. Set a medium bowl in ice-water bath and set aside.
Place sugar and lemon zest in a mortar and grind with a pestle to combine and release the oils. Transfer sugar mixture to a medium heatproof bowl along with eggs and egg yolks; whisk to combine. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until sugar has dissolved. Add lemon juice and continue whisking until mixture is thick and reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add butter and whisk until well combined.
Strain lemon mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over prepared bowl. Cover lemon curd with plastic wrap, pressing plastic wrap directly onto surface. Transfer to refrigerator until completely chilled
*from Martha Stewart

Citrus Buttercream
*you may substitute any citrus for the blood oranges

Ingredients
zest & juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup icing sugar, plus 2-3 cups
milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened

Directions
Combine 1/4 cup icing sugar with lemon zest in a mortar and blend to release the citrus oil. Place orange icing sugar and butter in a bowl and beat to combine. Add 1/4 cup of icing sugar and the orange juice. Blend. Add the vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of icing sugar. Blend. Add milk and 1/2 cup icing sugar. Add icing sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Girls Night!

2010-01-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

(us drinking hot chocolate from latte bowls!)

My high school girlfriends came over a few Fridays ago. Food, good friends, good conversation...It was a great time.

The low point of the evening was 5 minutes after the girls left when I bit into one of the homemade marshmallows I had made for the hot chocolate and realized that I had OBVIOUSLY put way too much salt into the recipe. Ana's strange reaction when she bit into one now made more sense and the slightly salty flavor when we had them in the hot chocolate made more sense. They are supposed to be sweet and delicious but they were so salty. (sorry Ana!!!)

Reflections...

2010-01-14T00:55:00.003-06:00

Is it too late to reflect on 2009? I've been thinking about it in the sense that I want to review where I've been and figure out where I want to go next.

My boss puts sayings on the sign in front of our store that change every 2 weeks and I have to admit the current ones are making me think. The first one is " Resolutions-They go in one year and out the other" and the second is "Resolutions, without plans, are just wishful thinking". More food for thought was provided in a link via DesignMom. It had 100 Skills Everyone should master. As I read through them, I thought of which ones I had achieved, and was inspired to accomplish more. Rather than resolustions, which tend to feel like obligations after about a month, I prefer to make shorter term goals that can be completed (I have to admit, I like the gratification of knowing I can check something off my list)

I thought I'd list off some things I tried last year, and make a list for the coming year.

2009:
- Learn to quilt
- Make hollandaise sauce from scratch
- Poach a perfect egg
- Travel beyond North America
- Start a blog

2010:
- Learn another language
- Try yoga
- Use a compass
- Learn to knit/Finish a knitting project
- Clean out my closet

I would love to hear your resolutions/goals/etc

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T23:31:00.003-06:00

Happy New Near to you, dear reader of this post. I hope to post more often and more interestingly this year. I have a feeling this year is going to be a good one...

Table Setting

2009-12-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we hosted our church Christmas party. I wanted to do something pretty for the adults table, and it was all really simple. In general, I don't really like red for Christmas but I'm feeling a bit more traditional this year. I had a large piece of red and white gingham that I used as a tablecloth. A few white pointsettias from the grocery store worked for a centerpiece, and they were only $3 each! The plastic gold-colored pots were not working for me however, with a little bit of burlap tied with a piece of bakers twine, they looked really cute. White paper napkins with a subtle grey pattern worked well with the busy tablecloth, and cutlery, along with small-sized red party crackers finished off the table. I placed a blackberry IZZE at each setting for a bit more color (and yumminess).

Worth 1000 Words

2009-12-17T08:00:00.001-06:00

Is this Christmas excitement, or what?

Baby Quilt

2009-12-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

This is my first completely finished quilt (that is, I have 2 others that I have started but not finished yet). This one is 100%, don't-have-to-do-another-thing-to-it-finished. I started it last Wednesday and was absolutely determined to have it done by the end of the weekend. This was my first experience with mitered corners, machine quilting, and binding a quilt. With all of my friends that are having babies, I thought baby quilts are nice, manageable projects that give me an outlet for my huge fabric obsession. This one is 39X39 inches finished size, which could work as a play quilt or in a crib. I backed it with fleece, which I think is nice for a baby.

Seriously, I'm shocked at myself for finishing it, as those of you who know may know that I am good at starting projects, and not so good at the finishing part. This weekend was good for finishing projects.

Papa Bears

2009-12-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

My hubby makes gingerbread bears every year at this time. They are made with a gingerbread recipe that is a family secret. This is his second batch so far this year, making around 10 dozen so far. They will all be gone by Christmas. Derek always uses the same cookie cutter, which is a squished bear. I tried, early in our marriage to go out and buy him a fatter, cuter, cookie cutter but he insisted on using this one that his Grandpa, or "Papa" as they called him, had always used. Now Derek gets requests from all of our family for some.

Our house smells really delicious.

Christmas Party

2009-12-14T21:59:00.002-06:00

We had an ugly sweater contest at our Christmas party yesterday. These are my friends. I'm a bit embarrassed.

Surprise Birthday Brunch

2009-12-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

My Mother-in-law, Susan's birthday was at the beginning of November. My sister-in-law, Brenda, and I decided to plan a surprise birthday brunch for her. Most of the planning happened one night shortly after we got home from Australia while I was still jet-lagged. My mom graciously opened up her home for hosting as both my mom and mother-in-law live about an hour from where we live.

With a pink and yellow theme, we decorated with bunting (some made and some borrowed, thanks, Rhonda) and the infamous Martha Stewart-style poufs. On the table, I decorated with flowers in large Mason jars. I picked out some gerbera daisies, as these are Susan's favorite flower. Favors were small jars of homemade lemon curd (so tart and yummy), with labels that Derek helped me design and print.

For the menu, we went with eggs benedict. I made Julia Child's blender hollandaise recipe (pretty easy, actually) and had Brie cheese, back bacon, mushroom and asparagus for toppings. I also had a greens salad with beets and pecans, and a pink and yellow fruit salad. Pink punch, coffee and tea rounded out the beverages. It was a great time, and I think everyone had fun. There were 9 or 10 of us in total. For dessert we had some pineapple upside-down cake, which was a new recipe for me to try. Looking back, trying a new recipe for a party wasn't the best idea, but it turned out delicious (even with me forgetting the white sugar).

Brand New Heather Bailey Fabric!

2009-12-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since Heather Bailey has put out a new line of fabric and I'm totally excited about this one. Derek and I made a last minute trip to Minneapolis for business and, as we were driving to our second location, we drove right past Crafty Planet, and amazing fabric and yarn store in Minneapolis. It has a fantastic selection of fabrics from some of the really fun designers like Heather Bailey, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry. They also have a great selection of home decor fabric. Even though they are in the US, we up north can still get in on the selection with their online store. On our way back after picking up Derek's work items, I stopped in to browse the fabrics. The first thing I saw when I walked in was this new fabric. Slightly more subdued than her last line, it still coordinates well with it. It has blues, yellows and greens with a bit of grey (love grey!) When I mentioned to the guy in the shop that I hadn't seen this one before he told me that it had just come in the day before! Isn't that cool? I think I'm going to make a small blanket out of it, and can't wait to get started!

