Living Lucky

-- Merry Christmas Everyone --

2011-12-23T14:47:00.001-05:00

Well everyone, its the day before, the night before, Christmas so today is as good as any to share a Happy Holidays greeting! If you are taking some time off over the holidays we hope you have a wonderful, relaxing time and if you are working, we hope you enjoy it as much as possible.

Have a wonderful holiday!

-- Dare to... Have Traditions 2011 Edition --

2011-12-19T19:35:00.000-05:00

Well, another year of Dare to DIY parties is coming to a close ... *tear* Thanks again Kim for having us all! Its been fun getting to know a few new bloggers this year!

This final week is all about family traditions at Christmas. In the 2009 edition I shared that on Christmas Eve we always have a game night after attending a candlelit Christmas Eve service at church. And in the 2010 edition I shared our collection of Christmas ornaments that we've been fortunate to collect on our various vacations.

Aside from those, I don't really have many other traditions to share. Sure, we have our knit stockings that we lay out on Christmas Eve...

Dad reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas" while we each unwrap a new set of jammies...

In fact, last year, which I spent away from my parents, my parents even recorded a version of the story for me to play with my in-laws.

But one of the best traditions is baking Gingerbread Men! Which we just happened to do last night. Of course, I burned the bums of the first 2 dozen, but the rest of our little Gingerbread People made it through fairly well :)

-- A Favorite Christmas Recipe: 2011 --

2011-12-13T10:35:00.000-05:00

This Christmas we are on a self-imposed diet of only indulging in fabulous sweets and treats that we know we will absolutely love... that means, a slice of lemon bread - oh yes, bring it on... a sugar cookie from the neighbour - no thank you I'll pass. In essence we are passing on the "oks" so that we can really enjoy the "amazings" without any guilt.

This is not easy. I've had to distract myself - a lot!

So while I was busy putting one of these together for our puppy's groomer I was able to avoid thinking about our favourite Fudgy Peppermint Candy brownies :)

But given today's blog party at Schue Love (a perfectly gorgeous blog) for Bringing Holiday Cheer to the Blogosphere where we are sharing a Christmas recipe... my thoughts of fudge-y peppermint-y brownies were not to be tamed :)

But seriously, where is my self-restraint? I'll be making these next week for my sister's bridal shower that I'm throwing and I just couldn't live with myself (and my growing waistline) if I indulged 2x in one week... so today, I'm going to share the recipe and imagine the taste of these guys in my mouth... mmmmm... good!!

The recipe comes from this fantastic cookbook which I rely on every Christmas for all the best recipes!

Filled with pictures like this one, its hard not to drool on the pages :) These peanut butter toffee turtle cookies taste as good as they look - trust me!

But really, the star of the show is the Fudgy Peppermint Candy Brownie... its like a Peppermint Mocha in solid form - Fantastic!! I usually make them from scratch as per the recipe but I've also cheated and added peppermint extract to a favorite brownie-in-a-box mix and topped with the chopped up York Peppermint Patties when I was in a hurry and it was still phenomenal.

If you try out the recipe let me know and I will attempt to live vicariously through your tastebuds... hmmm, that sounds weird... but you get the idea ;-)

** Only two more days until the last Bring Cheer party at Michaela's where we will be sharing Holiday Decor...

-- Christmas Tree 2011 --

2011-12-08T16:53:00.003-05:00

After the "Great Tree Debaucle" of early December 2011 where our freshly decorated real Balsam Fir tree decided it would prefer to have a little lay down on the floor...

We have redecorated and even placed a couple wrapped gifts below. Wanna see?

We always pick up a new ornament when we go on vacation. This fall we visited Charleston, Savannah and Atlanta so here is one of our newest ornament additions...

Love how the tree looks when its all aglow. The smell of the real balsam fir is quite possibly one of the best things ever :)

Here's to hoping she stays upright this time!!

I'm linking this post up with Kim's Dare to DIY Party from the Newlywoodwards where everyone is sharing their ways of Decking the Halls...

... and with Megan from Honey We're Home who is showcasing some A-MAZ-ING trees at the Bringing Christmas Cheer to the Blogosphere party!!

... and with Thrifty Decor Chick who is hosting the big Christmas Tree Party!

-- My Makeshift Mantle: 2011 --

2011-12-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

Ugh - it gets dark here so early these days! It makes it virtually impossible to get a good photo.

Today Michelle at Ten June is hosting Mantle Day for the Bringing Christmas Cheer to the Blogosphere Party. Unfortunately, we aren't fortunate enough to have a fireplace in our home (its definitely on our must-have list for our next home though) but we like to improvise around here. We choose to deck out the top of our piano during the holidays instead.

I decided on a silver and white theme for this year and its making me so happy to see it sparkling!

I ended up moving our acrylic JOY letters onto the 'mantle' once I realized that they would fit right in. For some height on one side I stuck 4 ornament sprays (supposed to be stuck into a bare spot in a Christmas tree) into a basic white water pitcher that matches our china. I added a couple silver and crystal candlesticks and fancy snowflake ornaments beside to keep it company :)

The other side also has some height going on in the form of a plain clear glass vase that I filled with faux snow. A little trick that I used was putting another small cylinder container inside the vase that displaces some of the snow so I didn't need to use quite as much. Also, the smaller globe object is actually a lamp but I needed to turn it off for the picture because it was throwing off the exposure.

The middle of the 'mantle' feature a sparkly wire tree that I got at a local home accessories store.

I think one of my favorite things about this 'mantle' are all the crystal candle holders and tealights. As soon as we get home for the evening Lucas lights them all and it really makes the living room feel quite cozy!

Make sure to visit Ten June to check out everyone else's mantle!

-- Christmas Greetings --

2011-12-05T20:16:00.000-05:00

Do you send out Christmas cards?

Last year we threw around the idea of sending out photo Christmas cards but we sort of chickened out and just sent regular greeting cards to our close friends and family.

This year everyone else's Christmas cards got me thinking again so I decided to play around with some family pictures that we had taken earlier this year.

from Shutterfly

from TinyPrints

from Shutterfly

from TinyPrints

So I went ahead and order a set and they just arrived in the mail. We settled on a Shutterfly design for this year but I was really tempted by a bunch of the options from TinyPrints. Since we haven't mailed them to our friends and family yet, I won't share the final choice just yet but will later on in the season.

-- Dare to... Give Homemade Gifts --

2011-12-04T21:44:00.002-05:00

Its that time again - Dare to DIY party time with Kim at the NewlyWoodwards! This week its all about the homemade gifts and if you know Lucas and I we do lots of homemade gifts every year for Christmas.

The thing is... most of the people that we are giving gifts to this year also read the blog and I really don't want to give it away. But here's a glimpse at what we gave our family last year...

Both sets of Moms and Dads received a desk clock and matching pen/pencil holder (not pictured).

We made this photo key holder for Lucas' grandparents who had sold their home and moved into a smaller condo during the year.

My little sister wanted a walnut end-grain cutting board and this one had an especially beautiful grain pattern.

And the big one for last Christmas was a hall table for Lucas' sister. It was a combination of a bubinga top and a black stained ash bottom.

For this year I do have one special set of gifts that I can share and that's because they are for the pets of the family - chances are they aren't reading the blog :)

I made them little winter coats with a beautiful snowflake fleece. Here's Izzy modelling the coat that she will be tearing open and my parent's dog Levi will have a matching one.

They have the nice fleece beside their fur and a coordinating grey on the outside.

And just so that the other pets in the family don't left out - I made a much bigger version out of just fleece for the family golden retriever...

And a tiny, miniature version with matching blanket for my niece's pet hamster "Runner". I was actually talking to her on the phone when I told her I was making something for Runner and she actually guessed that it was a shirt... 5 year olds aren't supposed to be so good at guessing :)

Check out some of the other neat gift ideas at the Newlywoodwards!

And many other DIY projects here:

-- Christmas Vignette --

2011-12-01T14:05:00.000-05:00

In celebration of Holiday Vignette Day, which Courtney is hosting at A Thoughtful Place, I wanted to share my the way I've styled my hall table for Christmas.

Around our house we typically stick with a red, white and silver colour scheme but when I found these shiny green candle holders on sale last year I knew I had to have them. In order to avoid the red and green thing though I'm trying to keep the green fairly removed from anything red.

Of course, this is still a hall table so I needed to include a little dish for random small items that need a place to live until I get a chance to put them away.

Trying to keep the heights varied, I also brought in a green glass luminary that I got a Crate and Barrel earlier this year and some acrylic letters that spell "JOY" my favourite Christmas word (it shows up all over the house).

Hey, neat, I can see my reflection in some of the globes :)

We also got a chance to put up our garland on the banister. I've posted about this before but its basically a wire garland with lights, glitter-y cording, and silver and red globes mixed in.

In other SUPER EXCITING NEWS - my amazingly talented husband was featured in a Holiday Gift Guide by the folks at Custom Made. So he's created 10 limited edition end grain cutting boards to be featured. We are so excited for this great exposure and I'm especially proud!!

If you happen to be in the market for a handmade Christmas gift for a friend or loved one, we would love for you to check out the gift guide and get in touch. We also just finished up some edge grain cutting boards that we are selling for almost 50% off the regular price for the holidays. All are priced between $20 and $40 and are a cinch to ship within North America! If you are interested, send me a message or leave a comment and I'll be in touch!

-- 2011 Advent Calendar --

2011-11-29T13:55:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend I made another project that I had pinned to Pinterest. This one was specifically for my husband Lucas. He's a fairly awesome guy to have around and he goes crah - ray - zee over Christmas so I wanted to do something that would make the season seem really great.

- Lucas if you are reading... avert your eyes :) -

The idea came from here and the premise is simple - its an advent calendar so they open an envelope each day that contains either a compliment, a special treat or a plan for some time spent together. I included about a third of each.

My first step was making 24 messages. This was seriously the hardest part for me. I consulted my calendar to make sure we weren't planning a date night on an evening where I knew I'd have to stay late at work etc... I made mine using simple text boxes in MS Word and printed them out on regular printer paper.

My messages ranged any where from cheesy compliments, to free back massages, to a night planned walking around a local park to check out the Christmas lights.

I also printed out some numbers in a neat font (here's a link to the numbers that I used) and glued them onto some Christmas-y printed scrapbooking paper.

Then I inserted the messages in a larger rectangle of a coordinating scrapbooking paper which I folded into a mini envelope.

After sticking my date/number label on top of the envelope opening I had my little advent packages...

What? You use your treadmill for running? Whatever...

I chose to hang each of the envelopes on our tree with a little ornament hanger.

And then....

This happened 2 hours later while Lucas was watering the tree.

Such disappointment.

We had a few casualties in the form of broken ornaments and soaked advent packages. But I just finished redecorating the tree. Lets just say that decorating it the second time was not quite as satisfying as the first time. I'll share the finished product later this week.

Visit here for other Christmas craft projects:

-- Dare to... Eat Cookies --

2011-11-28T23:31:00.000-05:00

It feels like I keep making little adjustments to the Dare to DIY Challenge and this week - Dare to Eat Cookies isn't any exception. Fortunately, Kim is a pretty nice person and I think she will still accept my contribution :)

At our house we are making a concerted effort to cut way back on the snacks - which definitely includes cookies. However, Christmas isn't Christmas without Lemon Bread so we made the choice to forego cookies and indulge in our Lemon Bread instead.

With a sweet, tangy and crunchy glaze on top this bread is just perfect. Here's the recipe which has been passed down through both of our families for a few generations...

Glazed Lemon Bread
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- grated rind of 1 lemon

Mix and place in a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degree for 45 to 60 minutes depending on your pan.

When cooked remove from oven and drizzle immediately (while in hot pan) with the following mixture:
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup sugar

** I made this batch with multigrain flour and Lucas reported that it tasted "funny" I'd agree and say it was definitely heavier than usual but it still had a great flavor.

If you want to check out a similar Christmas treats... check out what I posted earlier this fall: Homemade Peppermint Patties or one of the Dare to... Eat Cookies challenges from last year: here and here.

