Monday, August 31, 2009

Passive Agressive Painting

I should be at work today with the rest of the poor suckers I know, but after 10 days of regatta fun in Kingston, I am in need of some serious home time. After doing laundry, cleaning, putting clean sheets on the bed and reorganizing the kitchen cupboards, the fun of being home was starting to dwindle. So I thought, why not paint?

Here are the reasons I normally don't paint:
  1. I don't know how.
  2. I don't have good paints.
  3. I don't have good paintbrushes.
  4. I only have a couple of very small canvases.
  5. See #1.

But the sun was shining and god help me if I had to do anymore house chores, so I forgot the list and started painting. Now Picasso I am not, but I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I think I shall call it passive aggressive painting.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Book It


As most anyone who has ever met me knows, I love books.

I love them so much I would eat them if I could.

And as any of my close friends and family members know, I hate to pass on a book I loved. I want them to read it, but I have such a hard time parting with it. A good book is more satisfying than a brownie, warmer than your snuggliest duvet and more soothing than the best bubble bath. Of course, it's natural to want to share the love. I do want to share the love, I do!
But then - you end up losing track of what book went with whom, and the next time you turn around, you bookshelf is empty. EMPTY. Shudder.

I'm smart enough to know that we all go through this feeling sometimes and that is why the odds of you getting your favorite book returned to you really aren't great.
This is why I need the personal library kit from Knock Knock at Fred Flare. The kit comes with everything you need to be a stern librarian including self-adhesive pockets, insert cards, and an old-fashioned date stamp (cat eye glasses and nubby sweater not included). At $20, it's all I need for peace of mind.

I'm not weird.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Mysterious Letters

In April 2009, Lenka Clayton and Michael Crowe sent personal, handwritten letters to each of the 467 households in the small village of Cushendall, Ireland. Their aim was to promote neighbourly discussions spreading across town, and to create community curiosity.
I love love love these letters - can you imagine getting one in the mail?









Wow.

let yourself feel. from Esteban Diácono on Vimeo. Amazing.

(via Black Eiffel)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Four Cheese Macaroni With Curry Crumbs

Dinner time! Yum yum yum! This recipe comes courtesy of Chatelaine Magazine (don't judge me) and it makes for the perfect comfort-food dinner. Recipe below, give it a try - it's easy, delicious, and worth the time and effort.

(Ahem, notice the tomatoes from our make-shift garden - also delicious..)

Four Cheese Macaroni With Curry Crumbs

Curry Crumbs
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1-2 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 cup bread crumbs *I used ones that had rosemary mixed in and it was heavenly
Macaroni
  • 3 cups of macaroni
  • 1/2 cup mild cream chevre or any soft goat's cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 1 cup shredded gouda
  • 1 cup shredded provolone * or substitute any cheeses you like better
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • 4-5 green onions, sliced
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 cups of milk *I use unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
1. Heat butter in a large pan over medium heat until bubbly. Add onion and let soften in butter for 2 mins. Stir in garlic and curry, let cook for 2 more mins, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs.

2. Cook pasta al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain, and rinse again.

3. Shred cheeses and toss in a big bowl with flour and salt. Pour milk into a large saucepan, add thyme and bay leaf and heat on medium. When the milk begins to bubble, add cheese slowly, stirring as you go. Heat on med-low, stirring often for 8-10 mins. Remove bay leaf, stir in some black pepper and the green onions. Stir in the cooked macaroni.

4. Coat a large oven-safe dish with cooking spray and pour in macaroni mix. Smooth top and evenly sprinkle with curry crumbs. Bake at 400F for 20-25 mins or until the top is a golden brown. If the crumbs brown too quickly, cover the top loosely with foil.

Feeds 6.


Dear Santa

I found this note in an old photo album at the B&B I stayed at in Prince Edward County in July and have been meaning to share it. I was amazed to find so many neat old photos just gathering dust in the room we stayed in, and then I felt like I had won the lottery when I found this note.
In case you can't quite make it out, it says:

"December 24, 1925

Dear Santa,

My mother told me that a person was supposed to hang up the stocking that he had on, and I had a specially long stocking on and I don't want to be greedy so please forgive me if I hang it up. You don't have to fill it.
Love, Shirley"

Along with the note were a bunch of photos of a little girl with Shirley Temple-style curls, standing in front of the big old house that we were staying in. I wonder what ever happened to the little girl - where is Shirley now?

And just for the record, I took a photo of the note, but left it in the album for other visitors to find and enjoy.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Wedding-goodness

Well another Saturday means another wedding for us this summer.
I'm really looking forward to this one, and hope to take lots of pictures of the beautiful bride and the reception site, which I have a feeling is going to be amazing. So because today's theme is wedding and I only have time for one post, I've been creeping around on various wedding themed blogs and have copied some of my favorite photos. Enjoy!




Thursday, August 13, 2009

Leftie Day!