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

2009-12-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

I made cookies for a cookie swap coming up this Saturday. I am bringing 8 dozen cookies so it took a while to get them all baked. It's a new recipe that I haven't tried before but I found it on the Martha Stewart website, so I know it's tried and tested. Besides, when a recipe starts like this, how can it not turn out well.

Here's the recipe. I cut back the amount of chocolate by 25% and they were still really sweet.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Housewarming Gift-Monogram Mat

2009-12-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Both of my sisters and their husbands bought houses this summer and I wanted to make them something that was practical for their new homes that had a bit of style. I remember when we first moved into our house almost 2 years ago there were so many small things that we didn't realize we needed. I remember buying about 5 or 6 mats for all the doors we had (front, back, garage, etc.)

I picked up 2 coir mats. Since my sisters read this blog (I think) I won't say how much they were, but they're reasonably priced. I then decided what I wanted to put on them to customize them.

I chose the first letter of each of their new last names, F and N. I measured the mat (18X36") and decided to make the letters 14 inches high, and chose a font for the letters. I think that it's nice to use an interesting font but I wouldn't recommend anything with too many curly parts on it. I had my husband cut out vinyl letters to use as stencils. It ended up that this wasn't the best plan as the vinyl is a bit fragile to remove from it's backing and we couldn't apply it as he usually would, as the vinyl didn't really stick to the mat. After doing it, I would recommend printing out your letters on cardstock and then using an exacto knife knife to cut out the letter and create a stencil. As the tips of the letters can shift as you apply paint, I would spray the cardstock with spray adhesive and then tape it down on the edges to secure it. I centered the stencils and then taped them down.

I looked on a few websites (including www.cityline.ca) to check into the type of paint that would work best and it seemed as though Latex was recommended the most. I used a sponge brush to dab the dark grey paint onto the stencil. The paint doesn't absorb very evenly, so dabbing a lot was the name of the game. I removed the stencil carefully as soon as I was done painting.

How cute are these? I hope they like them as much as I do...I just might have to make one for our house.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2009-12-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

The Christmas Trees are up!

Yes, it's bit much but I put up 2 this year. The one upstairs is 7 feet tall and really wide. We've had it for a while and it's decorated in blue/teal, white and brown. This was the first year that I didn't buy more decoration for it and I'm glad I didn't...it's pretty full.

The other one is in the basement. It's colorful. I used red and pink ribbon and had a bunch of brightly colored decorations to put on it. My wrapping matched the Christmas tree in the basement better, so that's where the gifts will rest until Christmas.

I've started my Christmas baking and Derek has turned out his first batch of Papa Bears (Gingerbread Bears) More to come on baking this week...

Last Australia Post-Blue Mountains

2009-12-06T21:35:00.007-06:00

(the train station at Katoomba)

(the Blue Mountains are actually blue!)
So on our last full day in Australia we went North of sydney to Katoomba. Home to the Blue Mountains, this tourist area was worth the train ride. We were in a car with some very loud people so we didn't sleep too much on the way there. The Blue Mountains are blue because of the off-gassing from the gum trees that grow below them. There is also a rock formation that looks like three small mountains called the three sisters, which is pretty neat. We took a cable car ride between 2 lookout points which allowed us to get a really great view of the mountains.

(the Three Sisters)

(white birds (maybe cockatoos) that were flying in the canyon)
We paid for a bus ticket and took a bus from stop to stop, getting on and off to see various featured points. We went to a set of falls. The bus driver, before we got off told us to touch the water and report to him on the temperature and what the water felt like. I felt it and it was cold, soft and felt a bit oily. When we got back to the bus, he asked me (in front of the bus full of people) what it was like. He explained that the water was cold because it came from an underground spring, which regulated the temperature of the water (like geothermal works). The water is soft because as it rises to the surface and passes over several types of rocks as it falls down the springs, it softens the water. It's oily because it has kerosene in it (I forget why though)

(these are the beautiful waterfalls where I felt the water)

(the view from a hiking trail, where we got lost)
We went to a great little cafe called the Red Door Cafe. I had a rosemary, sweet potato and lamb pie. It was so Asutralian and so yummy. It had homemade chutney on the side, which reminds me of my Grandma Billing. Chutney seems so old fashioned, but delicious and under used.

(red door cafe)
At the end of the day we finished with a few cupcakes from Cupid Cupcakes. My favorite was the pound cake with passionfruit frosting. Mmmm...

(cupid cupcakes)

This one's for Uncle Allen

2009-12-06T21:22:00.003-06:00

When we were in Australia we went into the Subway (Trains) a number of times. I took a picture of one of the cool vintage ads in the subway for my Uncle Allen. He collects old fashioned cars, so when I saw this I thought of him

This one's for you, Uncle Allen

Nie Nie Today

2009-11-24T18:13:00.002-06:00

I have posted about Stephanie of Nie Nie Dialogues before. She and her family were on the Today show this morning. It's interesting to see her "live" after reading for so long. Why is it that every time I hear her story, I am brought to tears?

Check it out here

Museum and a Park

2009-11-23T23:24:00.005-06:00

We took a low key day (read:we slept in) and had a bit of a late start. After grabbing some bun from the Vietnamese restaurant, we took to train to the Australian Museum. I was impressed by the exhibits, it was a classic style of museum. We didn't have that long there as it closed early. It was pretty cool when we went to the dinosaur room, all of the fossils were from Drumheller, Alberta! The first room we went into was about skeletons, so neat. There were also exhibits about rocks and minerals and native animals of Australia.

To get to the museum, we crossed Hyde Park. It has the Anzac (vetrans) Memorial and a view of Sydney's tower (like the CN Tower in Toronto).

There was a crazy street performer who was on the top of a post on a bicycle, juggling a torch, a knife and an apple.We had a bit of time so we stopped to grab a bite at a cafe right at Sydney Harbour. I took more pics of the bridge (as I sat eating supper). We had some fish and chips and salads, finished with (what else) gelati-including pistachio gelati

In the evening we went to a performance of the Pirates of Penzance at the Sydney Opera House. It's a comedic opera in English. I kept pinching myself as I couldn't believe we were seeing an Opera at the Sydney Opera House...so cool!!!

More of Sydney

2009-11-23T20:26:00.002-06:00

I know this is a bit late in coming but I thought I'd share a few more things from the end of our trip (mainly for me to write them down before I forget)

We went to the Central Station a few times (on our way to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant). It's really neat. All of the trains stop into that station.

We checked out Paddy's Market, which was the BIGGEST farmer's market/flea market I have ever seen. There was everything from veggies and flowers to band t-shirts and lingerie (seriously, who buys lingerie at a flea market???) to knives and toys. There were tons and tons of knock offs. It was quite the experience. If we had a kitchen while we were there I could have bought so many of the yummy ingredients for sale.

We made a trip to Bondi Beach, which is well known for it's surf waves. The day we went to Bondi, it was unseasonably cold, so we didn't bother with surfing lessons, but went for ice cream (ok, so I just had some more of that yummy rhubarb ice cream).

Back in Sydney

2009-10-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

We are back in Sydney. We flew in at noon and Derek wasn't feeling well. We hung out at the hotel for the afternoon. I tried venturing out by myself, but couldnt' figure out how to know how much I had to pay for fares. You pay different amounts depending on where you want to go. In the evening, Derek and I went and figured out our train tickets. When we bought the tickets, we asked the guy in the ticket booth if he could recommend a place for us to eat that would be open at 7 or 8 at night. That's something I forgot to mention. Stores close early here. It seems as though businesses and restaurants are either open until 5:00 or 5:30 or they don't open until 6:00 or so and then are open quite late.