-- Chicken Noodle Soup --

2011-11-20T21:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday Soup Night this week was totally comfort food. We spent most of the weekend working on Christmas projects for friends and family and getting some decorating done... Lucas is now affectionately calling himself Santa every time he heads into his workshop and me - Mrs. Claus :) Here's a sneak peek at what Mrs. Claus was up to this weekend...

Knowing that we would be ready to kick back on Sunday evening to recover we put a chicken on the BBQ rotisserie with the plan for chicken noodle soup. Here's what we ended up with after mixing the chicken, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, chicken stock and spices. I particularly enjoyed the addition of some chilli powder.

Oh, we did add noodles as well, some miniature bows, actually. They aren't pictured because we decided to cook them separately and just add them to our actual bowl. This went a long way in ensuring that the pasta didn't swell too much... in fact it was *perfect*

Lucas might convert me into a soup lover after all ;-)

-- Clark Wood Creations: Hall Table --

2011-11-17T20:15:00.000-05:00

One of the very first items that Lucas made was this wall-hanging shelf that we use as a hall table. I just happened to have the camera out a while ago and the light was perfect so I figured it was time for it to make an appearance.

The hall table/shelf is made of black walnut and it has a danish oil finish that feels super smooth. With three drawers, its the perfect place for Lucas to drop his assortment of items that need a place to land (wallet, cell phone etc...), mail that needs to be filed and other odd things.

What I love about it is that even though we have a narrow hallway, we have a place to decorate for the seasons.

When we first installed this shelf I was in love with this wall paper... I'm starting to tire of it now but I still love the way the dark wood plays off the black and white of the wall paper.

-- Clark Wood Creations: Rocking Horse --

2011-11-15T09:30:00.002-05:00

I've mentioned before that Lucas follows a blog called The Wood Whisperer. The author of the blog, Mark, recently welcomed a son and a couple months ago started a project that he invited his readers to participate in. Everyone got access to a free template for a rocking horse and Marc got sponsors that committed to donate money for every rocking horse that was built. The money is going to be donated to Woodworkers Fighting Cancer.

We haven't quite decided what to do with the rocking horses yet. We are choosing between donating the horses to a local children's charity and trying to sell them and donating that money to Marc's fund.

Lucas did all the hard work but I did some of the detail painting on the saddles and also the eyes and nose.

What do you think... donate them or try to sell them?

-- Dare to... Be Thankful: Sunday Soup Night --

2011-11-13T19:24:00.003-05:00

Such a great weekend! Two days of sleeping in makes me really happy :) It also doesn't hurt that while I was cleaning the house on Saturday Lucas surprised me with dinner reservations at one of our favorite Italian places, Del Dente. Lucas had the special, fusilli with peppers, peas and pearl onions in a parmesan cream sauce, and I had fettucine with pepper and red onion in a bolognese sauce - YUM! We finished the night off watching a movie on the couch.

Sunday I headed out to HomeSense and for groceries. I was lucky and found a couple small cabinets that I'm going to use for a project in our bedroom that I'll share later on.

For today though I'm super excited to participate in the Dare to DIY party that Kim is throwing again this year.

This week is Dare to... Be Thankful. And while we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving last month, I still wanted to participate in the party :) So for this week's Sunday Soup Night I made a soup with tons of fall flair! Earlier this fall we've tried Natalie's Ribolitta, and Butternut Squash, Ginger and Orange soup and Natalie's Lemon Orzo Chicken soup. Tonight's was a recipe I found on Pinterest - Spicy Sweet Potato Soup. Lucas says it was the perfect blend of creamy, pureed goodness...

This one was ever so slightly complicated - but I think it was worth it. So yummy!

I also made a small batch of blitz bread to serve on the side. I don't think I let it rise quite long enough but it was a nice side dish.

We don't have a soup recipe for next week - any suggestions??

Oh and if you haven't already, be sure to pop by the NewlyWoodwards and check out some of the great Thanksgiving DIY projects!

** Check out what I did last year (2010)

-- In Appreciation --

2011-11-11T12:05:00.000-05:00

... of those who have fallen, of those who have served and those who currently serve

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.

Short days ago We lived,

felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

- by John McCrae eoiwruwoeiurow

-- Winter White --

2011-11-10T12:21:00.004-05:00

This fall has been a challenge for me. It just feels like the weeks are flying by! Mondays are long days at work because of a late in the day meeting that just makes the evening commute home even longer. As a result, on Monday nights we get home around 6:30/6:45pm, make dinner, make our lunch for the next day and its just about time for bed. On Tuesdays I teach a 3hr night class that doesn't get over until 10pm and then I get up at 5:30am the next morning for work on Wednesdays. Because of this somewhat crazy schedule to my early week, by the time Wednesday evenings come around I am so ready to change into some jammies, and hang out on the couch.

Last night, we did just that but also wanted a little sweet snack with our hot evening beverage :) So I tried out a recipe that I found on Pinterest.

The "pin-spiration":

Source: howsweeteats.com via Amanda on Pinterest

My version:

I didn't have any evaporated milk so I used a light cream and I think it turned out fine. I also didn't have a whole bunch of chocolate so I fully dipped a couple peppermint patties and just half-dipped the rest.

The bonus: these guys only took about 20 minutes and half of that was waiting for them to firm up in the freezer!

I spent the rest of my evening winterizing my nails... another "pinspiration" :)

-- If I Hadn't Forgotton --

2011-11-09T11:15:00.001-05:00

This song by Keaton Simons has been on repeat for the past few days. I downloaded a duet version that also features Didi Benami but wasn't able to find that version in a format that I could share here.

So beautiful I've been singing it in my sleep :)

-- Operation Christmas Child --

2011-11-02T21:36:00.000-04:00

We committed to filling a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan's Purse) this fall and I've really got to get it a move on it. So far, I've got a few mini containers of play-doh, a pencil and eraser set and a little puzzle but nothing else. The box is virtually empty. I know that it only requires a trip to Walmart to more than fill the box but I'm still sort of stumped on cool things to put inside. Any ideas? So far our items are not gender specific but we are going to have to narrow down to boy or girl and 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14 yrs.

So far, I've only succeeded in colouring the box ;-)

Yes, I may have enjoyed the colouring a little too much...

If you haven't heard of Operation Christmas Child before and you think you'd like to participate check them out here

-- Hi Blog, It's Me --

2011-11-01T16:23:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about this little blog lately and the consensus is that I've missed it around here. Sure I've been keeping up with all the blogs that I read, but I find that when I'm not blogging I don't really comment on other people's blogs either. That's just not ok. So in honour of the beginning of a new month, I figured I should pop in an make a list of the things that we've been up to over of the past couple of months.

My last post was in July so lets start off in...

August

Lets be real, I don't remember much from August - work was crazy busy but we did squeeze in a trip to the Maritimes to hang out with my family and to attend a family wedding...

September

We celebrated our birthdays by eating a couple of fabulous meals at Italian places - Del Dente and Sotto in the Village. We even met up for coffee with my sister and her fiance so they could show off their Save The Dates for their upcoming wedding.
I started teaching a class on Tuesday evenings (just for the fall semester) so my Tuesday nights got really busy really soon.
We celebrated the return of TV! We are keeping up with some of our usual favorites like Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy and Hawaii 5-0 but we've also added a couple new shows to the lineup. We are loving Revenge!

October

I had the opportunity to attend a work-related conference in Atlanta, GA. The meeting just happened to be right after Canadian Thanksgiving so Lucas took a few days off and came along. We spent a couple of days exploring Charleston, SC, then headed to Savannah, GA for a couple more days before ending our trip in Atlanta. We had a great time and I'll likely blog some pictures from the trip at a later date.
We are welcoming fall by reintroducing Sunday Soup Nights at our place. So far we've tried Natalie's Ribolitta, and a Butternut Squash, Ginger and Orange soup that we found in What's Cooking magazine a while back. This week we are thinking of trying Lemon Orzo Chicken soup, or maybe a Light Baked Potato Soup - we'll see which wins out soon enough :)

Anyways, so far our fall has been relatively uneventful other than that I'm working on some job applications and Lucas has some woodworking projects on the go. Last November I blogged every day for the month - if my track record recently is any indication - I'm guessing I won't make it every day this month but hey, a girl can dream right?

-- Her Royal ... SweatShirt? --

2011-07-28T21:00:00.001-04:00

Its here! Its here!

After Erika from Urban Grace posted about the gorgeous sweatshirts from Joules I stalked their site for a day or two and finally bit the bullet and ordered my favorite.

I know its embarrassing to admit, but I was actually really nervous while placing my order. I rarely order clothing online and this sweatshirt wasn't just online. It was online and from the UK (hence the royal comment *giggle*)! Obviously I was a little concerned about the fact that shipping was almost as much as the actual shirt, but I absolutely love it (and its still more affordable than one on sale from Lululemon)!

Its a little heavier than I had expected it to be - especially in the hood - but its going to be great for those fall evenings at the cottage and early-morning walks with the puppy.

If you happen to take a look at their site and also get tempted, do be aware that their site is super slow to get your order processed. But the good news is that shipping is super fast! I ordered on July 22 and my package arrived this afternoon...

And just for fun... I called Lucas out of his workshop (he's working on a piece for an upcoming wedding that I can't wait to share) to take my picture and just when he passed me the camera he turned to me and said: "C'mon, take a picture of the Phelps..." Yep, that's right, he's named his swimming arms after Michael Phelps... I'm so proud :-)

-- Izzy --

2011-07-27T13:45:00.001-04:00

While taking pictures of one of my husband's latest Clark Wood Creations products before it headed out to the customer, our dog Izzy came up and plopped herself right in front of the camera. So we had a little photo shoot - just her and me on our bedroom floor. It was awesome... she barely moved once she got into her poses which was great because photos of Izzy are often blurry because she moves around a lot.

Even though she didn't exactly smile for the camera - I figure she's quite an attractive little girl!

*swoon*

-- DressUp --

2011-07-20T21:01:00.001-04:00

I posted last week that I am a new Pinterest addict (follow me if you'd like). I just love how its a place to save all my favorite images without having to be careful about the source of the image ... because its all saved for me!

Lately I've been pinning a lot of dress pictures since I'm shopping for a new dress for an upcoming family wedding. The wedding is going to be outdoors, beside the water, on a Saturday afternoon in August so I don't really want to be super dressy or hot. But, the reception doesn't start until 7pm and its taking place at a relatively swanky hotel. So I'm kind of torn between something casual and something more dressy...

Here are a couple dresses that have caught my eye...

Source: modcloth.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: lechateau.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I really love the fuschia colored dress but it might be a little short on me. I also love the style of the deep purple dress from ModCloth.

But, I'm fortunate enough to have just gotten a black jersey dress from Tristan on a great sale about a month ago and I'm tempted to just try to make it work for this wedding. Maybe by pairing it with some coral or cobalt wedges and a simple bangle and a great statement necklace it would be spicy/dressy enough for a wedding?

Source: None via Amanda on Pinterest

What do you think? Any favorites? Any recommendations or suggestions?

-- Last Weekend: RibFest 2011 --

2011-07-18T11:11:00.001-04:00

First a warning: If you are a vegetarian or vegan and you weren't already tipped off by the title of this post, avert your eyes. Carnivorous activities lie herein...

We spent Saturday afternoon at a local park that was celebrating RibFest 2011. I get the feeling that many towns celebrate RibFest, but we'd never been before - rather surprising considering our love for all things BBQ'd and smothered in sauce :) We showed up about 30 minutes after the place opened and there was already a swarm of people...

Enjoying some of "Pappy's Old-Fashioned Soda Pop" while waiting in line for our first 1/2 rack of ribs from the folks at Kentucky Smokehouse.

The Kentucky Smokehouse Secret... who knew?

Hmmm... looking at this now, the picture doesn't look too appetizing. In person, it must have looked pretty good though, because these guys lasted less than 10 minutes!

Taking a break for some veggies dipped in butter (seriously, these slow roasted corn on the cob people had two slow cookers full of melted butter!!)

After walking off a tiny bit of that first 1/2 rack helping, we moved onto our second stop... we had to choose between Boss Hogs and Jack the Ribber :-)

Both places used BBQ's with wood fires, so we chose Jack the Ribber who ensure us that his ribs were more tender then your Mama's love... (the ribs were awesome, the grammar, not so much)

The BBQ-er at Jack the Ribber was saucing up our lunch with a paintbrush!