I can't believe I almost missed the holiday that celebrates my people! Lefties of the world, unite!
It's time to celebrate the official 18th Left Handers Day. I have been telling people for years how superior we are - despite the weird handwriting and the inability to use scissors properly.

Want some interesting and totally useless facts about how awesome lefties are?

  • lefties adjust more readily to seeing underwater
  • four out of the five original designers of the Mac were lefties
  • 1 in 4 Apollo astronauts were left-handed - 250% more than the normal level
  • Some researchers claim that we are more intelligent and eloquent that our right-handed counterparts. In tests conducted by Dr. Alan Searleman from St Lawrence University in New York, he found that left-handers can be considerably more intellectually gifted. There were more left-handed people with IQs over 140 than right-handed people - which is the "genius" bracket. This is perhaps why there are more "lefties" in creative professions - such as music, art and writing - and more left-handed astronauts and leaders than would be expected.

  • Lefties are 90% smarter, better looking and better smelling than righties.
Ok, so I made that last one up.... but it's probably true even if research doesn't support it.

My left-handed peeps, let us celebrate!

Baby, I'm Back in Business!


I feel like I've been too busy to accomplish anything lately, including new postings!

That being said, I'm really going to start trying to post more often and not let days go by without posting anything.

So I'll leave you with some images and try to focus on some more meaty posts for the future!





Thursday, August 6, 2009

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

I Want To Go There.

This house was featured on Apartment Therapy today as part of their House Tour 2009:


Name: Jason Thompson
Profession: Founder & Owner, Rag & Bone Bindery
Location: Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Size: 3,000 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years, owned
Jason Thompson converted the cavernous warehouse space above his bookbinding studio into an art-filled, family-friendly loft in a mere six months and on a tight budget — proof of what some creative ingenuity and a lot of elbow grease (he performed the demolition and much of the installation himself) can accomplish.
My style: Loft style — although I don't think we have a particular style really, except that we like handmade and fun objects, books, and art in our space. Our budget confines us to artwork created by friends and ourselves — and our children.
Inspiration: Friends lofts, loft books and blogs such as Decor8 and Apartment Therapy.
Favorite Element: Our kitchen. The kitchen was designed to our specifications and we strived to create a space where we can cook with our two small children. The kitchen is built on a platform which allowed us to save on plumbing costs as the drains, PVC and gas lines run beneath the platform. The platform kitchen also allows us to watch our children play in the open loft space.
Biggest Challenge: Budget. The complete renovation from raw space to move-in was completed within a budget of $30,000. Additionally, the large space meant we could design just about any layout. Nailing down the final design was a challenge, especially with our desire to create intimate spaces while retaining the open layout.
What Friends Say: Most visitors comment on the amount of room and the lovely light, especially in the mornings and afternoon. There are two full walls of windows facing both east and west.
Biggest Embarrassment: We have yet to install trim in the kitchen, bathroom or bedrooms and one knee wall is faced with cardboard … corrugated cardboard.
Biggest Indulgence: Countertops! More than ten percent of our budget was spent on the Silestone countertops.
Best advice: You can do it! Whatever your dream is — a funky home, a loft, green space — you can do it. Not every project requires an unlimited budget, especially if you take it one step at a time. Our loft is half completed, the second half of the renovation, which will take place “someday,” includes a master bedroom, office, second bathroom and a media room. We wish we could complete this second phase of the renovation, but we're patient! It's all part of the process. We don't ever feel the space will be "done,” there's always something else to work on!









Have you ever seen anything so amazing? This definitely sums up my dream house - large open loft style, old hardwood, exposed brick, crafts adorning every wall and books everywhere!
But why stop there? The stainless steel master chef applicances in the kitchen, the antique church pew, the big wooden barn doors and the rooftop greenspace??
Phew, deep breaths.

I wonder if he would be willing to sell his house to me for $76.85? (Not a random number, just the total amount in my chequing account.)
I really really like this house.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Seafood Feast!

Our friends S & S had us over on Monday - woo hoo Civic Holiday - for an amazing seafood dinner. We were spoiled with the most delicious food, and a dessert that would change your life. But my favourite part might have been the homemade touches that made the dinner even more fun. Check out the seafood themed napkin holders with our names on them:


Our feast included proscciuto-wrapped scallops (to die for), lobster tails, corn on the cob, giant shrimps, fried haddock, caesar salad and homemade bread. With some red wine thrown in for good measure (ahem blurry photos), I think I might have been the happiest person on earth.

Also on the table were homemade lanterns with photos of under the sea creatures!

Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of dessert, but suffice to say it was mind-alterning. BBQ grilled angel food cake and pineapple with vanilla ice cream, chocolate coated strawberries and oven roasted coconut complete with some sort of boozy sauce drizzled overtop.

I probably won't be able to fit into any of my pants this week but it was well worth it.

On the Porch...

Check out the great barrel B and I discovered at a "yard sale" a couple of weeks ago. I love it!

And even though we don't have much of a yard, we are trying out the urban garden feel - so far so good!