The guy recommended a noodle bar. After getting lost after we exited the train station, we finally found the place he had recommended. It was a very hip place. Located in Chinatown, the clientele ranged from cool, younger asian adults to a white businessman to an Asian grandma who sat across from Derek. There were 2 long tables with benches. We ordered at the counter (from a menu which we couldn't read)and then were brought yummy bowls of noodles and broth. Derek's was a pork broth with ramen noodles and I had a chicken broth with fried chicken and fat noodles in it. It was delicious and we were so hungry.

As were were walking (which we did a lot of when we got lost) I noticed that they had labelled the street at the curb (or kerb, as they spell it here) which way to look in order to avoid being hit by a car. That's something that my sister, Heather, had mentioned from when she was in Australia that you have to adjust to which way to check for on coming traffic before you cross the street. Derek and I have commented to each other a number of times how it feels like you may get hit from one side (the expected side in Canada) when the traffic is moving in the opposite direction.

We went through Central Station as well. It joins all of the train lines in Sydney. It's this cool, old train station and it's always bstling with activity and accents from around the world. Very cool.

Last Day in Cairns

2009-10-17T05:40:00.004-05:00

Our last day was our hottest day. My hair is crazy as it is so humid here. We tried an Australian BBQ restaurant while we were here (I'm still looking for an Aussie Pie) and have enjoyed the range of types of food that Cairns Esplanade has to offer. We spent the day relaxing, checking out a local music store, and buying taffy and a few souvenirs to take home. We enjoyed one last evening on the esplanade, followed by a return to the crepe stand (they make the crepes in front of you, filled with fruit and whipped cream) and gelati (I have to admit I am a bit obsessed, but with flavors like kiwi fruit, mango, blood orange (like tangerine) and passionfruit, who could resist?)

We returned just as it was getting dark as Derek wanted to get some pictures of the bats. I have to confess, he took most of the pictures as they kind of freaked me out. It was crazy though, to see how they were basically sleeping when we got there and within 15 minutes or so, as it started to get dark, they started flying until the sky was filled with them. These pictures don't do it justice. The sky was totally filled and they were flying quite low, while screeching. It was quite a sight.

This last picture is at Derek's request. He has a funny, unexpected, and interesting fascination at creatures everywhere we travel. Geckos are of particular interest...ones that turn yellow to camouflage against the wall are extra interesting, hence the photo. There were lots of these little guys running around, particularly at night.

More from the Great Barrier Reef

2009-10-16T17:08:00.003-05:00

Some more from the Great Barrier Reef:

You can see all of the fish we were swimming with. The videos are a little shaky as it was getting a bit windy. You can actaully see where the reef is in the middle of the ocean from far away, because there are waves that form over the shallow reef areas like they do at the beach.

The Great Barrier Reef

2009-10-15T20:00:00.005-05:00

We woke up at 5:45 to get ready for an incredible adventure (not a small feat for those of you who know how we like to sleep). We drove about an hour along the coast (really beautiful) to Port Douglas. There we got on a fast boat (sort of yacht-looking)where they had breakfast for us and made us sign papers saying we knew that snorkeling and scuba diving were dangerous, yadda, yadda... We rode out to the reef, which was about an hour ride where they gave us, who hadn't scuba dove/dived before a lesson on how to scuba. Actually, it was also a video on all the bad things that could happen like lungs popping, running out of air etc. They told us that the most important thing was not to hold your breath underwater, just to kep breathing slowly. Since when does breathing become so complicated?? (Oh, right when you're underwater for 40 minutes) So the ride itself was pretty bumpy and Derek (for those of you that have heard about our not-so-fun cruise experience) wasn't feeling top notch anymore, but we had taken some anti-nausea pills, so it wasn't too bad. We got suited up and weighed around 150lbs more with the tank and the weights around our waist. They put weights around your waist so you don't float to the surface, which I kept doing anyway. We went under and practiced switching to our secondary air supply and clearing our masks. We went under the water and looked at all the coral. The coolest part was seeing an anenome and seeing the little clown fish (like Nemo) less than 12 inches in front of us. Ok, so I have to be honest with you, I really hated the diving part. My mask kept filling up with water because I didn't have it positioned right and there were several times where all I could think about was "breathe, breathe". My eyes were stinging with saltwater and the instructor kept having to come and get me as I tried to clear my mask and was floating to the surface. My air regulator came out of my mouth (which then you have to blow small bubbles out of your mouth so there isn't as much pressure on your lungs). Anyway, I was super glad when it was all done. I would try it again, but only after lesssons and becoming certified. **Aside: I wasn't sure how much detail to put here, but basically the rest of the day for Derek went like this: Derek was sick, threw up over the side of the boat, went snorkeling for 15 minutes at my request, and slept for most of the rest of the day inside the boat. (this is a sea cucumber, they breathe out of their butts) I went snorkeling at the next 2 locations, which were absolutely beautiful. I resolved my facemask issues and took pics and videos with an underwater camera we rented, and enjoyed the rest of the day, and was thrilled that I didn't get stung by a jellyfish (this is the beginning of the jellyfish season). We had been snorkeling in the Bahahas, and I thought it was cool, but not amazing. It was so amazing at the Great Barrier Reef. I am so glad we went to the reef (and Derek is almost glad we did too)

The smells we smell...

2009-10-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

Have you ever noticed how there are different smells depending where you visit? Florida smells like water, chlorine, and moist, California smells like smog and tropical flowers. So what does Australia smell like? Where as in Canada a mall would smell like food and cleaner, in Australia it smells like food and incense. Sometimes at night there is a smell like hot garbage and dog food. Other times is smells like salt water and sunscreen. The food markets smell more like surrry than in Canada.

I just noticed this and thought i'd write it down so I'd remember.

The Rainforest and The Ocean

2009-10-11T06:07:00.005-05:00

We took a drive up the mountains near Cairns, to the Rainforest Village of Karumba. Karumba Village is located in the Rainforest. This rainforest is considered the oldest Rainforest in the world. We walked a 3km pathway through the rainforest. It's crazy how the canopy really does block out the light (and the rain, as it was sprinkling in the morning).

We then drove to Barron Falls, also located near Karumba. The road back down the mountain, was the narrowest 2 lane road we have been on. Derek didn't have to touch the gas once the whole way down the mountain. He only had to use the break as he navigated around hairpin turns. Once we reached the bottom, we went to check out a golfcourse nearby. It was also so incredibly beautiful (wee may reutrn to try it out).

On the way back to Cairns, I suggested that we go down the road to Trinity Beach. The area down to the Beach was full of Beach homes and apartments. When we made it down to the ocean, it was absolutely beautiful. I suggested parking down near the beach and that we walk along the water. That progressed to taking off our sandals, and finally to my suggesting that we take a swim. We went back to the car, changed into our swimsuits and went back to the water. There are red and yellow flags set up on the beach, indicating where swimming is recommended. We may have wandered outside the flags, but had a great time jumping into the waves. It was pretty windy here today, so we had lots of great waves to enjoy. There were a few saves that were so strong they knocked us down and pulled us along the bottom of the ocean. The sand was soft where it was still dry but in the actual ocean, the grain were far more coarse. Coarse sand plus being dragged along the bottom by waves equals a bathing suit, hair, ears, and every other orifice full of sand. I had 2 large handfulls of gravel-like sand fall out of my bathing suit afterwards, but boy was that spontaneous swim ever worth it. It was amazingly beautiful. The beach curved around to where a small mountain rose next to the ocean.