Super Yummy!

And we finished just in time to take in some of the local talent!

-- Refinement --

2011-07-15T09:43:00.001-04:00

Its no secret that every person, every marriage and every family encounters its fair share of challenges.

Because everyone has their own struggles I choose not to dwell on mine (or at least I try) and I certainly don't choose to air those struggles over the internet. That being said, I think there is much wisdom to be gained through sharing our stories. So without over-sharing, our extended family has been dealing lately with the surprise, hurt and disappointment of a failed relationship. Certainly something that many of us have encountered in one way or another. Through this experience, it has surprised me to learn how conflicted my heart is about the issue.

This morning though, I found the blog Sanctified Pearl through the recommendation of Jones Design Company. K.C. wrote today about sea glass and how it is that something so beautiful can only become that way through the pain and struggle of hardship. She wrote:

"I see my life (and the life of my friend) as a little piece of beach glass. We aren’t always sure how we will survive different circumstances in our lives. We think we will break under the constant crashing of disappointments, hardships, and trials. But, if a piece of discarded trash can become something beautiful and valuable, I have to believe my Creator is doing much the same with me. He is refining me. Smoothing the rough edges. Softening the exterior that can cut and be dangerous. He values me and with the break of each wave, I am becoming more of who I was created to be. And you are too."

K.C.'s post touched me today. I wanted to 1) save this for another day as a reminder of the refinement that is happening in my own life and heart and 2) share this with anyone else who might stumble across this post because I truly believe that we can learn and grow by cautiously opening our hearts to each other.

-- My Relaxing Time --

2011-07-14T09:50:00.002-04:00

Most Sunday nights (and often other evenings as well) Lucas finds me painting my nails. He calls it my relaxing time. And as much as I hate to admit it, he's right. I'm quite particular about making sure that I don't get nail polish all over and so it takes a fair bit of concentration... its my quiet time.

Granted, in a house without kids, its never really loud around here... but still.

My new favorite polishes are from Essie: a smoky plum called 'angora cardi' (I've got this on my fingers right now)

and a bright coral called 'e-nuf is e-nuf' (I've got this on my toes for now and wore it on my fingers over the weekend)

During my last visit to the grocery store I was also tempted to buy this one, but resisted... maybe for the Fall ;)

Do you spend time on your nails? If so, can you please recommend a quick-dry top coat? If not, how do you like to spend your relaxing time?

-- I Made This --

2011-07-13T08:30:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago I came across a really neat idea and it led me to Pin.Sew.Press and a project tutorial that she had posted. Around this time, my mother-in-law was celebrating a birthday and I was wracking my brain trying to think of something to buy/make/give her. Perfect timing!

Because I was short on time (only had one evening), I stopped at Walmart and was able to pick up everything I needed. I bought two kitchen towels, a stack of coordinating fabric, some thread and a spool of ribbon. After an hour of cutting, pressing and pinning, here's one of the finished products.

There are two strips of fabric sewn on the front side of the towel, just far enough apart that it makes it possible to wrap the towel over the oven handle. I strung some ribbon through each strip of fabric and tied the ends so that the towel stays securely on the bar.

Now I won't find myself searching for a towel that my husband has "relocated" :)

-- Have You Seen This Before? --

2011-07-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

I was flipping through my pile of magazines the other day trying to decide which we going to the recycling bin and which would find a place on my shelf... and I noticed this cover. All I could think: "She is gorgeous and looks so great in that gold dress!"

Only moments later I found this cover and thought "Whoa! I guess I'm a fan of Heidi Klum because she looks great here too..."

Ok - so looking at it now, its perfectly obvious - how on earth did I miss that these magazines have the exact same cover picture? One from SELF for December 2010 and one from a UK magazine, Easy Living from April 2011. Crazy!

Have you ever noticed something like this before? Believe me, I'm going to have eagle eyes from now on!

-- A New Place to Spend Time --

2011-07-11T19:34:00.001-04:00

Oh my - posting has certainly been light around here! Mostly because I recently joined the rest of the world and joined Pinterest which has kept my free time quite occupied. If you Pin, make sure to follow me and leave a link to your boards in the comment section. Here are a few of the images I've been loving lately...

Source: flickr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: emilyaclark.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: wetbehindthears.com via Amanda on Pinterest

In addition to perusing tons of lovely photos, Lucas and I have spent two wonderfully sunny days on the motorcycle (*warning iPhone pics coming your way*). One day visiting Grand Bend on Lake Huron...

Mmmm... ice cream in a waffle cone... on the beach...
Can it get any better?
Why yes it can - Toasted Coconut dip on the ice cream - Perfection!

And another cruise a week later when we visited a super interesting burger joint called Chucks...

The decor was quite interesting at Chucks... Very woods-y... definitely our kind of place ;)

This place was so great that despite my best intentions to capture an image of my lunch, I completely devoured it before I got a chance :-)

I also got a chance to spend a couple days at the lake with my sister-in-law and niece Evelyn...

All in all, its best a great couple of weeks but I'm getting behind in my work and really need to plug back in this week. Here's to hoping I get back on the blogging band-wagon!

-- The End of an Era --

2011-06-23T15:43:00.001-04:00

Well, it was a total of 22 years coming, if you include kindergarten (1 yr), grade school (12 yrs), undergrad (4 yrs), Masters (2 yrs), but my three years of PhD training finished off with my convocation last week.

To be honest, when all my family said that they were making the trip to share my graduation day with me I kind of didn't understand what all the hype was about. Sure it is an achievement and its been something I've been working toward, but in my view, I just wasn't prepared to have all eyes on me. Especially considering the awesome attire that I got to wear... a red and green gown with a big floppy black hat... yeah, awesome :s

But in the end, the graduation day was perfect.

My grandparents came...

My sister and aunt came,

My parents and parents-in-law came and we all had a great day!

I got to sit in the front row at the ceremony (um yeah, I'm short 5'2" but seriously, those guys beside me were TALL)...

My family cheered me on as I walked across the stage...

My mom even did a crazy loud whistle which prompted me to trip a little on my long robe as I was making my way up the stairs...

Lucas got me some pretty flowers (there is a great story to go along with this which apparently included him doing a quick Google search for a florist about 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony)...

We took some great pictures with everyone outside in the gorgeous weather...

We had an amazing meal at Wildcraft Grill in a private dining room...

And we finished the evening off with dessert (Cold Stone IceCream in my favorite flavors) and a backyard bonfine.

Such an perfect, amazing day!! Thanks to all my family for making the trip to join Lucas and I on such a memorable day!

-- Design Disagreements --

2011-05-10T10:41:00.001-04:00

Do you and your significant other agree on elements of the design / look of your home?

Except for paint colors, it is extremely rare for Lucas and I to wholeheartedly agree with each other regarding choices for our home. Its true that we almost always find a compromise that we can both be happy with, but its always a struggle going back and forth trying to figure it out.

Case in point - this spring Lucas is planning on building an outdoor chair (maybe even two if we can agree on a design). The major reason why he is building one is because he is part of an online group of woodworkers who do projects together that are led by The Wood Whisperer. Basically this guy uploads very detailed instructional videos that are designed to teach woodworkers to improve their skill. Great idea right? Sure, except Marc, the Wood Whisperer makes the designs and they are never - never even close - to satisfying my design aesthetic.

See here are some pics of outdoor chairs that I like. They typically feature a low, deep seat, wide arms, narrow slats for the seat and back and most usually a comfy seat cushion...

But here is the design that Lucas is planning on making...


from The Wood Whisperer

Its a take on an adirondack chair, but I just don't like it. It doesn't look comfortable and considering the cost of building something like this, I don't really feel like having an expensive outdoor chair that we both don't love...

How you do and roommate/significant other/husband handle these design disagreements?

Any suggestions on ways to please us both in the outdoor chair department?

-- Happy --

2011-04-28T09:14:00.001-04:00

Katie wrote this in her blog yesterday and I found it this morning... She warms my heart sometimes...

Be open to the happiness that could happen today.
Invite it in.
Nevermind wet clothes or sandy bottoms or keeping your toes out of the mud.
Today is a day for happy.
Make it happen.
Dip your toes in.
It’ll be worth it…

-- Master Bedroom Mood Board --

2011-04-22T10:00:00.003-04:00

I posted a little while back about the pillows that I made for our master bedroom. They've turned out quite nicely in my opinion, but sadly, 3 nice pillows does not make a nice bedroom.

This fall we upgraded from our super basic queen size bed to a super comfy king size and we haven't looked back since. However, its definitely been a wake-up call because we've needed to change out almost everything in the room. We had obviously expected needing to switch out the sheets and pillows, but it really never occurred to me that even our bedside tables would need changed to accommodate the big bed.

So its a work in progress... and most of it is in our imaginations :) I have found it helpful to get some ideas together in the form of a mood board... What do you think?

Right now the plan is for Lucas to make a new bed frame and headboard and we have some ideas up our sleeves about how to dress it up. He will also make a couple bedside tables to complement the bed frame. We are thinking something like the ones pictured below except in a wood that matches the bed.

I've also already purchased the lamps - they are not exactly like the ones in the mood board but the scale and shape is similar... the only difference is that the shades are a turquoise/cobalt blue like the middle throw pillow on the bed.

The jury is still very much out with respect to the art on the headboard wall. I kind of like the idea of the pictures behind the lamp, but I'm also considering going with something curvy (oval/circle) centred over the headboard.

Does anyone have any opinions? suggestions? advice?

-- Attitude Adjustment --

2011-04-21T12:50:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure why, but lately I've been in a bit of a funk and the lack of blog posting is Exhibit A of my bad mood. As my Mom and Dad might say, I have been in desperate need of an attitude adjustment :)

So in an effort to perk-me-up Lucas suggested Cake Pops and that's an idea that I can definitely get behind. My last cake pop experience was also right around Easter and they were delicious. This batch is equally as good - and was less of a headache too because I took the route of sprinkles instead of hand-decorating each pop.

A highlight of this Cake Pop experience was that I asked Lucas to get me a piece of styrofoam to stick the pops into and he didn't have any in the garage. So instead he disappeared into his workshop, pulled out some wood scraps and a drill bit and came back with these stunners! Nice right? I think that with the way Cake Pops are sweeping the country, he should patent these babies :)

Yes, I took a lot of pictures :)

In addition to making - and eating - Cake Pops, another perk-me-up from yesterday was coming across this beautiful song on Facebook yesterday by Nichole Nordeman. What a wonderful message - my favorite line "You should have seen me smile the day that I made you"

If you've got a minute - check out this video - it will make your heart swell :)

Ok, one last Cake Pop picture...

-- My Favorites: March Edition --

2011-03-31T08:01:00.001-04:00

A bunch of the blogs that I read post their monthly goals... its the popular thing to do... Kim from the Newlywoodwards does it, so does Emily at Imperfect and even Kristen at Miss Prissy Page. But, I'm more of a procrastinator than a goal-maker... so I figure its safer for me to be retrospective and instead, recap my favorites from the month. Here's the March edition.

1) Amazing on my skin, and an amazingly time-saver for my morning routine: Bare Minerals...

2) Looks like a work-appropriate jean, feels like yoga pants when they are on...

3) Adventure, Mystery, Captivating story, and a very good love story...

4) Finally finding a sewing machine that doesn't make me cry - even if it is Baby Pink...

5) Last but not least - This great new song "Collide" By Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock... love it almost as much as their first collaboration.

Tomorrow starts April! WooHoo! I'm looking forward to cleaning up the yard, seeing some new green growth outside, making progress on our master and guest bedrooms and basically getting some fresh air!

-- Stella and Dot WishList --

2011-03-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

I've got to say, I'm a lucky girl. My mom called a few days ago to say that she wants to pick a little something to give me to commemorate my graduation that it coming up in a couple months. So, as per her instructions, I spent some time this morning making a Stella and Dot wishlist! So much fun!

In looking through their website, I noticed that I'm drawn most to the more delicate designs - maybe because I think they are more timeless?