After showering and removing all the sand, we went for supper on the Esplanade. We parked and started to walk to the restaurant when Derek looked up and saw something flying overhead. It wasn't a bird, it was a bat!!! We looked in the trees and saw them hanging upside down in the tree. When we returned to the car later in the evening the were screaming and swooping overhead, with their nasty, glowing eyes.

As a nice finish to the evening, I had the most wonderful Rhubarb Ice Cream. For those of you who don't know, my favorite types of desserts are Rhubarb dessert, so this little flavor discovery was quite a treat.

Couples Retreat

2009-10-10T08:54:00.002-05:00

We are totally living the life here. We had a nap this afternoon and then went and booked our SCUBA adventure and walked along the boardwalk. After that we went for oven fired pizza on the Esplanade...had the Don (kalmatas, roasted red pepper, basil, ham) and spiced chicken (chicken, garlic) and they were so yummy. We just saw the new movie Couples Retreat, which was pretty funny and less inappropriate than I was expecting. It's 9:00am in Manitoba and midnight here, which is still kind of strange. I'm sleepy and off to bed...

Crocs and Kangaroos and Koalas, oh my!

2009-10-10T01:15:00.006-05:00

*Note: yes, this is an actual sign, not a joke.

This morning began with a trip to the Cairns Tropical Zoo. We drove 20kms north, through many round abouts to Palm Grove. It was there that we got to see a variety of native Australian animals. We saw 5 meter long crocodiles, many of which are serving "life sentences" there for eating dogs and up to 30 head of cattle along river edges. There were a variety of birds, with enclosures that you could go in and have them flying freely overhead. I really like to look at birds, but had a few "moments" when I didn't realize how close they actually were. Just ask Derek, and he will be happy to mock me and tell you all about it... We went to the Red Panda enclosure where the panda was taking a nap in the tree. We saw the hairy nosed wombat, which is a marssupial relative of the kangaroo. We also got to feed and touch kangaroos. They were about 3 feet tall and smelled like rabbits. Derek described them as being as if a Rabbit and a Deer mated (which I can kind of see).

WARNING: Geek Moment:
Marsupials are a class of mammal with the characteristic of the mother having a pouch in which the joey (all marsupial babies are called joeys) climbs into this pouch, or marsupium, at an earlier age than most mammals, where they are fed and continue to develop until they are ready to live outside the pouch, such as Koalas, Kangaroos, and Wombats. Koala babies are born after only 35 days gestation, when they are merely 2 cm long, hairless, eyeless and earless. They climb into the pouch, where they are fed by their mothers until they are ready to come out of the pouch. They then stay with their mothers, riding on their backs for up to 1 year. Also, the reason that they sleep for up to 19 hours a day is that their only food is the leaves of gum trees and the leaves are so low in protein that they don't have very much energy

Ok, I got that out of my system, so here is the really cool part: We both held a Koala!!! They are super soft and not as heavy as you would think. They hold on tight but I definitely wouldn't want to meet them if they were angry, their claws are crazy! It was such a cool experience!

Adventures in Cairns

2009-10-09T05:47:00.001-05:00

Today we ventured out to see what Cairns had to offer. We spent some of the afternoon shopping at the factory outlet mall here. I drove there on the wrong side (to our standards) of the road. It was so cool! Unfortunately I didn't realize how cool it would be and didn't take my camera.

We went down to the pool just outside our hotel room, and hung out, enjoying the beautiful weather. Then, we went down to the Esplanade, which is the street and boardwalk area by the ocean. It is full of great shops and restaurants. We went to a seafood restaurant and tried Barramundi (a local australian fish) which is a white fish and absolutely delicious! Derek also had kangaroo (which tastes like a very tender beef) and crocodile, which had a chewy texture and tasted like a combination between scallops and chicken. We then walked down the esplanade where we saw boomerangs, UGGS, lots of honey and macadamia nuts (grown locally), and digeridoos. Digeridoos are a weakness of mine. every time Derek and I go to a msic store in Winnipeg, I always go and look at them. They are even cooler here, they are works of art. It's also neat because in each store where they are sold is usually someone who is demonstrating how to play them. The aboriginal art here is also really awesome.

While walking we tried dessert crepes (fresh fruit with custard and whipped cream) which were amazing and gelato. The gelati here is the best I have ever had, and I love gelati in Winnipeg. The fruit flavors are even more intense and include flavors such as passionfruit. There was also a cute shop offering samples of soft salt water taffy-like candy. The flavor they were offering as a sample was some sort of blue plum, and it was so soft and delicious, we went back and bought a bagful of mixed flavors. I can't remember all of them but they included a variety of fruit flavors I hadn't heard of before. We also saw a guy performing with flaming sticks (I don't know what they are actually called), but it was neat. The weather here is still gorgeous at almost 9:00 pm, it's actually too warm for me to wear a cardigan with my tank top and shorts! It's going to make it hard to go back to the unseasonably cold weather in Sydney and even harder to come home to snow.

Something is different...

2009-10-08T22:01:00.003-05:00

We are having a great time here, and noticing some of the differences between home and here. First, and most obvious is the driving on the wrong side of the road. This means the rivers is on the opposite side of the vehicle, you have to look in the opposite direction when crossing the street, yield to the opposite direction, and make sure you're not driving on the wrong side of the road after turning.

There is not a "no shirt, no shoes, no service" policy here. People walk around in Cairns without shoes. Last night, half of the people who walked into Subway as we were eating were barefoot. Children walk around on the streets, sidewalks and in restaurants without shoes.

Business hours are "Trading Hours"

The electrical outlets are a different shape (we need converters) and they all have switches on them to turn them on and off.

Yogurt is spelled Yoghurt, but is yummier than the stuff we buy at home.

Phone numbers are eight digits, rather than 7 (eg ####-####)

The tax is included in all the prices

Green Peppers are called Capiscum, Cream Soda is called "Creaming Soda" and "lemonade" is the same as Sprite.

The trunk is called the "boot"

There aren't Starbucks that we've seen so far but some McDonalds have a McCafe area, which is beside the regular counter area where they have espresso machines and you can order gourmet coffee and fancy desserts. I haven't tried a coffee there yet but I am planning on checking it out.

Grocery Shopping in Cairns

2009-10-08T07:11:00.004-05:00

We have arrived in Cairns, Australia (which the locals pronounce as "Cans" and I'm still deciding which way I'll pronounce it). So we rented a car...oh my goodness!!! Derek and I laughed so hard! This whole driving on the wrong side of the road thing is hilarious. (More on all of the differences we are noticing in a later post). Anyway, we made it to our hotel and even ventured out to the grocery store. The first thing we picked up was Milo (not our cat). It a malted chocolate drink (I think it's sort of like chocolate milk), which Heather had requested (this can is coming home for you, Heather). Grocery shopping was bizaare, as they don't have any of the same brands here, so you have to read each label carefully. We found chicken chips (which we tried about 5 minutes ago and decided NOT to finish), and Tim Tams (malted chocolate wafer cookies..mmmm).

Buying cheese was even strange. Cheese was labelled as Tasty or Super Tasty. Not knowing what this meant, we erred on the side of caution and went with 'Mild'. Milk was also strange as regular milk was labelled as not less than 4% milk fat (uh, no thanks) so we went with 'Light White' which we think is close to 1% milk.

Another strange thing was that Papayas were less expensive than apples here in the grocery store. Finally, when we were in the checkout, the cashier asked if we were from Canada or America. When we told him Canada, Derek asked "How can you tell?" and then said, "You aren't going to tell me I have an accent are you?" To which the guy simply shrugged and smiled. We are loving it here so far as the weather is 25 to 30 degrees celcius (unlike the unseasonably cold Syndey at around 15 degrees). We're off to the beach tomorrow!!!

Sydney, Australia

2009-10-08T06:19:00.003-05:00

This morning began our first full day in Australia, as we got in later last night. We started the day checking our bags at the domestic airport, and then went to figure out the trains. The 'train' is what they call their subway system. It is far cleaner than the Subway in New York, and waaay more expensive. It cost us $46.00 AUD (about $40 CDN) for us to ride down to the Sydney Harbour and back!! Having said that, their public transit system really does rock. There are buses, ferries, monorails and trains to get you anywhere in the city.

So we got to the Harbour and the first thing we saw was the famous Harbour Bridge. We walked down along the edge of the water and saw the famous Sydney Opera House which, was actually the first thing we saw as we flew into Sydney yesterday. It is really incredible up close. The paid for a tour of the inside of the Opera House. It was really neat to see the stages (there are 3 smaller ones and the large main auditorium) and the roof lines and architecture are absolutely amazing.

The main auditorium is completed made of wood. The ceiling and chairs are made of white birch and the walls and floors are lined with another type of wood that result in perfect acoustics. The stage was dressed with thousands of REAL flowers as the London Philharmonic is currently playing there. The rings hanging from the ceiling are for acoustics as well. they allow the sound to bouce back down to the orchestra as they are playing so that they hear the full sound. I can't really explain what a cool place it is. We got to touch the roof which is made us of hundreds of thousands of special, self-cleaning white and cream colored ceramic tiles. Even the bathroom was super cool. During the tour there were some technical malfunctions so the tour guide allowed us to take pictures inside the main auditorium (even though you're not allowed to due to some sort of copyright laws). It was a truly incredible experience to visit the Harbour in Sydney.

Hello from the Future...in New Zealand-updated

2009-10-06T16:24:00.004-05:00

I'm currently standing and blogging in the Auckland Airport in New Zealand. It is about 10:00 am Tuesday morning, but only 4pm Monday. I missed an entire day of my life, which is sort of strange. The view as we flew in today was so beautiful. Green rolling hills and lots of cows. We're only here for a few hours,but I have a feeling we are going to want to come back for a longer visit. We've already heard our first G'day mate! Well, I'm off to see which way the toilet flushes!

-update: the toilets flush straight down here. I have to admit I'm a little disappointed, but still thrilled to be on the other side of the world and ready for other (more civilized) adventures!

Hello Los Angeles!

2009-10-05T01:00:00.005-05:00

Wow! Was today ever a whirlwind tour of LA! We started out with Sunset Blvd, and In and Out Burger. Wow, this burger reminded me of a yummy Buddy burger from near home. We ordered a two double cheeseburgers (one ordered animal style with a different sauce and fried onions) They were awesome burgers and the place was hopping! The fries are also worth mentioning. Fries can be filler sometimes but these were so yummy! We watched as one of the employees cut the potatoes and dumped the freshly cut fries into the oil. It doesn't get much fresher than that!

Next we went down Rodeo Drive. Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, Cartier...and the high end names continue, each one sporting a uniformed security guard at the door. Needless, to say we didn't do any shopping there. We followed Rodeo over a few streets to Canyon, where we drove up the hill to a hiking trail (with watch for Rattlesnake signs) and hiked up to get some great shots of the Hollywood sign and an aerial view of LA (and smog). Next was Hollywood Boulevard, including Grauman's Chinese Theatre, complete with famous hand and footprints, the Kodak Theatre (home of the Oscars) and all the stars. I had no idea how long the stars went on. It's block after block of famous names in movies, tv and music. There are also a large number of people dressed as characters ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Spiderman to Barney. I had some really yummy peppermint and chocolate ice cream at the Disney Store on Hollywood Blvd, as we walked down the street.

We went over to The Grove, a really hip shopping area. There was a green space in the centre with children playing in hundreds of bubbles, and a live band playing. We went into Crate and Barrel (yay!) and Anthropologie (double yay!).

Lastly, we decided to check out The Lobster, a seafood restaurant in Santa Monica, right at the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier. Did you know that the Santa Monica Pier was constructed in 1909, making it 100 years old and is considered the end of Route 66? I thought that was pretty cool. We took a walk to the end of the pier and took in the ocean just after sunset. We had our yummy lobster dinner (unfortunately, we didn't feel that it was worth it for the money, as we have been spoiled forever by Canadian Maritime Lobster) and are now hanging out in our hotel by LAX. Tomorrow we have more seeing and eating to do so stay tuned. Tomorrow we are planning to go to Venice Beach, Pinks Hotdogs and Sprinkles Cupcakes! It may take a few days to get it posted though, as we have almost 20 hours of travelling first.

p.s. My rash is clearing up

Trying to Get Away...

2009-10-05T00:42:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning to find that the small body rash that I had on Friday (I guess I'm allergic to sulfa drugs) had grown, brightened and was now covering all of my body, including my face and making my lips swell. I was concerned, so I decided to try to get into see a doctor at the Urgent Care Centre. We had to leave by 12:30 at the latest in order to make it to Minneapolis on time for our flight to LA. I received a prescription for prednisone, and went to the pharmacy that I thought would be fastest. I was stressed to hear that the wait was half an hour. This was at 11:30. I ran over the Wendy's to get some food as I texted Derek, who was packing my stuff and the car. I got the prescription and, as I was waiting to turn at an intersection, a gentleman backed into the truck! All I could think of was, "I hope there's no damage so I can get out of here". Thankfully I was out of there in less than 2 minutes. I made it home and at 12:15 we left home! We made it to our flight with time to spare and flew to LA. When we went to pick up our car, we decided to upgrade to a midsized car. The guy at Hertz was so nice that he upgraded us to a convertible! So, we got to cruise through LA in a nice, sleek, black Mustang convertible! We are tired, nut glad to be here for a few days.

The Absent Blogger

2009-10-02T22:35:00.004-05:00

This blog post gets it's title for 2 reasons. One, I have been very absent lately on posting, for which I apologize. Inventory and being short staffed at work have lead to less time at home (and more sleeping when I am at home).

The second reason for the title is that I will be absent for two weeks...from the country. That's right! Derek and I are taking off for a much anticipated vacation. We leave tomorrow morning, drive to minneapolis and fly to LA tomorrow night. We spend Sunday and Monday in Los Angeles taking in the fabulousness that is LA and then fly to Auckland, New Zealand and finally to our destination...Sydney, Australia. We will spend 7 days in Cairns, taking in the beach, Great Barrier Reef (we're hoping to do some surfing and scuba diving) and then 4 days in Sydney, enjoying the sights. I'm hoping to post along the way as I am taking my trusty camera and Derek's laptop, so I can show you what we're up to!