Here's what I bookmarked for my wishlist:

Starry Night Necklace

I think that this one has got to be my most favorite. So shiny, but feminine and definitely something I can see wearing for many years into the future.

Glint Flower Necklace

This one is similar to the Starry Night necklace, its in silver (I wear more silver/white gold usually) and at less than half the price its a nice compromise. I only wonder about how "cubic zirconia" looking the pendant is...

Teardrop Necklace

Together Forever Necklace

These two necklaces are also gorgeous in my opinion. And the bangle below is also something that I can see myself wearing on a regular basis. I think it would look just as great with a nice dress as it would with some dark wash jeans and a tee.

Signature Clover Bangle

This last item on my wishlist is something that I really hadn't previous considered, but am finding quite appealing. Its a serious of charms that can be worn on any chain or bangle. If it were up to me, I would pick the 'a' charm, the wishbone, the pearl of wisdom and/or the hope charm, which looks a lot like the one pictured below.

So many excellent choices - I'm definitely hoping that Mom can settle on one that she likes for me *hint*hint*

Do any of you have Stella and Dot jewelry? What's your favorite? Have you tried on any of the ones that I've put on my wishlist?

-- Right Now --

2011-03-28T20:16:00.000-04:00

** I enjoy blogging and I want to do more of it. But, I often feel the need to over-explain / over-narrate things I think. So I am going to adopt this post format that Natalie at The Gossetts has used a bit over the last few weeks. We'll see how it goes...**

watching: Dancing With the Stars - another season...
procrastinating: writing a proposal for funding for a summer student in the lab.
feeling: energized with research ideas after attending Day 3 of the Rotman Conference
wondering: if Husband will ever conquer his website - its frustrating him right now :S
wishing: that my puppy would stop licking the furniture (actually virtually everything...)
trying: to take one day at a time and be patient.
missing: the warm weather from a week or so ago.
loving: that Husband cleaned up dinner and loaded/started the dishwasher without being asked!!

What are you loving/wishing/wondering right now?

-- CWC: Wall Hanging Cabinet --

2011-03-27T21:26:00.001-04:00

Remember how months ago I blogged about our bathroom renovation and how it was *almost* finished? Well three months later, I can check one more thing off that list of things to complete.

Lucas hung the bathroom wall-hanging cabinet late last week and I am in love!

Here is a look at how it looked before hanging it on the wall.

He built it out of walnut to match the bathroom vanity. It has some beautiful grain to it and has tons of practical storage as well.

The shelves are adjustable so we should have no trouble storing all the medicines, extra shampoo bottle etc... that I have planned to stash away in here. Check out the dove-tailed drawers...

We don't have pictures yet of it hanging on the wall, but I'll try to get some soon. Only one more project to go before the bathroom is finished. Lucas is making a hamper for towels with all the leftover walnut from the vanity and this cabinet. He hasn't started it yet, but I'm hoping its finished before my family comes to visit for my convocation in June.

-- Yummy! --

2011-03-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

I found Dlish via a Toronto based blog (that I can't seem to track down) and I was immediately smitten. The cupcakes look just like the ones from the TLC show "DC Cupcakes". So when my sister suggested a little afternoon get together, I suggested that she take a gander over to Dlish and pick some up for us to share.

From their online menu, I chose 3 cupcakes, a Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookies and Cream, and Red Velvet. The Cookies and Cream was my favorite!

Red Velvet was a close second though - I can't believe that this was my first opportunity to try Red Velvet cake (it definitely won't be my last...)

So Yummy!

If you are in the Toronto area, I'd suggest to run, not walk, over to Dlish! But check their website because they only make certain flavors on certain days...

-- Snow Day --

2011-03-23T10:07:00.000-04:00

Today is March 23, the second day of spring. I've been reading on other blogs about daffodils, garden planting and even some swimming and shorts-wearing. But here in the Great White North, our alarm went off as usual at 5:25am this morning and I got up to take a look out the window before dragging myself stumbling into the shower. This glimpse out the window looked like the middle of winter. Despite hearing the warning on the news, it was still surprising to see the roads covered in snow and the car with a good 5 inches on top and around the tires. I did a quick mental review of my schedule for the day, realized I didn't have any pressing that required me to be physically at the office, and heaved myself back into bed announcing "I'm staying home".

He put on a brave face and said he couldn't work from home, but he soon changed his tune when he heard the traffic reports. See out commute is an hour the highway and with crazy, winter traffic, that can easily multiply to 2 or 3 hours - each way.

So instead of spending the morning staring at brake lights on the 401, we are in our jammies, sipping coffee, eating bagels and staring out the window looking at this:

Yep, winter's not over yet - this is Canada after all...

-- Long Time, No See --

2011-03-22T11:54:00.000-04:00

I'm due for a full scale blog update with progress pictures of our laundry area, our bathroom and our bedroom, but for now, I'll show-and-tell my weekend accomplishment.

Don't get too excited - this wasn't exactly a weekend full of triumphs. Instead it was a weekend full of frustrations and heartache, but I think its all been worked out...

See, I started Friday morning with this:

A stack of dishtowels that I found at Crate and Barrel while shopping with my sister, matching blue fabric from Fabricville and a long string of cording.

The plan was to transform those dishtowels and fabric into throw pillows for our bed. Three pillows to be exact. I was hoping they would look something like this:

But here is where it gets interesting. My mom did lots of sewing in my childhood. She's made wedding dresses, bags, curtains... she even made the bridesmaid and flowergirl dresses for my wedding. So, naturally, I assumed that sewing abilities must be in my genes and that I couldn't mess up that bad... But I was wrong.

After watching a few YouTube videos, I figured out how to make the piping for the pillows. And it went off without much of a hitch, in fact, I was actually feeling pretty good about myself because it looked quite nice. But then I started sewing it onto the dishtowel and this is where it all started falling apart. It wasn't long before the needle got bent (which I promptly replaced - no sweat), but then I was getting the threads in the machine all knotted and eventually, the machine got totally jammed up and it refused to continue working. I spent the remainder of the night trying to diagnose and fix the issue, but I failed. The machine was broken.

Saturday was a new day. I was resolved to give up the project and turn to some professionals on Etsy for throw pillows instead. But Lucas had other plans, he had gotten up early, done some research and was ready to head out to buy a new machine (rated 5 out of 5 on Amazon for those that are wondering). So, I caved. We went out, got the new machine, and returned home where I brought out all the sewing supplies again. I was sewing right along for about 15 minutes before I head a loud 'clink' in the machine, following by that dreaded sound of the machine jamming up all over again. After a few hours of trying to figure out the issue, Lucas and I agreed, I'd broken another one!

To say I was angry is an understatement. By this point, I'd sewed on the piping to the pillow front (the dishtowel) and I was seeing that this could end up looking quite nice.

So on Sunday, off we went to exchange the machine (it had a warranty for adjustments etc...). Unfortunately though, no store in the area had another one and I was heartbroken... and lets be honest, even more angry (... some in my family would say thats what I get for shopping on Sunday :) But Lucas saved the day, we went to Sears found a great sewing machine - and purchased a nice extended warranty that includes regular maintenance and adjustments (it seemed a good investment considering my previous experiences from the weekend).

Less than an hour later, this was the result:

Success at last.

** Since taking this picture, I've now purchased a bigger 23" feather insert for the pillow and it fills out beautifully (ie, no longer looks like it needs to meet an iron). Considering the frustration in making it, I've got to say - I love it!

Now I've only got 2 more cushions to make... Lets hope my experience will be better than that with the first :)

-- CWC Highlight: A Hall Table --

2011-02-24T08:30:00.002-05:00

Its been a while since I bragged about my talented husband on this blog so its about time I showcased one of his pieces.

Lucas built this hall table for his sister and brother-in-law for Christmas and he did an excellent job if I do say so myself. As with anything, there were a few hiccups along the way, but for this project, it certainly does feel like it all worked out for the best.

The table is constructed from solid wood material and while the base is ash, stained in a black finish, the table top is made from bubinga which has this purplish-orange-red hue naturally.

The table really is stunning and as is evidenced in the photo below, even the youngest family member is a fan :)

-- A New Snack --

2011-02-23T10:45:00.000-05:00

Hi, my name is Amanda and I'm a snacker.

I love almost all snacks. Salty potato chips, chocolate, ice cream, candy (oh my goodness, I love Skittles, Nerds, Starburst, Fuzzy Peaches etc... SO much!), I'm an equal opportunity snacker.

Recently I found a new snack a local health food store that's super yummy. I woudn't exactly call it healthy, but maybe at least a better choice?

I got this:

Lucas got this:

They are both yummy and I can't wait to try this one:

Mmmmm... Popcorn....

-- Flooded & Bruised --

2011-02-22T14:44:00.000-05:00

We are coming off a long-weekend here in Ontario and while I really wanted to be in Winnipeg spending the time with my friends Kelley and April, I wasn't able to get away for a long-enough period of time to make it worth the trip. So as a consolation prize, Lucas and I started working on our laundry area in our basement.

We were lucky enough to find a great deal on a front-load washer and dryer just before leaving for Mexico and the purchase got us motivated (ok, maybe more me than us) to spruce up the completely unfinished basement area. Here is how it looked on Saturday morning after we had moved out the old washer and dryer, set up the new washer and dryer and removed the old, stained laundry tub. Don't you love all the pink insulation, plastic and Tuck Tape? I know that I don't.

Our plan for this area is very low-budget. We want to close in the walls around the washer/dryer with some painted plywood (apparently easier for my woodworker husband to work with than drywall), add some cabinetry for storage and a new sink/faucet to replace the laundry tub.

So this weekend, we needed to start by beefing up the walls with some extra 2x4s so that when it comes time to hang the wall cabinets, we would have something to attach them to. This required pulling out some of the insulation and replacing it around the new 2x4s. We also needed to do some minor adjustments to the copper pipes to make them fit around the new cabinetry but given our practice in our bathroom, this job was easy-peasy!

Then came the job of getting the plywood downstairs and fit into the areas. This was more complicated than we expected as the space is incredibly tight. We needed to work around the washer/dryer, a water softener, storage cabinets and a bunch of hoses/drains/copper pipe etc. The first couple of pieces went ok...

This began the giant comedy of errors that characterized our weekend. Here's a recap of the headaches that we encountered along the way (we were kind of too frustrated to take pictures):

Failed to measure perfectly.

Result: A larger than anticipated gap between sheets of plywood.

Forgot to mark the location of studs.

Result: Needing to shimmy a skinny arm under the plywood to get an idea of where the stud was. Ended up with several "tester" nails that didn't hit a stud and thus much more wall repair than planned.

Removing the drain hose for the water softener to accommodate the renovations and forgot to replace it.

Result: A 4" flood in the basement laundry area when we got up in the morning. This meant, wet plywood walls, wet stereo system, wet storage cabinets, and crazy wet carpet that needed to be removed from under the storage cabinets, washer/dryer, water softener etc...

Crushed the dryer vent trying to get a particularly stubborn piece of plywood bent under an HVAC vent. Result: Additional trip to Home Depot to get replacement vent parts. An annoyed husband trying to get it all fixed before a snowstorm. Said husband getting frustrated trying to fit all the pieces together. A subsequent slip off of the step stool and falling directly onto the side of his hand. He then realized he couldn't grip anything (not even a shampoo bottle, let alone a hammer or drill...) So, then a wife-induced trip to the hospital for an x-ray in the middle of a snowstorm! But luckily, nothing was broken, just a mighty bad bruise!

So, yeah. This project isn't exactly going as planned. We've flooded the basement, almost broken bones and basically gotten really frustrated many, many times. But, as of late last night, all of the plywood is up and secure, the dryer vent is repaired, everything has been primed and Lucas' hand is healing. Here's how the laundry area looks now...

A close-up of the sink area. The walls are ready for the cabinets to be hung and the ledge/bump-out to accommodate the washer and water softener drains is built and primed.

When we get the chance, we'll give the walls a bit of a sand and get some paint on the walls... Fingers crossed that next weekend's work won't be quite so frustrating!

-- New Favorites --

2011-02-18T10:09:00.001-05:00

A couple years ago I came to realize that my lips are super sensitive to the sun (as in they can get blisters in a matter of hours) and as such, lip balm with SPF is a daily requirement for me. I feel like I've tried so many lip balms with SPF and have never been satisfied because they always leave a metallic aftertaste in my mouth.