I'm just finishing off some last minute packing right now. How do you pack for 8 flights, 4 countries and 16 days away from home?!? I've come to the conclusion that as long as we make it away with our flight information, passports, glasses and contacts, and my camera, we can beg, borrow, buy or steal anything else we may need along with way. Cross your fingers for no lost luggage (and no business issues while we're gone) and I hope to update you in a few days!

Kudos to...Grandma

2009-09-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

This weeks kudos goes to my Grandma. She is a fantastic pie baker. Tonight my hubby and I enjoyed a night snack (aka late dessert) of fresh apple pie, courtesy of my Grandma. This summer we were discussing rhubarb and I mentioned that I love rhubarb desserts. she offered to make me some rhubarb pie and asked what kind of pie my husband liked. When I told her apple, she offered to make apple pie too. A few weeks later we were the grateful recipients of a rhubarb, an apple and a saskatoon pie. At almost every family gathering, she makes sure that each of her nine grandkids leaves with a pie from her freezer. We all have grown up on, and love her pie. One of my favorite backing memories was when I went over to her house and she showed me how to make pie crust. She always uses lard for her crust, and her pastry is so flaky and delicious.

So kudos to you, Grandma. Derek and I thank you

Drink Sleeve Giveaway!

2009-09-18T07:00:00.002-05:00

I hope all of you enjoyed the post on how to make a coffee cup sleeve. I was recently talking to a few people about blogging and found out that they were reading, and I didn't even know. In order to get a better idea of who is reading and what you like, I'm offering a giveaway. Here's how it works: Post a comment between today and midnight on Monday night. Either comment on your latest project that you have completed or one you are wanting to finish OR your favorite type of post (eg. recipes, how to, kudos, etc). I will randomly choose a winner from among the posts, and post the winner Tuesday morning. The winner gets 2 reuseable drink sleeves so you can have one for you and one for your honey (or one for your car and one for home).

** If you don't have an account it's really easy to sign up for one, and then you can post on other blogs too!

How to Make a Reusable Drink Sleeve

2009-09-17T23:00:00.001-05:00

I regularly stop for gourmet coffee in the mornings and am embarrassed by the amount of garbage that is created by this habit. While I have reusable mugs, sometimes I forget them or they are not clean when I need to leave for work. For extra hot beverages, a sleeve or a double cup are needed, which is also more waste.

I had strips of leftover batting from a quilt that I made and hated to see it go to waste. i decided to use it to make reusable coffee cup sleeves. I was so impressed by how cute they were and how easy (less than half an hour), that i thought I'd post a how to.

You will need:
-2 pieces of fabric (approximately 12 X 6 inches)
-1 piece of cotton quilt batting
-2 small buttons
-1 piece tissue paper or brown paper for pattern
-thread, scissors, pins, pencil
-a paper cup sleeve from your coffeehouse of choice

Open the sleeve flat. Trace around it with a pencil, twice. Add 1/4 inch around the outside of your original traced line on one of the outlines. Cut out 2 patterns from the paper, one the size of the original sleeve (piece A), and one with 1/4 inch seam allowance (piece B).

Cut out 2 fabric pieces using the piece B pattern, and one piece of batting using the pattern for piece A.

Centre the batting on the wrong side of one of the fabric pieces (the one that you want to use as the lining of the sleeve) and stitch it in place 1/4 inch in from the edge of the batting.

Pin the 2 fabric pieces, right sides together. Sew these together on 3 sides (2 long and 1 short side). Trim corners and any excess fabric to reduce bulk, and turn inside out. Press flat and sew the fourth side closed (**this side should be the side that will be hidden once the sleeve is completed)

Using a 1/2 inch seam allowance, stitch down (quilt) the sleeve.

Pin the 2 ends of the sleeve together, overlapping so that the bad short end is hidden. Sew 2 buttons near the end of the sleeve to fasten together (*note: you don't have to make button holes).

Enjoy your cup of coffee in style!

Snack Time!

2009-09-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

I found these chips the other night while on a wander through Superstore. In some of the stores they have an aisle with organic and gluten free products. I couldn't resist these Terra Chips. Rather than the traditional potato, these chips utilize less familiar root veggies for their flavor. These are made with sweet potatoes and beets! They definitely taste like the veggies they are made from, probably because the ingredients are (I love this) "Sweet Potatoes, Beets, Canola Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Canola Oil". That's it. You know what you're eating! If any of you have tired, and loved, sweet potato fries, you'll love them. The sweet potato ones definitely have the sweetness. They're not quite as crispy as a regular potato chip, but the ridges will work well for dips. The back of the bag suggests bruschetta or spinach dip with them, which I could see as a really fun party food option. So if you're feeling adventurous or looking for something with a bit more color to go with your favorite party dip, I recommend these.

Joe Fresh Makeup

2009-09-16T00:22:00.004-05:00

Joe Fresh, Loblaw and Superstores line previously loved for its low cost, high style clothing, now can be loved for its new line of makeup. I have purchased a few of the items, non essentials to try it out and really, who can resist this fantastic packaging. I was tempted to buy more just to look at them. I bought 2 eyeshadows, a brow color, coverup and mascara. The pink tube is lip stain. I love this stuff. While I should warn you, your lips will really be as bright as the container but the nice part is that you can stain your lips and they have color, it doesn't rub off on your cup of coffee in the morning and you can still use your low maintenance, but protective chapstick. It's also nice for my hubby that I don't have glossy lips, which he hates. Now, I'm not a makeup expert, so I can't really speak to the quality of the makeup, but even with my sensitive skin and eyes, I haven't had any problems.

Have you tried it? I'd love to hear feedback.

Recovering my Stools

2009-09-15T08:00:00.002-05:00

I bought these black and white stools at HomeSense a few months ago. I liked them, but mainly bought them because I needed more seating in my living room and they were less expensive than the materials I would need to make them myself. I also purchased some fabric (it's the blue version of the brown fabric I used on my chair) a few months ago. I made slipcovers this past weekend for them, as it was about time to finish this project. They can be removed and cleaned, or changed for different seasons. I really like the way they look and they were easier to make than I had expected. I cut the fabric to the total width and height plus a few extra inches. I centered the fabric on each stool and pinned each corner to fit. I then added a bit of room so that it would fit over the top of the legs as well. I sewed and trimmed each corner. After they were sewn, I put them back on the stools and pinned them, like hemming a dress. I then pressed them. My mom has always told me that in sewing, the difference between handmade and homemade is pressing. I like the way they turned out. Stay tuned for the pillow cases I'm working on finishing.

Kudos to...Good Friends

2009-09-14T21:50:00.005-05:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of getting together with a group of girls that I went to high school with. We went for supper at Dessert Sinsations, which I highly recommend. The photo above was given to me tonight, which was taken 7 years ago, probably the same time that the 5 of us were all together at the same time. It was so great to sit around for hours and catch up. It feels in some ways that it hasn't been 8 years since graduation, but it obviously was as we were talking about husbands, jobs, and kids. They're such wonderful ladies, and we're planning to get together again soon.

Kudos to...My Hubby

2009-09-08T23:30:00.003-05:00

This week's kudos (yes, I realize I missed last week) goes to my husband, Derek. He is one of the hardest working guys I know, he is really smart, he is patient, and he always makes me laugh. As I took this picture, I was giggling and telling him he looked funny. He puts up with it. This is part of our nightly ritual...we sit next to each other in bed, each typing and checking out our regular sites as we watch TMZ and laughing at the various craziness on TV. This is our nightly unwinding, and we thoroughly enjoy our mindless time.

Kudos to my honey for being fun, and someone whom I couldn't be without.

Ten Minute Bruschetta

2009-09-01T00:24:00.003-05:00

I had a supper to plan and 2 additional dinner guests. My husband had offered to BBQ so the meat was taken care of. I had been craving bruschetta but knew I didn't have the time (or desire) to chop all the tomatoes, so I came up with this super fast bruschetta recipe that was also really yummy!

You will need:
1 loaf french crusty bread
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese
garlic, minced
basil
onion, or dehydrated onion flakes
olive oil
salt and pepper

Drain well, 1 can diced tomatoes. Place in a tupperware container. Add parmesan cheese. Add other ingredients to taste. I added approximately 2 cloves of garlic, 4 tablespoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons dehydrated onion, and about 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. This gave a very garlicky bruschetta, which I like but many people would find too strong. Close container and shake. Allow to marinate.

Slice the french bread on an angle. Brush with olive oil and place under the broiler for 2 minutes. Place bruschetta mix on bread and place in oven at 400 until heated through. Serve immediately.

Hope you enjoy!

How to Poach an Egg

2009-08-25T00:08:00.005-05:00

My husband is not a breakfast eater, but he will always go for Eggs Benedict (his favorite) or "eggs benny" as he calls it. The element of eggs benedict that can make or break the whole thing, but is also the most difficult part to get right. I had my method for poaching in a frying pan, and had even convince my friend to get rid of her egg poacher after claiming that you really could poach an egg just in water. I had recently started to doubt my egg poaching skills as I was constantly either overcooking the eggs or puncturing the yolks.

Reading Julie and Julie, I became aware that poaching an egg was a valuable skill. Considering that her book is titled "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" I thought, maybe Julia Child has a way to Master the Art of Poaching and Egg.

I was not disappointed. I followed her slightly numerous steps to a tee, of which I was skeptical, and it resulted in a perfectly poached egg. It seems tedious and as though it would be too time consuming (just going through my mental list of excuses), but really it takes the same amount of time, but works every time. So, for those of you who are doubting your egg poaching skills, want to step outside your egg poacher, or haven't tried poaching an egg before, enjoy...

STEP 1. Pick a fresh egg (freshness counts as the white will stick with the yolk better if the egg is fresh)

STEP 2. Assemble your equipment. You will need a medium sized pot of simmering water (not boiling), an egg timer, a few tablespoons of white vinegar, added to the water, a slotted spoon, a bowl of warm water (to rinse the vinegar off the eggs and help keep them warm), a cake tester or other small item to poke the egg.

STEP 3. Poke the smaller end of the egg with the cake tester without cracking the egg. Place the egg (still in shell) gently in the water and let the white set slightly for 15 seconds, remove from the water.

STEP 4. Crack the egg and quickly drop the egg into the water as close to the water as possible. Poach for 4 minutes (trust me, set the timer!)

STEP 5. Remove egg from water with the slotted spoon, and place in the water to rinse it off. It also helps keep the eggs warm , as they tend to cool off quickly.

Enjoy! (trust me on this one too, this is the best poached egg you will ever have)

Kudos to...Nie

2009-08-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

Just over a year ago, blogger Stephanie Nielson, her husband and their friend Doug were involved in a plane crash that killed their friend and left Nie in a coma. A year after the crash, a coma, and the beginning over recovery, she posted a pic of herself and the story of a climb, that was more than just another hike. Take a visit over to her blog, grab a box of Kleenex and be ready for inspiration and hope.

Kudos to you Nie on your bravery.

My fancy dessert

2009-08-19T08:30:00.003-05:00

Did you know that if you put regular ice cream and mini chocolate chips into a purple anthropologie bowl it turns into a gourmet tastes-like-a million-bucks dessert? It's very enjoyable. I enjoyed it the other day, twice.

Just thought you'd want to know.

I heart my new dishwasher

2009-08-18T08:30:00.002-05:00

In January, my hubby and I decided that we were not going to eat out at restaurants for the entire month. Our food bills were skyrocketing and, as we have a perfectly good kitchen in which to cook, we really had no excuse. A week or so into this resolution of sorts, we discovered our kitchen floor wet and nasty water backed up into our dishwasher. We wet vacuumed it out but, unfortunately, it could not be save. Being that we knew we would soon be in need of a new refrigerator as well, we decided to go on without a dishwasher until we could go and buy a fridge and dishwasher together. I am proud to say we survived eight months of dish washing and are probably better for it. It allowed for talking time (and some dishes-induced yelling time) but it worked out alright. Having said that, I couldn't be happier with our new dishwasher. As a newer model, it uses less water and is far quieter than our old one, the latter being an important factor as our room is directly beside the kitchen. It is humming in the background as I type. ahh.....so nice.

Kudos to...Scheduled Posting

2009-08-17T08:02:00.004-05:00

In honour of my first day of the "Kudos" column ( and to use the new feature I just discovered), today will have 2 acknowledgments.

The second kudos goes to blogspot for allowing the scheduling of posts. As I am a newer blogger, I am frequently "discovering" standard features of blogspot.com. This may actually allow me to post consistently every Monday morning my latest ackowledgement of something that is well done.

So kudos to you, blogspot on your scheduled post feature.

Kudos to... New Column

2009-08-17T08:00:00.005-05:00

For you fellow bloggers out there in blogger world, do you ever find that you are wanting to post, are loving the content on your favorite blogs, but are a little dry when it comes to ideas for your own blog? I feel that way frequently. So, in order to combat the bloggers-block, I thought I'd try coming up with a "column". This is not meant to be fancy, just a starting point for myself to blog. The first one I'd like to start is for Monday mornings (I'll do my best), titled "Kudos to...". It will focus on new, creative or interesting ideas or twists that I think are neat, which you might find interesting. I hope you enjoy.

The first well played goes to Design*Sponge. In honour of her 5th year of blogging, Grace Bonney introduced 5 new columns, my favorite of which is "Living In" by Amy Merrick of An Apple a Day. This takes a movie and dissects the overall style, including sources for items which fit the style. The first week focussed on Out of Africa, and featured a Safari-inspired theme. If you are someone who tends to notice the decor while watching a movie, or even if you're not, I highly recommend you check it out.

So, kudos to you, Design*Sponge, on your new columns and 5 years of blogging.

Pasta Puttanesca

2009-08-14T00:52:00.003-05:00

Pasta Puttanesca, otherwise known as 'Whore's Pasta' is one of my favorite easy, yet impressive dishes to make. This tastes authentically Italian. The history of the dish varies, whether it was developed late one night in an Italian restaurant, or by the ladies of the night, but the ingredients are still simple and would most likely be found in any good Italian cupboard. and vary slightly, depending on which recipe you find. I have included or left out one or 2 ingredients, depending on what I have in the house. Ingredients include: Tomatoes, Anchovy filets, Black Olives (I recommend Kalmata olives), Basil (fresh is best), Garlic, Onion, Olive Oil and Capers. Some recipes also include Red Pepper Flakes.