But, this summer while shopping at Mountain Equipment Co-Op, I found this lip balm and figured I'd try it. Within a couple of hours I knew that I loved it. Its smooth, clear and has no aftertaste at all! So the next time we went to MEC I bought 5 tubes to ensure that I always had one!

Then, just before leaving for Mexico I was shopping at Sephora and decided to take a leap and try a lip balm with SPF that was way out of my usual price range.

And lets just say, its love! While I am still a big fan of my Eco-Lips for wearing at the lake or beach, I am loving Sugar Rose for everyday wear. It goes on incredibly smooth, has an amazing lemon-y scent and a great tint that is so wearable. Since buying it a month ago, I have worn this lip balm everyday and I can't imagine ever being without. Since its over $20 for a tube, I won't exactly be stocking up, but I'd still whole-heartedly recommend it!

-- When a Blog Goes Silent --

2011-02-17T12:38:00.000-05:00

Its been pretty quiet around here lately... but that's because we were away making a little sunny daydream a reality. That's right, that picture of a resort that I shared a while ago? We made that pool home for a week!

Here is the story: In mid-Janurary we started getting swallowed up by the winter-blues and while at the mall one day, we stopped by our friends at FlightCenter and picked up some of those travel books to do some brainstorming. Within the evening, we'd agreed that a vacation was just what the doctor ordered. About a week later, we'd booked a week at the Azul Sensatori in Puerto Morelos (on the Eastern side of Mexico between Cancun and Playa del Carmen).

It wasn't long before we started getting cold feet about the trip though as Mexico was popping up all over the news with reports of crime - but we stayed the course and are so glad we did!

We booked a room in the Premium section of the hotel which meant that we had access to a reserved section of one of the pools, a reserved area on the beach and private butler service.

The other perk we got was a swim-up room with a private outdoor hottub! It honestly was possibly **the most** amazing part of our trip! We spent time everyday soaking up this little bit of luxury!

One morning we also got up in time to watch the sunrise. It was sort of cloudy that morning, but it was really neat to see how the rising sun outlined the cloudy horizon.

We also took this opportunity for a few self-pictures... be warned...

It was also quite cool that after tipping housekeeping we started getting some surprise towel-visitors on our bed...

On a particularly cloudy, windy, rainy day we also did some crafting. There was a little station along the beach with some ceramics for painting...

We chose a little vase with flowers.

And took turns painting.

Here we are with the finished product. Looking pretty good if I do say myself.

We had to leave the vase with the owners over night for them to glaze the surface to make it shiny. Little did we know though that the owners of the shop end up fixing/fancy-ing up the item as well.

The next day when we went back to pick the vase (as well as a little nightlight that we painted later in the afternoon), it had made quite the transformation!

In all, our time was amazing. We spent mornings at the beach...

Afternoons at the pool...

And a little time in our clean, spacious room.

Overall the grounds were beautiful and we really enjoyed our time away!

-- Dreaming of the Sun --

2011-02-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

Considering that we are experiencing quite the winter storm today (along with the rest of North America it seems) I can't get this off my mind...

Yes please!!

-- Love Letters --

2011-02-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

I read the blog Fly Through Our Window and its one of my absolute favorites. While reading it this morning, Darby linked to this blog: Today's Letters and I was immediately smitten.

This amazing couple has put their marriage's joys and struggles out there in blogland for all to see - and more accurately, learn from.

I took several minutes (read: hour or two) perusing their blog and have become inspired. Seeing their commitment to continually pursuing each other has convinced me that I've become lazy in my marriage. Its not exactly like we are unhappy or anything, just complacent... comfortable. This couple is, for lack of another word, an inspiration and I plan to add them to my Google Reader so that I am daily reminded that love and marriage are worth my effort.

In an audio-recording that they shared on their blog, they discussed their Top Ten List... I'm going to share my favorite points, but I'd encourage you to take a listen to their story because I think it will touch us each in a unique way...

I love their Tuesday night questions. Not sure I could swing this with Lucas every week, but maybe on a monthly date? They (Emily and Tim) ask each other... How did you feel best loved in the past week? What does your upcoming week look like? How would you feel most loved and encouraged in the days ahead? How would you feel best pursued in intimacy this week?

Emily and Tim also have a special box that they contribute to for their 50th Anniversary trip. You'll have to listen to their story to find out on what occasions they contribute to the box ;) I think its a great idea!

They celebrate each other by making a big deal out of birthdays, anniversaries and small accomplishments. Considering that Lucas and I barely even acknowledged out 8th anniversary - this is an area we need to be more intentional about.

They play together. At one point in the audio-recording Emily says, "I recognize that Tim wants me to be his sidekick when it comes to doing guy things together." This really resonated with me, because I know that this is something that Lucas values. I will participate more in the activities he enjoys - I may get some splinters in the process, but it'll be worth it... right?

They also suggest that the greatest gift we can give each other is to know ourselves and the elements of our parent's marriages that have shaped our perception of what marriage is supposed to be. What they call: "working through our origin family issues." This is most definitely an area that affect's Lucas and my relationship. We both are incredibly grateful for our two sets of happily married parents, but I think that we each have latched onto our idea that our marriage has to look like our parents' (and newsflash: our parents' marriages are VERY different from each other). We need to give ourselves permission to have whatever marriage we want - not the one that has been demonstrated to us in childhood. This is going to take some reflecting, but I think it will be incredibly revealing.

Its really interesting because Lucas and I were long-distance girlfriend/boyfriends and so we have a huge collection of love letters to each other - maybe its a practice we need to get back into...

-- Did You Hear? --

2011-01-19T08:51:00.000-05:00

On our trip into work this morning...

Radio: "Congratulations to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban on

their new baby girl Faith..."

Me: "What? She was just on the Golder Globes and she was NOT pregnant!"

Lucas: "Isn't that what Spanx are for?"

Me: literally laughing out loud...

Radio: "... by surrogate."

** Maybe this isn't funny to anyone else, but the fact that Lucas knows what Spanx are and what they are supposed to do is absolutely hilarious to me!!

-- New Haircut --

2011-01-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

My last haircut was in mid-August. Needless to say, it was time for a trim and a retouch to my highlights.

I am loving how this new shape helps me embrace the curls of my hair - buhbye flat iron!

-- Happy Belated Birthday! --

2011-01-14T20:27:00.000-05:00

Giving a shout out today to one of my favorite people - my niece Kaylee.

Happy Belated 4th Birthday Kaylee!! Congrats on making it into your 5th year :)

Can't believe that only few years ago you looked like this:

And that you've blossomed into such an amazing little girl!

We love you so much and hope you have an amazing birthday week!

-- Tote Bag Shopping --

2011-01-14T14:15:00.000-05:00

I'm in the market for a new bag for me to use for carrying all of my necessities to work. See several days a week I take the bus to work instead of driving. On these days, I have a 10-15 minute walk between the bus station and my work. While not a huge walk, having a decent sized bag that I can wear across my body instead of on my shoulder is definitely a plus.

The bag that I have been using (which was free from a conference) has started ripping, so naturally, I turned to Etsy to shop for a new one.

I know that the bag needs to be rather large. I use it to carry my lunch, my purse, sometimes a pair of shoes (so I can change out of my boots) and often a notebook. The bag I currently use is about 14" tall, 16" wide and 6" deep, I was looking for one with similar dimensions.

With a quick search, I came upon these. This first one is my favorite. I like the color and the size. Plus, its got lots of interior compartments.

Kinies Classic in Dark Grey

I don't love the color of this one as much, or the shape but it is a good size.

ChristyStudio - Mia

Love the color of this one. The pleats are also very awesome! But I think that it might be quite narrow at the top so it might not be as functional as I need. But, its very affordable compared to the others :)

Marbled - Red Messenger Bag

Finally, this one is also quite awesome. I think that the size would be great for me. Only thing is that it is quite expensive and I'm not sure I am willing to spend that much on a tote bag.

Minus Tote - Charcoal

Have any of you got a cross body bag that you really like? Or have you ordered from an Etsy seller that you'd recommend?

-- Got Needles? --

2011-01-10T21:19:00.000-05:00

This post is very late to the party. But here's the before and after of our Christmas tree this year :)

Now here are the remains of our balsam fir Christmas tree after we took down all the decorations. I haven't seen a pile of needles like that before!

-- Mission Complete: New Bath/Shower --

2011-01-07T17:24:00.000-05:00

Here it is: the shiny new bathtub/shower combo. We have already been enjoying the new spaciousness of the shower. The new corner shelves are also an amazing feature that I'd never part with again.

Some close-ups of the awesome mosaic feature. Quite an impact I think and super affordable. We used 2 square feet for the band around the shower so it didn't even cost $20!

Obviously, my favorite aspect of the new tub/shower is the awesome soaking depth of the tub. We've now got 5 extra inches and while that might not sound like much, its a gigantic improvement!

The "we didn't plan on doing this" feature of the bathroom is the new temperature control, tub spout and shower head. Even though it was more of an investment than we had planned, I really like how the squareness of the tub is mirrored in them.

Our great corner shelves:

The room went from a dark brown to a light grayish blue which we really like.

The painted vanity was starting to show some wear, so we thought it was time to re-design the drawers slightly and face it will solid walnut. More to come on that later.

But, just in case you all (Dad) thought that this project is finished, let's be real. The tub/shower is done, but there are still many details to finish. The baseboard is still waiting for sanding/caulking (and in some places needs to be attached to the wall).

The trim details around the ceiling and around the sides of the tile still need to be created and put in place (thank goodness I have a woodworker in the family who is planning to make them).

And generally, a whole lot of construction mess needs to be put away!

-- Days Three, Four and Five --

2011-01-06T20:11:00.000-05:00

Day 3: Wonderful WonderBoard

After dealing with a giant leak that knocked the wind out of our sales (but did cause a laugh or two along the way) the night before, we started Day Three quite cautiously. Mainly, by bringing out the plastic and the cardboard to protect the tub from all the nastiness that was bound to occur.

The first step was getting the cement board (aka WonderBoard) up and attached to the studs. We'd been storing these heavy sheets of cement-like material in the garage and we wanted to cut the sheets to size in there as well so that we could contain some of the mess. So Lucas took the measurements, I checked them, he checked them again and then we would go to the garage, score and cut the board and bring it upstairs to attach. And without fail, they always needed to be trimmed by basically breaking off the little bits of cement that were too long.

Lucas then got down to screwing these heavy babies into place. Too bad that the drill bits he was using kept stripping though. That honestly caused more frustration than the bath leak did the night before. So off to Home Depot I went to pick up some better quality drill bits that were meant for the impact drill he was using.

But, let me tell you, this was one of the best steps of the whole process. We went from bare 2x4s and copper & ABS pipe to covered walls. It was very gratifying!

Once all the Wonderboard was up, Lucas sealed the seams with the mortar that we would be using for the tile to ensure that everything was water-tight.

Then we went to work on repairing some of the walls in the bathroom that needed to be changed to accommodate the bigger, more luxurious tub. Lucas was quite nervous about this step, as he needed to fix/create both and outside and inside corner but I think he did an awesome job!

After letting the mortar dry on the WonderBoard seams (and making a jaunt to the store for some much needed groceries and Home Depot again because the old level in the picture just wasn't trustworthy for making a level line for the tiles), we started the tiling job.

We used a mortar called OmniGrip and its was quite easy to work with. After messing up the first few tiles and re-doing them, we got the hang of the process rather quickly I think.

A couple rows up, we placed some corner shelves and a couple rows after that, we put in the glass/marble mosaic that we chose to add some detail to the wall of tile.

While I placed most of the tiles on the wall, I needed Lucas to help to help me with the tall ones since I couldn't reach :)

By the end of Day Three, we had the back wall completely tiled but we ended up not being able to continue because we were running out of mortar.