VERSION ONE (the one I use): Saute onions and garlic in oilve oil, set aside. Rinse anchovy filets. Slice fresh tomatoes into thin slices and score the end pieces, pit and half olives. Layer olive oil, tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, onions and garlic, anchovy filets, and capers in a lasagne dish, top with fresh ground pepper. Repeat two more times. Place in oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or so, remove from oven, tear tomatoes apart, place in oven until tomatoes are completely soft. Spoon over spaghetti and serve.

VERSION TWO: Saute onions, garlic and anchovies in olive oil. Add canned tomatoes, diced black olives, capers, red pepper flakes and fresh basil. Simmer for 15 minutes and serve over spaghetti.

This makes a salty tomato sauce. If you want it less salty, rise the capers before adding. Seafood makes a great addition to this sauce, if you are inclined to add it to make the meal a bit heartier.

Keep Calm and Carry On - Finished Project

2009-08-13T11:53:00.004-05:00

Have you ever noticed how one thing leads to another and suddenly you're in the middle of 10 projects, when you started out with 2? I do realize that given the fact that it's my hubby and I, that it will get bigger than it would with other people, but we just figure if you're starting, why not finish? That's the situation I am currently in with my house, but I have completed my poster project.

I started with the idea that I would like to have a keep calm and carry on poster that I had seen on a variety of websites. I mentioned this to my husband who has a screen printing company and he offered to make me one. To clarify, he actually offered to make me several of them since it's not worth it to set up to print one poster. As I was sleuthing to find out the name of the font used on the poster (note: it's actually a hand drawn font), we actually came upon the other 2 posters that were created in 1939 to go along with the keep calm poster. He then offered to make these as well. I selected my 3 ink colors that I wanted the posters to be, but one of his employees, as she was printing the posters, decided she wanted to try out some other colors they had in stock to see what they would look like. As well, she misunderstood and thought that 80 posters meant 80 of each color, not 80 total. So now, I have hundreds of these posters.

I wanted to put them in our kitchen, where a floating shelf was threatening, on a daily basis, to hit us it the head. I took down the shelf, and the paint and some of the drywall peeled off. Not knowing what color the previous owners had painted the wall, I decided I might as well paint the whole kitchen. So last week I painted my kitchen a cheery "Cloud White". I have to say it looks better than before and provided an even better backdrop to the brightly colored posters. Stay tuned for more finished projects.

What projects do you have that have become bigger than you originally planned?

Five Years!

2009-08-07T22:35:00.004-05:00

I've been married to my wonderful husband for 5 years today! It's strange to think that it has been 5 years since our wedding, it seems both shorter and longer at the same time. I asked my husband if it seemed longer, her said, "No", I asked him if it seemed shorter and he said, "No". Over a yummy Italian dinner tonight, my hubby mentioned that he ran into a friend of his who is getting married in a month and the guy asked my hubby how marriage is, to which he replied, "Good" (a usual response for him). However, when asked if he had any marriage advice my husband gave him 3 pieces of advice that I was both impressed by, and agreed with.
1) Don't fight over little things or you'll fight all the time
2) Although it's a cliche, try your best not to go to bed angry (if the fight starts at 2 am, it might be hard)
3) Men are always told to get used to and to practice saying "I'm sorry", but don't be afraid to hold your wife accountable when she is wrong.
Awesome advice, Hon. Love you, Happy 5th Anniversary.

Travels-Weekend in Minneapolis

2009-08-04T22:43:00.004-05:00

As my hubby and I approach our 5th anniversary this Friday, we were looking for a way to celebrate and get away for a bit as we weren't able to coordinate our vacation until October. We decided to go to Minneapolis for the weekend for shopping (both the window and, more expensive, real type) and some relaxation.

We went to a few places we hadn't been before. My hubby has been dreaming of purchasing a Gold Top Les Paul for some time, so we frequented a few guitar shops and Best Buy. Apparently Best Buy sells Gibson guitars (among others) but sadly doesn't carry a gold top Les Paul. One items that we did pick up was a Demetri Martin DVD and CD. If you haven't checked out his comedy, you really should. There were many points on the drive home at which I nearly spit out my Starbucks while laughing.

Crafty Planet was one of my requests for this trip. Located in Minneapolis, it is the closest thing to fabric heaven I have encountered. From every Amy Butler fabric imaginable, to a huge selection of designer quilting patterns, to japanese cotton-linen imports, and the cutest (and well-priced trims), this place is definitely worth the time to stop by. I picked up the new digital pattern collection from Amy Butler, a Favorite pattern for easy skirts, pink rick rack and some Anna Maria Horner fabric for a skirt. For those of use who aren't within regular visiting distance, they also have an online store which has a great selection with the same prices as the store and very reasonable shipping rates, even to Canada.

After stopping by a Best Buy on our way to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch (a new and very enjoyable experience for us), we had the discovery of the trip. As we turned the corner, I saw the window displays and the sign revealed...Anthropologie (was that too dramatic of a reveal??) The had a huge clothing sale, where I picked up a cute long t-shirt with pockets (I have a thing for skirts, dresses, shirts etc with pockets). I also selected some of their latte bowls, of which I have read so much. I selected 2 each of light blue, dark blue, white, and purple. Their displays were gorgeous, as usual and unfortunately I left the CF card out of my camera when I went in to shop.

Next time, I would like to make it to other shops not available around here like Whole Foods, and The Container Store. In which stores could you spend hours browsing?

Quilt - Pieced and Ready to go

2009-07-20T02:33:00.003-05:00

Although this is the first quilt I have posted about, it is my second quilt that i have pieced together. The pattern is based off of Amy Butler's Mid Mod Quilt pattern. I started it after I realized I had a lot of fabric left over from the 20 fat quarters I needed for my first quilt, a Turning Twenty pattern. I trimmed up the scraps to make them square and then sewed 6 together. Once I had nine pieces, I squared them off to 15.5 by 15.5 inches. I alternated the direction of the strips and sewed them together to make a larger block. A 2 inch, followed by a 12 inch border framed the scraps, added size, and finished off the quilt top. Because the top of the quilt is so busy, I bought a beautiful piece of leaf green solid fabric for the back and some blue and green thick thread to tie-quilt the layers together. It's funny that when I thought of quilting it was the cutting and piecing that I thought was a lot of work, meanwhile it is the tying (or stitching) and binding that will take more time. I haven't tie quilted (or any kind of quilted) before so wish me luck and stay tuned for the final results.

Before and After: Sitting Pretty

2009-07-17T10:28:00.005-05:00

WARNING: this post has an overuse of exclamation points which may be offensive to some readers)

Oh boy! I am so excited to share this before and after with you! I bought this chair at the local thrift shop about 4 months ago for 15 dollars! I was browsing the store, saw the chair, and actually gasped when I saw it. It was a cat scratch chair in it's former life, the back was completely shredded and it was covered in nasty cat hair.

It required a bit of work to revive it. I started by removing the fabric, all 4 layers of it, along with the disintegrating foam. I then sanded down the arms and legs to remove the old stain and lacquer. Did you know that you can buy spray primer? That's what's I used, followed by black spray paint to finish off the arms and legs. I found a fabric that I liked and ordered it with the intention of upholstering it myself, but then realized it was more complicated and not worth the frustration to try and reupholster it myself. So, I found a great local upholsterer who usually does vintage car interiors that replaced the foam seat and reupholstered it for me.

I love the end result! It has gone from a garage-relegated cast-off (with potential) to a beautiful addition to my living room.