See when we bought all of the tiling supplies, we spoke to a Home Depot associate about what the best materials were and she recommended the OmniGrip because it would stand up best to moisture. We asked how much we would need for the square footage we were working with and she checked the label, told us that one bucket would do 40 to 60 square feet. Since we knew we had 66 square feet of tiling, we picked up 2 buckets and continued on our way. Only thing is, at the end of Day 3, we had done about 32 square feet and had used 1.75 buckets of the mortar. Turns out that the Home Depot associate misread the label and actually, one bucket only covers 15 square feet.

Day 4: Tiling My Walls

So, back to Home Depot I went first thing in the morning. Luckily the associate was working and definitely helped us out financially considering her mistake. I picked up the extra mortar that we needed and got some paint and went home to get the rest of the tiling done.

She that smiley face? That's cause I really like driving to Home Depot (... not).

It wasn't long before we were "almost" finished though. We slumped ourselves on the sofa for the rest of the evening because we were so exhausted. But, we were excited for the next day (Dec 31) because we were going to paint, install a new fan and grout. The end was definitely in sight!

Day 5: The Great Grout Debacle

We had to let the tiles set overnight, while still propped up on horizontal 2x4s and were certain not to slide down the walls, so bright and early the next morning we finished the last row of tiles.

Looking good!

After finishing the tiles, we needed to let everything dry for several hours so we headed out to Home Depot to get everything we needed to beef up the fan in the bathroom. No point in replacing a bunch of things and painting if we were just going to muddy it up again with poor air circulation right?

So the electrical engineer got to work and lets just say, the saying "its got to get worse before it can get better" was running through my head an awful lot!

Yikes!

By the time the fan was ready to go and I'd gotten all my painting supplies out, it was time for grout.

Before getting started too much though I called my Dad for any last minute instructions. His only warning was to "... not scrub too hard or you'll risk taking the grout out." So I told Lucas the warning and he wiped lightly and just kept going around the shower, taking more and more grout off of the tiles each time he made his way around.

Turns out that was a bad idea. After 3 hours, the tiles still looked like the picture below and everything was starting to harden making it difficult to get the tiles even close to clean.

See all that grout on my gorgeous glass tiles? Yeah, not cool.

By 12:02am on Jan 1 we had finished though.

In the first 4 hours, I completed the painting of the room, Lucas has put the grout on and was making slow progress to removing it. 4 hours later (yep, that's a total of 8 hours for grouting), after much frustration and maybe a few cross words, we'd worked together scraping and washing the grout off with paint stir-sticks, rags, plastic putty knives and toothbrushes. Definitely not the must fun way to spend New Years Eve, but trust me when I say that the end product was worth it!

Stay tuned for tomorrow when I share pictures of the finished bath/shower, the new paint colour and our plans for re-facing the cabinetry in the bathroom :)

-- Days One and Two --

2011-01-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

Since this bathroom renovation took several days to complete, its only fair that it take a couple days to cover in blog land. So here are Days One and Two.

DAY ONE: Demolition Day!

After spending some time with Lucas' parents for Christmas and Boxing Day, we headed home on December 27 with the intention of beginning the demolition of the bath/shower. We didn't get home and unpacked until 3pm though so we were already a little behind schedule before we even started. But, demolition went quickly...

We started around 3:30pm:

Lucas was super excited to get out the crowbar - I however, hated the sound and could often be found hiding behind the door :)

By 3:45 one whole wall was exposed.

We tried to keep the mess contained and we succeeded - for a while...

Lucas found that the tile was coming off really easily. In fact, instead of chipping away at tile like we had expected, the tiles were coming off in sheets, while still attached to the drywall that was behind it.

So we just piled it up inside the tub :)

Once the walls were cleaned of all the tiles, drywall and nails/screws, we cleaned out the garbage and moved into tub removal mode.

And by 4:41pm, the whole area was cleaned out, and the tub was at the side of the road hoping that someone would want it :)

So we vacuumed up the remaining messes, sized up the plumbing situation and made our first trip to Home Depot of the day.

DAY TWO: All Our Hard Work is Going to Be Hidden Behind a Wall Day !?!

Before beginning this project, I had no idea that it could take so long to join a few pieces of copper together. The plan for Day Two was to get the plumbing figured out, to put the tub in place and to put up the cement board for the walls. But we had a few issues to deal with on Day Two that kept our progress from going as smoothly as hoped.

We knew that we needed to start by getting the copper figured out and since it was all going to have to move over by a couple inches to accommodate the wider tub we chose, that was a more time consuming process than expected - especially because 2 inches over meant being positioned in the middle of a 2x4.

So out came the 2x4, Lucas cut a bunch of copper pipe and together we got to work reinforcing the new pipes, piecing the new pipes together, cleaning the copper ends and soldering.

Luckily we only caught the 2x4s on fire a couple of times :)

Here's the finished product. It only took several hours and 2 additional trips to Home Depot to get it set up properly (we had to make the extra trips because I chose a tub spout that didn't jive well with the plumbing/tile set-up... but you'd have to ask Lucas to get the story... I'm not sure I fully understand it).

Then came the process of bringing the tub up from the kitchen where it had been living since the previous evening.

It slid into place rather easily, Lucas sealed the drain with silicone (like the Home Depot guy suggested) and we started filling the baby up to check to make sure the drain was functioning properly as well as all the ABS drain and overflow pipes that we also had to re-route.

Problem was, after filling the tub up for about 3 minutes or so, and letting it sit for a minute... we started hearing dripping :(

I rushed downstairs to find about 8 cups of water in the light fixture in our kitchen!

There are no pictures of this little catastrophe because it was a little frantic for a while, but we quickly surmised that we had a drain problem which we have blamed on using silicone on the drain. So, off we went to Home Depot for a 3rd time that day. We picked up some plumber's putty and headed home hoping that it would fix the problem. So, after Lucas removed the drain, cleaned off the silicone and re-sealed the drain with the putty, we crossed our fingers and headed for bed.

Coming up tomorrow will be Day Three - Wonderful Wonderboard, Day Four - Tiling and Five - Ringing in the New Year by Scraping Grout for 8 hours!!!

-- Its Been Busy Round Here --

2011-01-04T20:06:00.000-05:00

It feels like its been forever since I've caught up on my blog reading let alone updating here but I promise I have an excuse. In fact, we've been quite busy around here with a little bathroom renovation. The reason for this reno requires a little back story though, so here goes.

Since I was a little girl, I have loved taking a bath - in fact, I remember many evenings where I would drag my little 13" black and white TV into the bathroom so I could watch TV while taking a nice, long, 2 hour bath. My sisters likely hated this hobby of mine since the 3 of us shared the bathroom, but what can I say, I loved taking baths.

The problem is, when we moved into this house I came to find out that not all bathrooms, nor bathtubs are created equal. Instead, I learned very quickly that bottom-of-the-line tubs (the ones often found in town homes) don't hold much water... barely enough for a toddler to soak in. So for the past 5 years, I have pined for a deep soaker tub so that more than 8 inches of me could be covered in water at the same time.

Lucas was strongly against the idea of replacing the tub. He said it would open a can of worms. He said if we replace the tub, we have to change the plumbing... if we change the plumbing we have to replace the tiles... if we replace the tiles we have to fix the wall... if we fix the wall, we have to paint all the walls... if we paint the walls... you get the idea. To add to all that dedication to hating my plan for a new tub, you all need to understand that this is our only tub/shower. So, if it is out of commission - so is our ability to bathe/shower. Needless to say, Lucas (who has been known to shower 2-4 times per day) was not interested in replacing the tub.

But then I got a bright idea. If what I like is soaking in hot, steamy water... why not ask for a hot tub instead?

Turns out though, Lucas liked the idea of getting/installing a hot tub about as much as the idea of cutting his hand off with a tablesaw (not much at all in case you are wondering). So with much pleading from me - and admittedly a little bargaining - he eventually came around to the idea of changing the bathroom.

We agreed that if we weren't going to be able to shower until the completion of the project, then the best time to tackle the bathroom was during our Christmas holiday (when no one at work would have to see ... or smell ... us). So in the midst of all the Christmas preparations, we also made several trips to Home Depot to pick out a new tub, new wall tiles and all the fixins :)

Here's a pic of where we started:

Ew. It wasn't until finishing the project and looking at these pictures that we realized how bad the bath/shower looked. Try to focus on the fact that prettier/cleaner pictures will come eventually :)

Tomorrow I'll show you the progress we made on Day One - Demolition Day and Day Two - All Our Hard Work is Going to Be Hidden Behind a Wall Day !?!

-- Dare to... Have Traditions --

2010-12-20T21:21:00.001-05:00

This is the final week of the Dare to DIY Party that Kim is hosting over at the NewlyWoodwards. This week is titled - Dare to Have Traditions and if there is something my family does at Christmas, its traditions! From Chinese food and Game Night on Christmas Eve (after attending a candlelit service) and shopping for our real tree (both of which I talked about last year) we are sticklers for our traditions which have only multiplied since our family traditions merged. The tradition that I want to share here though is that on every trip we take, we pick up a Christmas ornament or two and enjoy decorating the tree while remembering our vacation - here are some of the ornaments we've acquired over the last few years!

Winter 2008 - Oahu, Big Island and Kauai, Hawaii

Spring 2008 - Tucson, Grand Canyon and Sedona, Arizona

Summer 2008 - Bar Harbor, Maine

Winter 2009 - San Francisco, California

Winter 2010 - Acapulco, Mexico

Summer 2010 - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Oh - and by the way - we still haven't settled on a game for Christmas eve this year so recommendations would be very welcome. We are thinking of options like Taboo, Rook... What's your favorite game?

-- The DIY Project that Hasn't Quite Happened --

2010-12-14T21:34:00.000-05:00

So its my favorite week for the Dare to DIY party that Kim is hosting at the NewlyWoodwards - Dare to Deck Your Halls Week (see my projects from last year here).

But, the main project that I've been planning to share hasn't quite made it to a completed state yet. In our hallway we have a collection of frames where we usually display recent travel photos. My plan for this Christmas this year was to switch out some of those pictures with holiday related typography art. I've created all the art, but have yet to get them in the frames. I'd love to say that I've got in my list for later this week, but the reality is that I may not get to it until next year :(

Since I was so excited for this project I want to document it on the blog too. If you see anything you like, just email me and I'd be happy to share the file with you...

Here is a mock-up of the wall of frames. The empty areas were destined to have a sweet red and white snowflake wrapping paper in them that I found recently.

Here are the screen captures of the individual items that I had printed.

These ones are sized for an 8x10 opening:

The rest are sized for a 5x7 opening and I was able to print 2 per page of photo paper:

These ones are my favorite - I took inspiration from a few pieces I've seen floating around blogland lately.

Anyways, I feel bad that I can't show any pics of the completed project, but I've been swamped and haven't had the chance to switch out so many frames :)

One project I have completed though is my mantelscape (top of piano). If you check out my post from last year, you'll see that this year's piano top is quite different, I love the sparkle though!

Next Week is Christmas traditions and I've got an interesting one to share :) Can't wait!

-- CWC Coasters --

2010-12-12T10:40:00.003-05:00

The results are in folks and the winner of the CWC coaster set is Megan from Girl Meets Life!

Congrats Megan and Merry Christmas!

Megan, just email me with your address and I will be happy to send your coasters out to you. Don't know that they will make it for Christmas, but they will certainly be on their way! Congrats again!!

-- Jonathan Adler does Starbucks --

2010-12-07T14:24:00.000-05:00

While at Starbucks over the weekend, I spied my new favorite item!

I scooped it up immediately and hugged it for a while. So pretty!!

If you are a Starbucks fan, a Jonathan Adler fan - or just really enjoy a pretty travel mug you should definitely check it out. I'm definitely in love :)

-- Dare to... Give Homemade Gifts... to Your Reader(s) --

2010-12-06T09:28:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that we are already on Week 4 of Kim's Dare to Do It Yourself Challenge!

I think the point of this week is to share the homemade items that we are giving to friends and family this year. But, too many of my family members actually might read this post and because of that, I'm can't give away the surprise. Instead, I'm sharing some of the gifts we gave last year... AND a special little item that I am hoping to giveaway to a lucky someone who reads this blog - stay tuned til the end of the post for that one :)

For my mom last year, we made a knife block. Inspired by one we say at Lee Valley, Lucas made this out of left over pieces of walnut and bamboo skewers from the Dollar Store. While he went a little wacky with the corner joints, I think it would look equally nice with a simple box construction.

Also, 1 000 000 points to the person who can guess how many bamboo skewers it took to fill this baby up :)

Last year we also gave a couple end-grain cutting boards. These seem to be a favorite for family and friends. We also give them as wedding gifts a lot :)

We gave my grandparents a little tray last year. It was super quick and easy to make and for the handles we picked up a couple simple cabinet door handles from Home Depot and attached them to each end.

We made the tray long and skinny - just the right size for 4 mugs and my grandmother says that she uses it almost every night.

Ok, now this gift from last year was NOT simple and featured no involvement from me. But, I think its beautiful so I wanted to share. This is a coffee table for Lucas' sister and is stained pine with a walnut accent band.

And for the grand finale - A gift for one of you lucky readers!

I've got a set of 4 Zebrawood coasters up for grabs (similar to the sets below, but the wood has a stripe-y pattern - like a zebra).
For a chance to win just leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite Christmas song (my playlist could use a refresh). For a second chance to win, visit the Clark Wood Creations website, take a look through the portfolio and leave a second comment here telling me what item(s) you like best :)

I'll draw for the winner on Saturday morning and contact him/her by email to get the details on where I can send the package!!

-- HD TV --

2010-12-04T21:04:00.000-05:00

Lucas and I just got finished watching the Victoria Secret Fashion Show (we recorded it earlier this week).

About 2/3 of the way through he turned - looked directly at me and said - and I quote:

"I have NEVER been so happy we have high definition TV"

I figured I could be mad - but instead I just laughed :)

-- Eat More Cookies --

2010-12-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to give the Rice Krispie cookies that April blogged about a try for quite some time now. So today, while 'working' from home, I gave them a try.

If possible, they were even easier than Rice Krispie squares and they are super good. In 10 minutes flat, I had a fresh snack :)

I took other, more close-up pictures as well, but honestly, these cookies taste better than the look and up close wasn't exactly pretty :)

-- Dare to... Eat Cookies --

2010-11-30T09:33:00.001-05:00

Though I missed last week, and am definitely a day behind for this week, I am still thinking about and trying to participate in Kim's Dare to Do It Yourself Challenge.

This week's challenge was (and lets just say, its one of my favorite :):

"As we begin to attend holiday parties, share your favorite cookie recipe for all to enjoy. It’s like a digital cookie swap. Share the recipe and a review of the cookie. If you can, add a picture. And don't worry about the extra calories. At Christmas, cookies are calorie-free."

For me, I feel you can't ever go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie and around our house, they are a favorite. But, I do like them hot from the oven. So, what I do is make a double batch, form all of the cookies and stick them in the freezer between strips of wax paper. That way, when the mood for a cookie strikes, I can pull out as many as we are planning to eat that evening and stick them in the oven.

_________________________

We use a very simple chocolate chip recipe:

Blend: 1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

Add: 1 egg

1 teas. vanilla

Incorporate: 1 1/4 cup flour (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less)

1/2 teas. baking soda

1/2 teas. salt

Mix well and then incorporate 1/2 bag of dark chocolate, chocolate chips.

Bake at 325 for 14 minutes

__________________________

I've got to admit though, my luck with cookies has not always been the greatest. Usually they would burn on the bottom by the time I got them fully cooked in the middle. But, that all stopped when I found these little babies:

These look just like a silpat liner, but they seem to do a different kind of job. The cookies bake perfectly even and they are soft and chewy in the middle. Its like magic! Last year I bought one for every female in my family because I love them so much and now they also rave about them. I got mine at Canadian Tire for less than $10. Best cookie-related invention ever!

Next week's Dare is to give homemade gifts. I have considered doing a little bit of a giveaway at the same time as next week's Dare post, but I'm not sure that there are that many people actually reading. If I could guarantee that at least 10 people would be part of the giveaway, I could easily find myself giving a homemade, Clark Wood Creations gift to one lucky blog-friend :) Who wants to see a little CWC giveaway?

-- O Christmas Tree Farm --

2010-11-29T22:22:00.000-05:00

Our day at Will's Christmas Tree Farm - in pictures.

A day of corny signs...

Family time...

Evelyn, Purdy and Jeff

Hey - do you like this one?

A unique method of marking our favorites... :)

My mother-in-law Nora

Jeff and Evelyn by their tree of choice.

Picking and choosing until we each found "The One"...
And then the massacre that followed :)

Tree baling and shaking...

Ornament shopping...

Loading the trees and heading home.

Loading ours up with 1200 lights.

Now - must find some time for the actual decorating.

-- A Hint for Tomorrow --

2010-11-28T21:36:00.000-05:00

Guess where we went today?

Here's a hint.

Full recap coming tomorrow :) Hope you had a great weekend!

-- Busy Day --

2010-11-27T22:57:00.000-05:00

We've had a busy day today.

Lucas went to the Woodworking show in Toronto for the morning (and I suspect he did some Christmas shopping for me too since he is being really cryptic about why he was gone so long). I got all of the Christmas presents we are sending to family via mail, boxed and ready for wrapping. I then went out to do some shopping for my niece's birthday, and got groceries. After, Lucas and I went out for some lunch/dinner and came home to do some Christmas decorating.

We also turned our outdoor lights on for the first time this year. Its feeling quite festive around here!

How do you like to spend your weekends? Do you like to be busy with lots of plans and commitments or would you rather spend lazy days in PJs at home?

-- Week One --

2010-11-26T15:55:00.000-05:00

I'm just about to log off my computer which will mark the end of my first week as a PostDoc. There have been ups and downs, that's for sure, but as it turns out, the things that I feared the most are actually going over quite well. Here it is in a nutshell...

The Good:
- Taking the GO bus is actually almost enjoyable. The bus is spacious, the seats are like on an airplane, and so far, the bus has been empty enough that no one has even needed to sit beside me. Much different than the GO train or the subway in Toronto!

- The walk from the GO bus station to my building isn't that bad at all. Its about 10 to 15 minutes, which I'm sure will be less comfortable as the wind chill gets worse around here, but all in all, its good exercise.

- Getting up early has actually been tolerable. In fact, going to sleep at the same time as Lucas has been really nice. Waking up is tough, but honestly, its just as tough getting up at 7am as 5:30am.

- Work from home days are awesome! I worked from home yesterday and just having that one day of not having to travel, or dress in anything but PJs completely balanced my week!

The Bad:
- Monday sucked. Bad. It was a crazy long day and I crashed at the end. I expect that Mondays will continue to be really difficult as I need be at work for over 9 hours. Add to that 4 more hours of commuting-related travel and thats a LONG day.

The Ugly:
- I'm not going to share a picture, but suffice it to say, that going to bed with wet hair, does not make a pretty picture in the morning :) I'm trying to make it so that I can get ready faster in the mornings, so I tried showering before bed last night. It certainly saved some time, but I had good 10-15 minutes of flat-ironing to do this morning to tame the beast :)

** To top it off, I'm headed to the One of a Kind Show right now - a great end to the week!

--Straight No Chaser --

2010-11-25T21:05:00.001-05:00

We bought tickets! And I am super excited!!

April, if you are a fan, you could always join us for the weekend ;)

In other news, we are heading to the One of a Kind show tomorrow night and are hoping to finish most of our Christmas shopping while there. I'll be sure to take some pictures to share.

-- Christmas Time is Coming --

2010-11-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

Are you playing Christmas music around the house yet?

We are and I'm loving it.

I downloaded Mariah Carey's new album Merry Christmas II You and while I don't love every song, there are some great ones that I'm definitely going to enjoy for years to come. We've also been breaking out the Straight No Chaser tunes :) This amazing a capella group will be performing in mid-December in London, ON and Lucas and I are considering making the trip. The only thing holding us back is that the concert is at 8pm on a Sunday so we'd have to take Monday off.

Check out their video:

We are also going to be finishing up some Christmas shopping this week that needs to be sent out to our family on the East Coast. I'm really looking forward to breaking out the Christmas decorations, the wrapping paper and the hot chocolate this weekend!!

-- Day Two --

2010-11-23T22:15:00.001-05:00

Ok. Day two is over and it went much better than yesterday. The drive through the city was more manageable and the actual day was much less frenetic!

I also finished my last lecture of the term this evening. It feels great to finally get my evenings back but I know I'll miss the teaching so it's kind of bittersweet.

Tomorrow I take the GO bus for the first time so I'm crossing my fingers that it goes smoothly!

In other news, the hospital where I'm working was having an event tonight so they were setting up tables and chairs when I was on my way out. Every dining chair was a 'wannabe' ghost chair which completely blew my mind. I took pics and will definitely share tomorrow :)

-- First Day --

2010-11-22T21:02:00.000-05:00

My first day is over and now, even though it is only 9pm, I am headed to bed.

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully one that will allow me to get a few items checked off my To Do list.

Luckily, tomorrow night is my last Psych 101 lecture which means that I will soon get my Tuesday evenings back. Even though I really love teaching, surprisingly, this makes me so very happy :)

-- Yikes! --

2010-11-21T21:11:00.000-05:00

I start my Post Doctoral fellowship (real-world job) tomorrow morning. I'm freaking out a little. This means that the last thing on my mind is putting together a sensible blog post.

If you have some time though, my blog friend Kim at the NewlyWoodwards is hosting Week Two of the Dare to Do It Yourself challenge today/tomorrow and I'm sure she would be happy to have you drop by :) Her tablescape looks amazing and I'm sure everyone else's does too.

-- My Wicked Day --

2010-11-20T17:25:00.000-05:00

It's Official - I'm addicted.

Not to drugs, or alcohol, or even coffee... Only to musicals!

I'm still on Cloud Nine after seeing Wicked earlier this week and I figure its about time I documented my feelings toward the experience. Like I wrote a few days ago, despite my love of all things music and dancing, before Wednesday, I'd never been to a musical/Broadway show/play (other than high school versions)! But as soon as I saw the advertisement on TV telling me that Wicked was going to be in Toronto - I immediately checked out their website to see about tickets.

Luckily, since Lucas wasn't very interested in going, my lovely, wonderful friend Lana (who is a pro at this musical attendance thing) was happy to accompany me to my first show! And really, I don't know if there is anyone who would have been a better partner for the day.

We started out with a coffee stop on our way into the city, and once we arrived, we stopped for a bite of lunch before heading to the theatre. * so kicking myself for not taking the time for pictures!*

As soon as I walked into the Canon Theatre I knew it was going to be awesome - the marble floors, the gold and crystal chandeliers... not to mention that the ticket guys were in full tuxedos!

And what to say about the show... lets just say that I smiled so much, my cheeks hurt at the end :)

"Whenever I see someone, less fortunate than I...

and lets face it - who isn't...

Less fortunate than I?

... And when someone needs a makeover, I simply have to take over...

Popular, you're gonna be, Pop-u-lar..."

All the things that I expected to be great, like the music and the singing, absolutely were. The things that amazed me most though? The dancing, the costumes and the set design! It was phenomenal how the set changed so fluidly in a blink of an eye and how the characters eased into the scene from all directions. Even Glinda's 'bubble' was great - and so smooth! As for the costumes, the main characters's costumes weren't that amazing, but every person in the ensemble was decked out!

" I'm flying high... and defying gravity..."

"So if you want to find me, look to the western sky..."

Lana and I kept looking to each other during the show and just smiling! Even though she is a seasoned musical attendee I think she was also floored by the performance. It really was phenomenal - so much so that I've been YouTubing videos of the main songs and singing and dancing around the house for days! I am definitely addicted.

"I don't know if I've been changed for the better... but,

Because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

Next up? The Lion King in April - we are already looking forward to it :)

-- Loving --

2010-11-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

Did you see Gwyneth on Glee? We watched it on our DVR recently and I've been signing along ever since. Between this and Wicked, I've been doing a lot of singing and dancing around lately :)

While I'm on the subject... check out her song "Country Strong" if you haven't already. I didn't want to like it, but I can't hold out. Its a likeable kind of country...

-- Chicken Noodle --

2010-11-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Time for this week's Soup of the Week :)

Ok, so the reasons behind this week's soup are two-fold and rather complicated but comical.

One, we had a rotisserie chicken on the BBQ for dinner but somewhere along the cooking process we ran out of propane.. so after changing out the propane tank we realized that we'd be eating our dinner no earlier than 8:30pm unless we changed out plans. Since we were both hungry, we decided to have pizza for dinner instead and to just let the chicken for the evening. But, that left us with a chicken...

Two, Lucas was sick with the flu over the weekend and was craving some comfort food and beside Corn Chowder (which I hate by the way), Chicken Noodle Soup is a favorite of his. So - chicken soup it is.

Now I had full intentions of removing the chicken from the carcass and then making homemade chicken broth by boiling the bones for a while on the stove. But, after boiling and checking for several hours, one, the chicken bits weren't falling off the bones and two, I got bored and ended up letting it boil dry - Oops! I didn't say I was good at this :)

Thank goodness for Campbell's though, I just pulled out a box of chicken broth and kept going.

Chicken Noodle Soup
this made six, healthy-sized portions

Saute: 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a couple tablespoons of olive oil.

Add: 1 900mL box of chicken broth and 2 cups of water, stir all the yummy bits of onion and garlic into the broth.

Peel, Chop then Add: 2 medium potatos, 3 carrots, 3 stalks of celery (yes, I peel celery)

Simmer: Until veggie chunks are soft (this took me about 30 mins).

Add: Chicken pieces (I used the tidbits removed from the carcass and one of the breasts) and two handfuls of the noodle-of-choice (I used a small farfalle pasta).

Simmer: For about 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked to your liking.

Enjoy!

As much as I'm not really a chunky-soup kind of girl - this hit the spot and really, anything tastes good when its accompanied by a sick husband saying all kinds of nice things to you like... "wow, honey, this is perfect - you are perfect - thanks!!"

Here is the thing though, we are starting to get a little stuck with our soup choices... So help me out... What is your favorite soup? What would you add to a basic chicken soup to make it a little interesting? Any awesome pureed soups that you love?

-- WICKED --

2010-11-17T13:00:00.001-05:00

While you read this, I am here:

And I can't begin to express how excited I am about it! My first musical experience and I'm fortunate enough to be going with a great friend who just happens to share my love of all things musical inspired. So PUMPED!!!

I'll leave with a YouTube teaser of the number I'm most excited to hear:

And the trailer because I can't help it :)

-- Some of My Favourite Things --

2010-11-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

Ann recently wrote a post listing some of her favorite things and it inspired me to write one of my own. Interestingly enough, I think it creates a little window into who I am. Maybe there will even be a surprise or two for those who might know me in real life...

1) Candy - Skittles, Big Foot, Starbursts, Fuzzy Peaches, Swedish Berries, Twizzlers...

I'm an equal opportunity candy eater and I totally love it. If I had to give up all formats of junk food, this would be the hardest for me. I pick up a bag of something every single week!

2) Trips to Ikea

Though Lucas won't visit Ikea with me anymore (and so I go less frequently) nothing makes a day feel better than a walk around my favourite furniture superstore. I rarely come home with much other than knick-knacks, but I still love me some hunting for napkins / serving ware / simple black frames etc... Please tell me there are other Ikea lovers out there.

3) Phone chats with Family

My niece Kaylee and my grandmother - we call her Mama

Since I live hours away from most of my family, I truly enjoy spending hours on the phone catching up with my sister and niece, my mom and dad or my grandparents. My mom and I usually talk at least once a week and the conversations are rarely shorter than an hour (much to Lucas' chagrin after I say "... it'll only be a minute ;)" It's also so amazing to hear my niece on the other side of the phone saying something heart-melting like, "oh, Amanda... I MISS YOU!" - So great!

4) Game nights with Lucas

The gameboard for Ticket to Ride

A night playing Ticket to Ride is a really great night in my book - especially if I win. Spending time together without the TV on is a rare thing around here so its nice to break from the norm.

5) Lululemon tanks

Lululemon

These tanks never ride up which makes them easy to love! I wear a tank almost every day and these are my favourites because no matter my activity level, I know I won't need to be constantly adjusting the hem of the tank to meet the top of my jeans.

6) Being Barefoot

Aldo

Ok, this isn't exactly a thing, but the things that make this possible are awesome. See, I hate socks, so in the summer I love my flip flops... in fact, I try not to wear much else from May to October. In the fall and winter, I break out the lined boots. I currently have a pair of Ugg wannabes and another pair of taller sherling lined boots from Aldo that are so cozy and easy to wear in bare feet they are like slippers. I love them!

7) Homemade BBQ chicken pizza

No take-out pizza here. When we are craving some comfort food we break out the pizza stone, flour and BBQ sauce. Maybe I'll share the recipe later this week... its pretty easy - and awesome!

-- Dare to... Be Thankful --

2010-11-15T20:01:00.001-05:00

The Dare to Do It Yourself Challenge is back this year (Thanks Kim from The NewlyWoodwards!) and there are so many more participants this year compared to last.

This week's challenge was:

"Take some time making your own DIY Thanksgiving project. It could be a fun Thanksgiving advent calendar, homemade thank-you cards, a banner or something completely unique."

Since Thanksgiving is long over in my neck of the woods I'm adopting this as more of a Fall-ish challenge and so I'm going to share my Fall wreath for this week. All the materials are from Michael's and the whole project was maybe $10... just a grapevine wreath and a few different springs of leaves and other fall-like faux foliage. This was a quick one as I didn't even hot glue any of the pieces in... I just made sure to stick the foliage sprigs in between the grapevine so they were secure.

Only bad part is that a while ago we were sitting in our living room watching TV and heard a ruckus toward the door. The dog took off in a frenzy and I soon realized that the wreath is a great perch for the neighbourhood squirrels. Uncool, especially when they leave their slice of 12 grain bread behind... gross!

Can't wait to see what everyone else created...

Check out the Party

-- Ape House --

2010-11-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

I finished Ape House earlier this week and since I promised a quick review - here goes:

Written by Sara Gruen (the author of Water for Elephants) this story revolves around a family of bonobo primates who prove to a research community that primates are capable of understanding human language and also conversing with humans through sign language. Unfortunately though, early in the book, the bonobo's home is attacked and they are taken into a "Big Brother-esque" reality TV show situation where the world is exposed, not just to their impressive language abilities but also their extremely human natures (craving cheeseburgers, watching trash TV and engaging in sexual behaviors).

In a quest to 1) rescue the bonobos from their reality TV show and 2) ensure that they remain far away from the research labs that engage in truly inhumane treatment of such animals, the main character Isabel crosses paths with many interesting characters.

In my opinion, this book was an enjoyable read, but not really as complex as I had expected it to be. Maybe its my background that made me want more detail about the bonobos and their conversations with humans, but regardless, I felt that the focus of the book was a little too heavy on the sex-y stuff and too little on abilities and mistreatment of the animals. Even so, this was a great book - not the best I've read this year, but definitely in the Top 10! I think if you liked Water for Elephants, you'll like this book (maybe not love it - but definitely will like it)!

Enjoy!!

-- In the Christmas Spirit --

2010-11-13T19:54:00.000-05:00

After sleeping in a little this morning, Lucas and I headed out to take advantage of the amazing warm fall weather (we made it over 12 C this afternoon) to tidy up the garage and to get out the Christmas lights :) I know, its only November and Christmas is several weeks away - but hanging outdoor Christmas lights is absolutely NO fun in the freezing cold. So even though we got many stares and a neighbour who came over to say he will dig out his pellet gun if we light them before December 1... we got them situated...

Turns out you can't see the lights very well in pictures - but they are clipped into the fascia of the overhang of our tiny porch.

A bunch more lights... spread out on our postage stamp of a front yard, waiting for placement :)

We also attach a string of old-style large bulb lights along the fence between our place and the neighbour's.

My pile of Christmas decorations, brought down from storage in the garage. Its safe to say that if even I got every clothing item together that I own, I still wouldn't have enough to fill all of these bins!

I think I'll wait another week or so before bringing out the interior decorations or the wreaths etc... for outside, but it does feel nice to know that most of the outdoor decorating is complete (and I did it in my flipflops!)

-- Ouch --

2010-11-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I had a dental cleaning scheduled. When the dentist came in for a quick checkup he asked if I've been experiencing anything tooth-related recently. I let him know that I couple weeks ago I had a sharp sensitivity to cold water in one of my molars, but that it had only happened that one time. But, he decided that to be safe (and to hopefully ensure that it didn't happen again) I should get a little top-up to a filling I already have in that tooth.

So in I went this morning, not really expecting much other than a little bit of drilling and some filling. I honestly didn't even expect to get any freezing since he was only adding to a previous filling. But 25 minutes of drilling later (I KNOW! it didn't even take that long for me to have all 4 of my wisdom-teeth removed!) he still wasn't finished. And now, almost 12 hours later, my tooth, and the ones surrounding it, are killing me! The pain has been way worse all day compared to the couples seconds of sensitivity pain... not happy and really hoping there isn't something more serious going on...

-- In Remembrance --

2010-11-11T22:16:00.000-05:00

‎"Never... was so much owed by so many to so few"

-- Christmas Cards --

2010-11-10T16:09:00.001-05:00

Do you send Christmas cards?

For the last 2 years, I've bought them - fully planning to write to our friends and family and send them out, but they've never made it to their intended recipients.

Maybe if this year I went to the effort of selecting and creating a photo card I'd have better luck? I just don't know... I completely understand all those people out there sending pics of their adorable kids to friends and family, but does anyone really want an amateur picture of me and the husband on their mantel? I don't know... maybe the parents and grandparents would be game...

Anyway, here some options from Shutterfly...

They are all quite awesome - certainly making me tempted...

-- Colour Inspiration --

2010-11-09T07:30:00.001-05:00

Via Its Great to be Home

I've bee attracted to lots of colour lately. This picture sums it up perfectly. I could take or leave the orange bowl in the foreground but those raspberry lamps? To die for...

-- "The Works" Potato Soup --

2010-11-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

Lucas and I have been trying to make a habit of eating more at home over the past year. During the summer it was quite easy because Lucas is an ace BBQ-er but more recently, with fall arriving (and feeling more like winter) we've been having difficulty figuring out menu ideas.

To this end, we've adopted a goal of eating soup at least once per week and usually on the weekends.

Toward this goal, we decided to try a potato/onion/bacon/cheese soup this week. I found this recipe via the Rachael Ray Show and made some changes based on what I had on hand (didn't have an fresh bacon, or thyme, or paprika).

This is what I ended up with:

1 - Saute:
   bottom half of 3 leeks - washed and chopped thinly
   3 to 4 grated cloves of garlic
   2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 - When leeks are limp add:
   a small handful of parsley
   a small handful of chili powder and
   fresh pepper

   1 1/2 quarts of low-sodium chicken broth (1 1/2 boxes)
   6 or 8 medium to large potatos
   * (I also tossed in a handful of real bacon pieces when potatos were close to being done)

3 - Allow to boil gently until potatos are soft (this took mine about 15-20 minutes)

4 - Blend mixture in batches - Serve immediately.

Its also really tasty to add garnishes of cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, bacon pieces and sour cream.

I forgot to take a picture while this was steaming hot - but here's a pic of a leftover bowl that's all ready for Lucas's lunch :)

-- New Clark Wood Creations Project --

2010-11-07T11:34:00.000-05:00

So the CWC Workshop (aka the basement) has been in overdrive for the last few weekends as Lucas has been trying to check a few Christmas presents off the list, but this project is one he tried out that I wanted to share. These are name plates that could be used for a variety of purposes I suppose but Lucas is planning to take his to work to replace his generic one that the company supplied when we got his first cubicle :)

See our neighbours are in the business of stamp making and have recently purchased a snazzy machine that does laser engraving! To make these name plates Lucas started with a thin piece of light or dark coloured wood (maple or walnut in these examples) and applied a contrasting veneer. Then he took them over the the neighbours for the engraving where they burned through the veneer to reveal the contrasting wood underneath. After easing the edges to show a little more contrast and finishing them with oil I think they make a really unique statement for the office!

And just because I can't help myself - the handyman himself: